Jonas Meets Santa. Santa Scares Jonas. And Happy Birthday Grandma.

On Sunday, an ALT out in the sticks hosted a Christmas party for little ones at her town community center, which is just a couple of minutes from one of the schools I visit each week. It's about a 45 minute drive through small mountains and countryside, and I enjoy going out there. Jonas was probably the youngest youngster there, but he still tried his hand at the crafts table, and took a seat on Santa's lap. He wasn't too excited about Santa at first, but he warmed to him later (pictures not shown), once Santa started dancing.

 

 

 

 

One blond boy in a sea of black hair. (Also, below, that isn't blood on his upper lip. It's marker, in case you had ideas of calling family services).

 

 

 

 

And finally, a happy 89th birthday to Faye Strait, my grandma. She is an amazing woman, who not only uses a computer, but routinely checks this blog. How about that! Many people (probably most) thought we were crazy to come to Japan. She was one of the few who didn't. Right before we left, I knew she was sad to see us leave, but at the same time, she told me that she was a little envious, too. She and my grandfather spent most of their free time traveling all over America, and I got to go on some of those trips with them when I was a boy. Those are some of the fondest memories. So anyway, I'm glad to carry on in her adventurous tradition, and I hope she had a good birthday. We'll be back soon.