A Very Happy Christmas to All!!!

Kanon Nakagawa and Elsie

Well, this is that time of the year again...

It's Christmas!

This is the time of giving and the time of opening gifts. Look at the little kids now, waking up from their beds and rushing through the Christmas Tree, found out that there are stockpile of gifts waiting for them to open and those came from Santa Claus! It's sure to see kids happy opening their gifts. But for the kid in them, those gifts are belong to the hard-worked parents. Not sure about it but hey, you should say thank you to them for the presents you've obtained!

For some, most families are roaming around the neighborhood, claiming their presents to their loved ones, mostly cash and everything else. It seems common for a Muntinlupa boy like me to experience it. Every year, I roam around the neighborhood for some presents with a little help from someone name "Ate Glo" and no, I'm not referring to the former Philippine president kind of thing. Seems that it turned into an adventure while it lasted. Ah, the memories...

This year, this would be different. Here in the Philippines, things has changed. Remember the nightmare happened in places like Cagayan De Oro and Iligan? Yes, the flooding nightmare caused by Tropical Depression Washi. Most people here will never spend Christmas because of the recent nightmare but there is hope. We can still cheer them up with more donations. For the list of where to donate to our friends at Mindanao go to http://www.topgear.com.ph/news/how-to-help-our-brothers-and-sisters-in-mindanao and help them!

Here in Japan, Christmas will be different, very different. Since the March 11 Earthquake and Tsunami, the Fukushima Dai-ichi crisis, and the Strong Yen, Christmas is going to be very difficult for the average Japanese family today, as most of the survivors still living at their temporary housings while struggling to keep their lives normal despite being suffered from the nightmare 9 years ago. However, energy saving measures are on effect because this is the winter season. Expect most lights at Tokyo not to shine to conserve energy. Better plan when to use the heater guys and make sure to wear warm clothing!

In a country like Thailand, this is different too because most Thais are trying to recover from the recent Thai flood since October and we're hoping that the Japanese firms in Thailand will recover fast. As we know, most of the Japanese cars sold from the Philippines are from Thailand and we wish them a speedy recovery.

We wish them a very happy Christmas, a peaceful New Year, and I'm very sorry on your own. Yes, very sorry on your own.

After Christmas, I'm planning to do the list of the top 40 cars of 2011. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Photo: Shogakukan