Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukah to all this evening. I shall be assembling a sort of toy oven made of wood later, and perhaps a doll-house. Yes, we will be giving our three-year-old some gifts tomorrow, as well as leaving out some cookies for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph. Christmas is a thoroughly secularized holiday these days, and there's no good reason I can see to deny our child the fun. Besides, my wife is from Japan - where almost no one knows what the hell Christmas is about but it's a huge deal anyway.

I shall spend tomorrow at a friend's house with his family having way too much to drink! Kampei!