A light came into the world…

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blessings, celebrate, charity, faith, family, friends, gift, Holidays, hope, light, love, Merry Christmas, peace, rejoice, savior, The birth of Christ, world, Yuletide

Merry Christmas to one and all.

While enjoying the holidays with family and friends, I encourage you to take a moment to reflect upon the real reason for the season.

Year-End Update

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Amazon, authors, book, Buddhist, Christian, Happy New Year, Holidays, Japan, Merry Christmas, Progress, Publishing, Shinto, Short stories, writing

Well, it’s been a whirlwind end to the year here in Japan.

I haven’t been able to pay as much attention to finishing my novel as I had hoped, but I manage to chip away at it here and there when breaks in daily life and work allow.  Alas, my self-imposed year-end deadline for publication will not be met.  On the bright side, my school will be closed for the New Year’s holiday, so hopefully I’ll have a few days, at least, to fuss over the book.

I’m happy to announce that I have reduced the price of both my non-fiction e-book, and my fiction e-short story on Amazon.  Amazon still reserves the right to fluctuate the pricing, give or take, however.  You can access direct links for both books from this blog.

New Year’s is a big deal here in Japan.  Many businesses will be closed for several days on average, starting on or around New Year’s Eve.

My school is open today, Christmas day, because Christmas day is a regular business day here in Japan.  Less than 1% of the population of Japan is Christian.  Most are Shinto and Buddhist, so the Japanese celebrate Christmas differently than the west.  It’s strictly a secular celebration here with no religious meaning.

Please have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Best wishes for a safe, happy, healthy and peaceful 2019.

Brad

Holiday Wishes…and an Update.

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2017, 2018, Deadline, e-book, Happy New Year, Holidays, Merry Christmas, Progress, Publishing, Read, Spirit

Howdy!  Long time no…

Well, I won’t be meeting my self-imposed 2017 deadline for publishing my next book.  The last half of the year has been a roller-coaster ride with lots of twists and turns.  However, I look forward to working on my book, and to getting a little closer to finishing it during the upcoming holiday that I will have while my school is closed for the new year.

I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year.  May 2018 be a safe, peaceful, healthy, enjoyable, prosperous and healing year for us all.

A Christmas Post

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Christmas, Christmas movies, Holidays

Season’s Greetings!

I felt it important to post a Christmas message being that this is my first Christmas as a blogger.  Living in a foreign country has opened my eyes to the many different ways that people celebrate this most joyous of holidays.

The Japanese (whom less than 1% are Christian) celebrate the season in their own way. Some families give gifts to their children in much the same way that people in other countries typically do.  As for the mystery and magic surrounding Santa Claus and some of the more traditional Christmas customs and practices, the Japanese are not quite as well-schooled as those from countries like Australia, Canada, the U.K., the U.S.A. and many areas of Europe and South America, but that’s understandable.  How many folks in the above countries are well-versed in traditional Shinto and Buddhist holiday practices?  Not the majority, I’m sure.

This year Christmas falls on Sunday, so many people will have the day off from work in Japan due to the simple reason that Sunday is their normal day off rather than because it’s Christmas Day.  When Christmas occurs during the regular week, very few people here have the day off and many businesses are open as usual; it’s just another day for the most part.