Christmas is a good excuse for people tired of pinching pennies.

Have you recently been busy preparing for Christmas or are you already on holiday? In Japan, Christmas is mainly for young couples and children. Many young couples want to have a romantic time because it is Christmas. Small children believe that Santa Claus is going to come to their house to give them gifts. Children who have already realized that Santa Clause doesn't exist look forward to Christmas gifts from their parents and grandparents. Since most Japanese people are not Christians, Christmas is highly commercialized. Because of that, some of our unique customs relating to Christmas look weird to Westerners.

Anyway, it has been recently reported that Japanese people's attitudes toward Christmas have clearly shown that they are tired of pinching pennies. Department stores are happily surprised to see that luxury goods are enjoying much better sales than expected. These goods are being bought as Christmas gifts or on the pretext of Christmas. Extravagant rooms at luxury hotels have been fully booked around Christmas. These things didn't happen last December. This year, Christmas seems to be a good excuse for people tired of pinching pennies to spend a little more money to make themselves happy. Unfortunately, it isn't seen as a good sign of economic recovery, although I sometimes hear that the Japanese economy is gradually getting better. I have found this sign, but I haven't deeply realized it yet. I feel that the income gap between the rich and the poor has been growing.