Thanksgiving

For javaz, getting bit crowded down below.

“A piece of string walks into a bar.

The barman asks, “Are you a piece of string?”

“No”, it replies, “a frayed knot.”

Good afternoon/evening everyone.

Javaz, your description of family gatherings made me giggle, thanks. I thought that I had escaped it by moving here but we have our own nightmare day here, it’s New Year’s Day.

Oshogatsu starting from the morning of the 1st of Jan, is an excuse to drink, eat all day long, sing songs and generally make a fool of yourself.

We leave the house after a glass of sake on an empty stomach and set out on a taxi journey of 30 minutes to the house of my mother-in-law/brother-in-law. The minute we arrive we are greeted and offered ozoni, a clear broth with a huge and sticky rice cake in the middle. By the time I’ve tried to chew it and then decide to just swallow chunks of this sticky rice square, I’m full. It sits in my stomach for hours, feeling heavy, making no room for even a sip of water.

During the next hour family members, friends and the remnants of the people who work for us, meaning the ones who will stay in Tokyo instead of visiting with families living outside of Tokyo, will start to arrive. We move upstairs to a large tatami floored room, which is often either too cold or too warm and start to park ourselves around the 2 large, oblong tables.

The tables are covered with dishes of food, the traditional Osechi, where everything looks so good but is deceiving because it is all very sweet. Sashimi, always just a few inches from my sensitive nose, can’t eat raw food, have an allergy. Sushi freshly made by my sister-in-law and then the usual plate of sliced ham, boiled eggs, tomatoes and broccoli for me.

When the 20 odd people are all gathered around the table, my brother-in- law gives a toast for our New year with sake and then the morning begins. I have never seen a group of people having the stamina to literally eat and drink for over 5 hours almost nonstop. With my legs stuck out in front of me under one of the tables, I become uncomfortable after about 30 minutes, try to extract myself often to move around in the cold hallway of the second floor to bring my circulation back and slide under the table once again. When I was younger I used to drink as much as the others but feeling bad for 3 days after we returned, I’ve learned my lesson.

Everyone gets a little louder, reddened faces are in a constant grin, eyelids droop and words are slurred but the booze is still being poured while my legs and back are getting stiffer, At 3:30 in the afternoon, I start the traditional pointing at my watch to my hubby, he does his traditional nodding and rolling of eyes, I’m always fooled by his enthusiasm to leave soon for the comfort of our own home, it never comes. My body feeling like a board I search the room for two people who can still stand on their own two legs and ask them to either order a small crane or pull me out from the position that I now seem frozen in and slowly make my way down the stairs to wait for hubby to emerge. After a few irate shouts from the bottom of the stairs, I usually find an able bodied person in the kitchen to tell hubby that if he wants to stay he can but that I’m leaving in about 20 minutes. Sometimes we leave together, he falls asleep in the taxi on the way home, often I leave him there for someone else to bring home.

On my lonely return, our furry ones are hungry, I am greeted by irate little faces and swishing tails, both inside an out, Mommy instinct flares as I see to their needs. Crashing on the sofa, I throw my clothes on the floor, catch my breath before I change back into my well worn, comfy sweats, I’m home.

I make myself a well deserved cocktail, grab the cordless phone and start my New Year’s international “Happy New Year” calls around the world. Hubby arrives an hour or so later, goes straight to bed, not to emerge until the following afternoon.

For another year this performance is over, the slide into the New Year is slow for me, I dream of returning back to the days of champagne before midnight with close friends by my side, the luxury of getting up when I want to the next day, a life without human cranes or cramps…………………………………………
Oops sorry, I was daydreaming again.