According to the weather forecast, a strong cold front is predicted to hit Japan around Christmas. So in many places, we'll probably be able to enjoy a white Christmas, which makes us feel more romantic. However, upon thinking about the 3/11 earthquake victims living in temporary housing which forces them to struggle against the cold, the white Christmas becomes an unwelcome event. Unfortunately, the tsunami and earthquake-stricken areas are already covered by snow.
Around Christmas time, many people are busy making greeting cards for the new year (The cards are called 年賀状/nengajyou ). We usually make the cards with regular-sized plain postcards "年賀はがき /nenga-hagaki " issued by the Japan Post Service. 年賀はがき /nenga-hagaki are specially designed for the new year's greetings. Each of them costs 50 yen, and a 50 yen stamp is already printed on the front where you are supposed to write someone's address. Because of it, you can send the postcards to anywhere inside Japan without putting on stamps. (When you send a regular-sized postcard to somewhere in Japan, you have to put on a 50 yen stamp ). On top of that, each card has a lottery number printed on the front. Lucky numbers are announced on the 15th of January.
Anyway, we usually draw pictures and write something on the back (the back is plain). It's a little time-consuming, although computers make it easier. If you post the cards between the 15th and 25th of December, they are sure to be delivered on the 1st of January (It means that they won't be delivered until the 1st of January). Because of this, many people are busy making the greeting cards around Christmas time.
