Christmas may well be a foreign import, but on a trek around Tokyo from November onwards, it's hard to go more than a few feet without the sight of some tinsel or the sound of a sentimental song - Last Christmas on loop seemingly compulsory for many shops.

Festivities on such a scale apparently started in Japan sometime in the 60s, but for all its carefully choreographed conventionality, the Japanese take on Christmas does have a few unique twists and turns.

For starters, a focus on fornication rather than families is far more common, with hotels offering a variety of overnight Christmas packages. This year's most lavish being a ¥14 million (85,796,000 euro) stopover at the Mandarin Oriental Tokyo. Dinner included.

Roast turkey has also been unceremoniously snubbed, with some decidedly less than Christmassy fried chicken taking its place. A trend that KFC tends to make the most of, the now yearly sight of a cosplay ‘colonel' sort of signalling the start of the season itself. And, with the company's finger lickin' festive foodstuff comprising a staggering 20% of annual sales, who can blame them?

Plus, if the ditching of families and certain food wasn't enough, Father Christmas himself may well have been fobbed off. But against the full force of Japan's most famous feline, what chance does he have?"

Kabul, the night before Christmas. You can still find pine trees lining the famous ‘flower street' in the central market... I wish you all a merry Christmas. Let's hope that 2008 will bring safety and peace. 2007 was bloody for the Afghans. Too many bombs and attacks. Many people died. Don't forget the men, women and children of Afghanistan. And don't forget me either."