A Low-Effort Japanese Christmas

I had decided from the very beginning that I wouldn't push myself for Christmas this year.

I go to the office once a week on Thursdays, but this year, the final workday was Friday.

Working back-to-back on Thursday and Friday, and then having a year-end party right after on Friday, I felt a bit of tension wondering if I'd be able to wake up or how I'd manage the housework.

Since I was focusing my energy on that, I decided that Wednesday the 24th would be Japanese food: grilled fish, grilled thick fried tofu seasoned with soy sauce, miso soup, and rice—a classic Japanese meal.

I had already done Christmas cooking over the weekend, so I thought it would be fine, though I did feel a bit guilty for not trying harder.

To my surprise, my daughter said,

We've already had beef stew and white stew, and we ate chicken, so we've had plenty of Western food, right? Honestly, I like Japanese food, so I'm happy.

She laughed as she said it.

I'm grateful. The only thing I regret is that I had bought some Christmas picks, and I wonder if it would have been funny (or looked good on social media) if I had stuck them into the soy-sauce-flavored fried tofu.

On the morning of the 25th (Thursday), I confidently made pork miso soup and asked for Japanese food again that day.

She was quite happy about it.

I'm grateful.

On the morning of the 26th (Friday), I was a bit sleep-deprived and couldn't push myself, so I told my kids that both parents would be out for a year-end party and asked them to please manage dinner on their own.

I thought they would just eat retort-pouch curry, but they actually cut up vegetables, microwaved them, and added them to the curry!

They are so reliable.

I realized it's okay to have days where I ask the kids to help out like this.

We can get by without pushing ourselves, and I feel that we are loved and that our love is being conveyed.

Cultivating a new perspective.

By the way, at our weekend Christmas party, I bought a sponge cake and left the decorating to my son, and this is how it turned out.

I burst out laughing at my daughter pretending to be a cake shop and spinning the plate like a potter's wheel, and at my son struggling to spread the cream.

My son said the spot where he stabbed Santa was a "metaphor." Lol.

A metaphor for what? Lol.

"It's a homemade cake, so it's fine!!"

Yes, it is fine. Lol.

It was a Christmas that made me realize you can be happy even if things aren't perfect!