Thoughts on Yuletide

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 Another Christmas came in 2020. At home, we were grateful more than ever that we could celebrate the day being healthy and warm under our roof.


As Christmas approached, I reflected the year 2019 during Christmas period. It was one of the quiet season for travel industry, except that we had many Christmas tours from Japan to Europe, to enjoy visiting Christmas markets and see illuminations.

One of the popular destination is Germany, where you can enjoy various Christmas markets. I was working on a tour which visits Nuremberg, Stuttgart, and Rothenburg. The tour itself is not extremely difficult one, but the preparation itself was a great fun. I prepared how to exchange a voucher at Christmas market reception for a drink ticket, where the group can get a mug for Glühwein for each. Thinking that the group will enjoy visiting Christmas market with many stalls selling Christmas food and decorations, and enjoying in warm atmosphere, is one of the great thing working at tour operator.

The Best Christmas markets in Germany for 2021

German-style Christmas market is becoming popular in Japan in recent years. There are 4 Christmas markets in Tokyo, one in Yokohama, Saitama-Fukutoshin, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, and Sapporo. They may not be a perfect copy of those in Germany (Especially the colour of illuminations, mainly in marine blue ), but the warm and uplifting atmosphere of the markets are something many people look forward to during the grey days between November and December.

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Few days before Christmas day, I came across with a bottle of Glühwein and a small mug cup at a supermarket. It was not an imported product, apparently a company in Japan was eager to make a package of wine bottle with a mug. Thinking about a year before, I picked up one.

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Christmas dinner on 2020 was simple, with typical Japanese Christmas food such as roasted chicken thigh and a puff cake. We added a Christmas pudding and left over champagne from last year.

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Our thoughts were with essential workers who were fighting with COVID on the day. We enjoyed the meal, and promised that we will avoid the virus in the year to come.

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