Snow has begun falling lightly in the garden of our beloved home too.
It is the arrival of the season that thrills the child in me.
Both my parents and my grandparents all observed seasonal events with great care, and we children always looked forward to them.
At the beginning of the New Year, our mother would dress us in our best clothes, and we would stand behind our father at the family Shinto altar, with our hands together in prayer for another year of good health and safety.
My older sisters playing battledore, special New Year's dishes, New Year's presents.....
In spring, there was the Girls' Doll's Festival. As our family's festival dolls included my oldest sister Micchan's first Girls' Festival Emperor and Empress dolls,
My second sister Ecchan's set of three court lady dolls, and my, third daughter Yoko, set of five festival musicians,
The dolls became newer as you descended down the tiers of the doll stand.
In summer, there was the Tanabata Star Festival. We adorned a branch of bamboo leaves with origami paper streamers and other decorations tied on with twisted paper strings.
What were the wishes that we wrote on the strips of paper we attached to the branch? I also fondly remember the toy sparkler fireworks.
In fall, there was full moon viewing. The pyramid of dumplings with sprigs of pampas grass was placed on the sewing machine in the corridor facing the garden, on which our mother always sewed clothes for us. The full moon so round.
In winter, Christmas. I look forward to it the most with great excitement.
Violets, gardenias, lilies, azaleas.....
In our family garden, where flowers for each season bloomed, we had planted a Christmas tree.
Every year, we carried it into our living room, and decorated it with glass balls, trimmings, cotton snow and a star.
Our father would always take pictures of our family on special occasions, but on this day in particular my sisters and I would put on three-cornered hats,
And sit upright, with our legs folded formally, in front of the camera.
I believed in Santa Claus, but thought he would not come to our house.
This was because the chimney of heater for our family bath was so narrow, it didn't seem possible for Santa to climb down it.
But without fail every year I awoke to find a present beside by pillow.