[For Seniors] Brain-training with winter-themed quizzes. Great for activities, killing time, and dementia prevention.

My body feels cold.

In winter, our feet get really cold, don’t they? It’s easy to end up sleeping with socks on, but actually it can worsen circulation. When your toes can’t move, the blood vessels get constricted, making your feet more prone to getting cold.

present

In Japan, giving chocolates is the norm, but overseas it’s said to be a day to exchange gifts and reaffirm your love. It’s also a day to spend enjoyable time with your partner or friends.

ginger

The human-shaped cookies familiar at Christmastime are called gingerbread men. These cookies use ginger as a special ingredient. They are characterized by the aroma and flavor of ginger, and sometimes other spices like cinnamon and cloves are used as well, but ginger is the most important. Ginger also has a warming effect on the body, making it perfect for the cold winter. Enjoy them while recalling their origins and the stories behind them.

pufferfish

Fugu is a luxury ingredient, but in the past it was banned from consumption. This was because the techniques to remove its poison were not widely available as they are today. Now that the technology has advanced, we can safely eat fugu, right?

Hoh, hoh, hoh!

Santa Claus’s laugh has a hearty image, doesn’t it? Around the world it’s rendered as “Ho Ho Ho!” In Japanese, it would be expressed as “Hou hou hou!” Hearing Santa’s laugh can lift your spirits, so it might be nice to try laughing along with him.

necktie

Ties, now a must-have for office workers, actually originated as woolen neck warmers worn by Roman soldiers in the early 2nd century to protect against the cold. It’s said they were like talismans, sent by the soldiers’ families and lovers as prayers for their safe return as they headed off to the battlefield.