Ohohoh! Santa Wave is coming!

Dear folks,

apparently Google people are extremely generous to me.

Early last month, they sent me a full invitation (the one with 8-more invite to send). Now, I discovered 8 more invitation in my googlewave account. If that wasn’t enough they sent me another regular invitation to a second account I own.

Thus, here I am wishing you Merry XMas and giving away my invitation!

What you have to do

Send me a mail (yes a snail-mail or better a postcard, I love them) to this address:

and send me your XMas greetings!

The first eight people will receive a google wave invitation as soon as I receive their postcard.
Leave a comment as soon as you sent the postcard, with your email, so I can reserve an invite for you!

A little remark

Greetings From Google!

Try to be polite with the subject of your request, and choose a great theme for the postcard. The best of all would be one of these from Google, but unfortunately I do not live in US (but if you are and would like to be at the first rank…)

Put in your earphones.

Raise the volume.

Play the video and close your eyes.

Merry Xmas!!!

In most Western countries, the biggest holiday is Xmas, but in Japan it is the New Year. Japanese have a lot of things to do to prepare for January 1st.

They clean the home and the office.
They place a kadomatsu (??) or pine-tree decoration outside their homes and make special food called osechi-ry?ri (???? or ????), a variety of dishes which can be preserved for eating over the several days of holiday, and mochi (?), rice cakes.
It is also traditionally a time to visit friends and business acquaitances.
Oh, they send nengaj? (???) greeting cards, too.

During the holidays, they often go back to their parents’ home.
Most Japanese start the new year by going to a nearby jinja (??) shrine or otera temple. They pray for health and happiness in the coming year. This is called Hatsum?de (??).
Some of them wait for the first sunrising (Hatsuhinode (????)).

Last year I was in Sendai. With two German friends I started 2007 waiting to ring the bell in Hachiman shrine. I cannot describe really the atmosphere. It was so beautiful and spiritual and silent. I was really impressed by composure and pride of Japanese celebrations. This aspect of Japanese life is one of the most interesting (for me of course ) and I love it.

On January 14th, in Sendai there is the Dontosai Matsuri. During this festival people go to the shrine and they burn old year decorations. (Almost) naked merchants walk from their shops towards the shrine, carrying their shop lantern to receive a cup of Holy sake to get good luck for new year. It is usual to see also entire family walk on the streets to perform “hadaka mairi” (to pay homage naked).

So maybe I’m in late, but today is 14th and exactly one year ago I was present at this festival, with a dear friend. There was amazing hours, the waiting, the walking towards the shrine, the huge fire, the naked people, and luckily I was not alone, even if I was in my last days in Japan.
A friend of mine is now there, and I’m quite nostalgic thinking about such things. And I guess that is a good moment to wish you “Happy New Year”!

Today I would like to wish you to find a reason to hope, to fight, to be tough.
It doesn’t matter if you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim or Buddhist, white, black, tall, small, male or female. If you trust or not in something supernatural.
Until you will hold on yourself, on your family, on your ideals, you will not fall, you will not be alone.
Today, at least, today, I wish you a good day.