How would you define the Christmas spirit that we hear so much about this time of year?

In Japan? Nada. Zilch. Zip. None. I get that Christmas is supposed to be more than the decorations and presents but seeing houses decked out in pretty lights and going to tree lighting ceremonies helps get me in the mood for the holidays. However, in Japan, their Xmas decorations are so sparse and so far removed from the actual holiday that they're nothing more than an eyesore and a waste of electricity. They are also super quick to remove any and all Christmas decorations - in my office, the one sad, lone Christmas tree is gone by Dec 26th.

Taking Japan out of the equation, Christmas for me means spending the holidays with my family and being grateful that we're all together, healthy and happy. Since we're all scattered to the four corners of the globe, Christmas is the one time of the year that we -pre-Covid anyway - make it a priority to get together. We get reacquainted over food and gifts and Christmas movies. We also go to Midnight Mass, mostly to appease my very Catholic grandmother but also it's nice - the atmosphere in the church coupled with the Christmas hymns are very soothing. I miss all of this. Never going to take it for granted again.

you mean Japan?

just shopping commercial event.

normal business days as always,no holidays.

christmas in Japan means christmas cake from kombini,kfc menu and some presents.

no relationship to real Christmas meaning.

weirdest part is that xmas trees dissapers overnight dec 24 as is replaced by new years decorations,while boxing day is dec 25th...

Christmas for me in Japan means Xmas tree at home and in garden,my country traditional dishes,calling with friends and relatives abroad and tons of nice memories from past.Sure some time for praying and relax with family as well.Few presents for kids.

There surely isn’t much of that Christmas spirit anywhere to see, for cultural reasons or also because of that pandemic or even both.

I define it as eating Xmas cake on Xmas Eve with a pretty girl and going to a love hotel with her. It's in the New Testament, right?

Good traditional food - home-cooked, no KFC garbage.

Port and brandy - and plenty of it.

Presents under the tree.

A good sing-song of "The 12 Days of Christmas"

A Bond film and Morecambe and Wise on the box.

And the tree stays up until New Year, none of this ripping everything down on Christmas Day.

Christmas is the best day of the year.

Just read:

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

The Gift of the Magi - O. Henry

How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Dr. Seuss

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "Doesn't come from a store."

"Maybe Christmas ... perhaps...means a little bit more."

Zichi - I said "a Bond film" not "the new Bond film"

Give Goldeneye or The Spy Who Loved Me a try this year - you won't regret that.

The spirt of all those chickens killed for KFC dinners roaming around Japanese streets looking for joy and happiness.

Charles Dickens put it best:

"There are many things from which I might have derived good by which I have not profited, I dare say," returned the nephew, "Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas-time, when it has come round-apart from... the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that-as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!"

Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. Speech by Scrooge's nephew, Fred.

Santa Claus!

Odin!

Indulging in some socializing and hedonism before the winter months of cold weather and long evenings set in.

This "spirit" comes from the Pagan winter-solstice celebrations originated in the West, not from Christianity, whose roots are in the hot deserts of the Mideast.

I define it as "successful marketing." Now get out there and CONSUME!

In Japan? Its non existent save for the christmas lights and consumer spending.

As for the rest of the world, seeing how the developed world hoarded vaccines from the developing world, causing the mutations we see today, I'd say that like Japan its non existent.

So yeah- nothing