Text 1033, 97 rader
Skriven 2005-12-31 16:32:21 av Ardith Hinton (1:153/716.0)
   Kommentar till text 1008 av Carol Shenkenberger (6:757/1)
Ärende: from tomthumb.stumbleupon.com
=====================================
Hi, Carol!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

CS>  Dunno about valentines so much where I am


          Maybe it's not such a big deal in Sasebo.  I was curious, however,
because Dallas read an article to the effect that many employees in business
offices now feel they're expected to give chocolate to their bosses....  :-)



CS>  but Xmas is a BIG deal here. The Japanese (unless
CS>  Christian) celebrate it as a totally non-religious
CS>  family holiday and decorate up the streets and stores
CS>  and all that.  It may not be the same in an area away
CS>  from the US Navy bases, but here they love the idea.

CS>  They celebrate with a fancy dinner and gather the family
CS>  together and give gifts (very often home made ones of
CS>  food or crafts but store bought stuff too).


          Sounds like what many people do here, but with less commercialism.
Long may it last!  Some of the attempts at "political correctness" I've seen
might give a visitor from outer space... as in the TIME magazine classic "Is
There Intelligent Life on Rth?"... the idea we all worship Santa Claus.  :-/



CS>  Xmas trees arent all that common but you will find them
CS>  in homes, decorated in 'Japan' style with orgami ornaments
CS>  and bright bits of sparkly stuff.


          Nora got something like that from one of her therapists, who is of
Japanese extraction... a sprig of fake cranberries from a local dollar store
with an origami crane attached which she'd made herself.  Very nice....  :-)



AH>  One minute Nora is eight, the next minute she's twenty-
AH>  eight.  That's fairly typical for teenagers.

CS>  Charlotte is just entering that age.


          Hang onto your hat!  The next couple of years may be tumultuous...
but speaking as a mother & as a teacher, I think you will see the results of
your good work more & more often as she moves on toward the late teens.  ;-)



CS>  She's resisting the idea of a bra for now but needs
CS>  one before too much longer (has 2 and sometimes tries
CS>  them on, you remember that age like I do I bet!).


          Mine *and* Nora's, yes!  I wanted one because the other girls were
wearing them, and it was rather embarrassing when we had P.E., but my mother
couldn't relate.  She said I had "nothing to put in it"... (sigh).  Nora had
something to put in it at an earlier age, but she resisted the idea at first
just as Charlotte did.  Finally she started wearing a bra because the school
staff wanted her to, but she'd take it off as soon as she arrived home.  :-)



CS>  But then, she found an OUT!  I had a lacy 'teddy bear'
CS>  that worked just as well as a bra.


          Ah.  Nora wore sports bras until she had her stroke, then switched
to camisoles because she found them easier to put on.  Both can also be used
alone... and for her it's significant that they come in bright colours.  :-)



CS>  Note 'had'.  It's hers now <g>.


          Uh-huh.  Nora has stuff which used to be mine too.  OTOH, I have a
few items of clothing which used to be hers... [chuckle].



CS>  BRW, Merry Kristmasu from Sasebo!


          Thankyou.  Incidentally, I've just realized the name "Santa Claus"
comes to us from Dutch... and "Grandfather Frost" is the Russian equivalent.

          There, now we're more or less back on topic....  ;-)




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 * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver BC, CANADA [604-266-5271] (1:153/716)