We're going to go and be with friends and family,

And we're going to get ready for a big Christmas program.

Here's the next "Life in Japan"

("Life in Japan" Theme Music)

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is making Christmas cookies.

And when I was little, I used to make them with my mom.

And now I get to make them with my kids

And they love, especially, frosting the cookies.

Elsa jyo — Princess Elsa!

Queen Elsa! (Sings "Here Comes the Bride")

That's wedding, that's not coronation.

Yeah. (Sings "Jurassic Park")

Huh! That's Jurassic Park!

Push it in. There you go. Perfect.

Whoa! Are you in charge of putting the chocolate chips in there, Sarah?

Yes. Oh wow.

Those are Mary's clothes? For the Christmas play?

What are you Anna? Angel.

Hey, could you sing for me "Do you want to build a snowman" in Japanese?

Do you remember it? Maybe.

(Singing "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" in Japanese, making it up as she goes)

Yeah! That's awesome!

It's the final product, Becca! What's it taste like? Let's see. Try it.

Chocolate!

So good?

OK we'll have to figure this out.

And one of the most special things about Christmas is the story behind Christmas which is the birth of Jesus.

So at church we're going to be doing a play, so we started practicing for that.

(Singing "Silent Night")

Practicing "Silent Night!"

Smile!

Now we're making Kipfels.

I think it's German. Maybe?

My Grandma's recipe? Maybe?

Kipfels are one of your favorites, right?

Yes! They're not too sweet.

They remind me of my mom.

It was always the impossible recipe (to make), and now I'm making it.

And they're so pretty to look at!

Look, there's cookies in there.

(Sarah giggling)

What'cha got there, Sarah?

A present. OK, let's see your present.

What happens when you open it? 1, 2, 3

Ha ha!

Good job! Hi five!

"Head" five, OK.

"Toe" five.

You got a nice spot right in front of the heater there.

So this year the girls and I decided that we would do gingerbread houses.

We usually do them with friends, but we decided to call the cousins over.

Most of them are too little, so the moms had to do them, but we had a lot of fun.

No Gingerbread house for you?!

No Gingerbread for me. Oh man.

The kids mostly wanted to eat all of the toppings that were on the gingerbread houses,

and we had some problem with the frosting; it didn't want to stick the houses together.

But eventually we made a really thick sugar-paste-glue thing

We got the houses to stick together.

And they were so cute in the end!

The kids were all happy with the turnout.

(Seiji Igusa Fingerstyle Guitar)

Sarah's down here warming up, huh?

Everyone else is sleeping downstairs.

It's just you and me that's up, huh?

What is going to happen here? Eat, before school.

We're eating gingerbread house.

Sarah, that's going to take forever!

Mmm! So yummy.

I'm going to eat all marshmallows.

Tear it down.

You've been going to town here, huh Sarah?

Uh! You too!

Where are we going? I don't know.

Where are we going? Lina's house.

Lina's house!

It's Christmas party time!

Look at all — mmmm — it looks delicious!

What are you guys drawing here?

What is it? Saru (monkey).

It's a small chicken.

Look at that!

(Anna talking in Japanese)

You live here long enough, and your wallet just fills.

I also have a stack of cards I hardly ever use, but sometimes I need.

Look at those cards!

They're for every single store I go to, you know?

Thanks for watching Life in Japan.

Make sure to check out the links in the description to see the events at our coffee shop and church.

If you happen to be in the Tokyo area, we'd love for you to come by.

And if you like this episode, check out "Awesome Tokyo in the Fall"

where not only do we enjoy some amazing parks here in Japan

but we get everything all decorated and ready for Christmas.

So you can see a little bit of how we did that.

Thanks for watching, subscribing and liking.

We'll see you next time in "Life in Japan."