Merry Christmas!

Hello, all, I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

I got back this morning from a 4 day ski trip to Nozawaonsen, which was a blast. There wasn't a whole lot of snow the first day, but my friend Nestor and I gave it our best shot (he had never skied or snowboarded before, he tried snowboarding and did great), and the second day the mountain did not open because of strong winds. Surprisingly, we got a full refund for our lift ticket that day, which just goes to show how much Japan really is dedicated to service.

That night, though, the mountain got about a foot of snow, and the next day was great, although apparently when snow falls in Japan, instead of letting you ski the freshies, they groom it. Go figure. Either way, more of the mountain was open for us to explore and we took advantage of it. The final day we went with some friends who were also in the area to a monkey park where the monkies actually have their own outdoor hotspring. There are tons of awesome pictures of that excursion and they are coming soon.

Tonight I ate dinner with my host family, but before it started they brought me into the living room where they have their Christmas "tree" set up (it's plastic, but they decorate it and friggen love it), and presented me with my Christmas gift: 3 bottles of wine.

My host mom's words were the best part though:

"Gooraygoo, (my name pronounced in Japanese) happy birthday! Oh, I mean, Mayree Kooreesoomahsu!"

The whole family has work tomorrow, so we're not actually celebrating Christmas traditionally, but I'll be thinking about all of you! Have a great holiday!