No, not fruitcakes.

One of the, uh, traditional parts of a Japanese Christmas is the "Christmas Cake." Usually about the size of a 45rpm record, and covered with fresh cream or vanilla frosting, strawberries, plastic toys and other Christmassy crap. Now, I have no idea where this tradition got started. But it strikes me as being ridiculously over-serious here.

In all fairness, it's no more ludicrous than hanging a flamable sock over the fireplace, or loading up on egg nog and rum then going en masse to sing door to door, or any of the other foolishness that surrounds the season. But it did give rise to one bit of slang that sheds an unexpected bit of light on some cultural assumptions.

Y'see, baked goods haven't really been a part of the Japanese diet for very long. Most homes don't have anything bigger than a toaster oven for baking. And most combination ovens are only used for broiling or for reheating things like pizzas. So most families just don't make cakes. Which means that most specialty cakes, think birthdays and Christmas here, are store-bought.

In one of those marketing confluences whose history I haven't learned yet, Christmas has been presented in Japan as a holiday for couples. Sort of like Valentines Day, but with cake instead of roses. So there is some pressure to make and sell these cakes for consumption on the big day. And by the 26th, anyone who hasn't make their cake-date is just going to have to wait until next year. Which also means that any cakes left unsold by the 26th are essentially unsellable.

Which brings us to the pejorative "Christmas Cake" used to describe a woman who has reached old spinsterhood. Usually around the ripe old age of 26 or so.

Yeah.