 Every year, Yukosuka's MWR hosts the Festival of Trees. This event features Christmas trees decorated by various commands and organizations. The participants are chosen at random by MWR, so every year there's a new selection of decorations for people to enjoy. Everybody gets excited about the tree that represents their command or some sort of organization or group that they're a part of. To add to the festive atmosphere, kids from Seika Kindergarten, a local Japanese school, performed a selection of traditional Christmas songs. At Lowe's here in Japan, we may be separated from some of those familiar things. We have Christmas too, and of course it really is about the sense of hope, the sense of camaraderie. MWR hosts these events so that sailors and their families can feel a little more at home during the holiday season. Petty Officer Sonya Wickard, Yukosuka Naval Base, Japan.