Christmas cake is quite an institution in Japan, one that really surprised me when I came here to live. Of course, in England, plum pudding is a Christmas tradition, and in Italy pannetone is an essential part of the holiday season. But in the US all we have is fruitcake, and nobody I know gives, let alone makes, those lead-heavy agglomerations of dry fruit and sugar that DaveBarry has satirized so thoroughly. These light, fruit-topped confections as a Christmas tradition seem to be unique to Japan. Right?
They're so ubiquitous that the term "Christmas cake" used to be used for single young women approaching their 25th birthdays. The idea was that after the 25th, nobody wanted Christmas cake, so after their 25th birthday, nobody would want these women. I don't think anybody says that anymore, but it was a common saying 10 or 15 years ago.
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