A letter from Bill Geppert in Japan
December 2010
Merry Christmas from Japan
This is the time of year that I love the best. Out of my 15 Christmas celebrations, 13 of them have been spent here. Japan is not a Christian country, so if Christmas falls on a weekday it is a workday. Japanese Christians celebrate on the Sunday before Christmas, except, of course, when it falls on a Sunday. This year our worship and celebration will be held on December 19. Some non-Christians will have a Christmas tree and put up outdoor lights and other decorations. Some even give presents and pretend Santa Claus came in the night (through a window, as few homes have chimneys over a fireplace). Some of these families will have spent time working overseas in the United States, Canada, Europe or South America and like the tradition. Others research the holiday and present it as something valuable for the children to enjoy. But most Japanese do not celebrate Christmas.
However, department stores and shopping areas are decked out brilliantly with lights and trees and wreaths hanging on lampposts and cherry trees (no leaves or needles). All this, of course, is to attract shoppers and get them in the mood for buying. Like Americans, Japanese love shopping and gifts. The gift-giving is called the “year-end time of giving gifts.” For some, the gift-giving comes from the heart, but for others, it is just a social obligation that sometimes continues until the receiver of the gifts dies. Even then, some families, businesses and service providers have been known to keep giving gifts from one generation to the next!
At the church I attend, Sunday service will include baptisms, receiving new members and special memorials as well as the usual worship service with communion. In the afternoon a special concert and time of singing Christmas carols will be held in the chapel, followed by coffee. It is a festive time for the church members.
I have always enjoyed Christmas here in Japan. As a professor I get two weeks of vacation, allowing me to enjoy doing things around town or take short trips. Hot spring resorts are very nice this time of year!
May this Christmas be a time of joy as you celebrate the birth of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Will Geppert
The 2011 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 148
