I come from large extended families on both my mother's and father's sides. Actually, my mother's family is large (she's one of 8 kids). My father's family is extra large (he is one of 15 kids). The holidays for me has always been about family and food. Most of the relatives (or at least a large number of them) get together on special occasions, particularly New Year's, to celebrate in traditional ways. This year, I decided to document the special Oshogatsu foods I had at three New Year's parties - New Year's Eve (mother's family), New Year's morning (my parents and a few extra for ozoni), and New Year's Day lunch (father's family). They all wondered what I was doing as I carefully stood above each dish to photograph, but I "clicked" away (digital cameras don't actually make sounds unless you program them to), and I'm happy with the result. I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoyed eating the foods pictured in them!