It had become a tradition for Japan to get coerced into coming to America's Christmas parties, regardless of his apprehensive sentiments toward the festive affair. Japan only accepted the invitations of the younger nation out of respect, however, he hadn't quite gotten comfortable with celebrating the Christian holiday. He often felt out of place among the cheerful crowd and got weirded out by colorful American Christmas foods. While all of it was done in good spirits, the old introverted otaku would prefer to relax in the comfort of his home. That was his only wish for Christmas.

After spending many Christmas parties together over the years, America decided out of the kindness in his heart to finally grant Japan's wish and let him stay home—on the condition they have a Christmas party at his place instead!

"Cute doggy, ve~" Italy petted Pochi in his lap while lounging under the kotatsu with Germany and America in the living room of Japan's home.

"Is anyone else coming today?" Germany questioned.

"No, sadly," America answered. "Japan wasn't thrilled with the idea of having a big party, but it should be okay with just the four of us. Once he comes back with food, we're gonna have a fucking blast."

Speaking of whom...

"Tadaima (I'm home)," Japan announced his return, arriving with a big red box in his hands. "Apologies for making all of you wait on me."

"It's alright," Italy assured.

"Was there any trouble?" Germany asked.

He shook his head. "Not much. There were lots of people waiting at the restaurant. Fortunately, I made the wise decision to book a reservation in advance, so I wouldn't have to wait too long."

"Good for you," America smiled. "I'm fucking starving, so let's get right into feasting before the food turns cold."

"Indeed," Japan agreed as he set down the box and opened it on top of the kotatsu.

"It smells very good, ve~"

"I don't know why, but it smells very familiar."

"Yeah, it kinda reminds me of a fast-food restaurant like a KFC."

The moment America finished his sentence, Japan brought a KFC bucket out of the box, confusing everyone else in the room.

"Dude, what? Are you serious?" America held back from laughing out loud.

"Oh no. I can't eat that on Christmas Eve," Italy whimpered.

"Gomen-nasai (I'm sorry). Just for you, I ordered a meatless lasagna from the restaurant." Japan offered him a cheese lasagna in a round container. "Will that be okay?"

"I don't know..." Italy mumbled, doubtful of fast food quality lasagna from a restaurant chain specializing in Southern fried chicken.

Germany groaned, "No offense, but I assumed you went out to bring noodles or ingredients for a hot pot. Why did you instead choose to bring American fast food for the party?"

"Well, I reasoned with America here it would be appropriate to serve American Christmas food to make him feel at home."

"Holy crap! No way!" America let out a laugh, unable to contain himself. "Sorry, dude. I like KFC, but it isn't what I imagine having for Christmas."

He frowned cluelessly, "I don't understand. Isn't fried chicken what you traditionally eat for Christmas?"

"No, dude. Where did you get such a crazy idea?"

"From that..." Japan pointed to the TV, showing an ad of a family eating KFC with "My Old Kentucky Home" playing in the background. "I was also told by a jolly man with a white beard to eat fried chicken for Christmas. Was I wrong to believe in him...?" He lowered his head in shame.

"Uh, no, it isn't... Y-You did good! You got us fried chicken, chocolate cake, and champagne! Like, who wouldn't love to have KFC for Christmas? Right, dudes?" America glanced over at Italy and Germany, encouraging them to help cheer up their fellow country.

"I-I suppose we can't complain about having food on the table at your expense," Germany expressed awkwardly.

"S-Sì! (Yes)!" Italy forced a chuckle as he frantically waved both hands. "No need to stress over food. What's more important is being together for the holidays."

"That's right!" America exclaimed, wrapping his arm around Japan's shoulder. "I can already tell from a glance all of this looks way better than England's hundred-year-old fruitcake."

"Do you really mean that?" Japan blushed shyly.

"Fuck yeah!" He grabbed a drumstick and took a big bite out of it, flashing a greasy grin and a thumbs-up. "Mmm-mmm! It's finger-lickin' good!"

☆☆☆☆☆

When KFC brought its finger-lickin' good fried chicken to Japan, its debut proved successful, however, there were drawbacks that needed to be addressed if the fast food chain wanted to expand nationwide. One of which was the lack of sales in the impending winter months. American expatriates made up the majority of their customers, therefore it would be crucial for the franchise to find a way to get more of the country's native citizens to buy their food. 

'Hmm... How can I get more Japanese people to eat my fried chicken?' Kentucky pondered while deep-frying in the kitchen of a KFC restaurant.

"Kentakki-san!" Aich (a Japanese prefecture) wearing a fast food uniform barged into the kitchen, bowing her head apologetically with worried eyes. "Excuse me. Sorry to bother you. I need your help again. There's a foreigner at the counter with a strange request, and I don't know what to say to him."

He groaned, "Alrighty. I'll go handle it. Make sure the chicken doesn't turn black while I'm gone."

"Domo arigato gozaimasu (Thank you very much)..." 

Kentucky approached the front counter where a male customer stood by, appearing relieved upon recognizing a fellow American who could better understand him. "Um, hey. I want to order thirty pieces of fried chicken for a party."

"Okay. Pretty standard. Will that be all, sir?"

"Soup and biscuits also, and..." He wavered. "Can it be delivered by someone wearing a Santa costume?"

"Huh?" Kentucky looked up from the cash register with a dumbfounded face.

"Y-Yeah, I know. I know it's a strange thing to ask." He sighed. "I rather do things normally for Christmas. Sadly, I can't get turkey in Japan, so I have no choice but to celebrate Christmas with Kentucky Fried Chicken."

"That's a shame, but I can't say I'm surprised."

"How come?"

"I've overheard many Americans comin' here over the past couple of days, crying over spilled gravy about having to substitute turkey with a bucket of KFC."

"I see."

"Not that I think it's a bad thing, of course. I only think it's odd to ask me or someone in this country to deliver food while dressed as Santa Claus."

"I guess so." He chuckled awkwardly. "I thought it would be a fun surprise for the kids in my fiancée's kindergarten class since tomorrow is just a normal school day to them. They had never heard of Santa, so it would be great if I could show them outside of a picture book what Santa looked like in person."

"Wouldn't it be easier if you dressed up as Santa instead?"

"I'm afraid they'll recognize me, even with the red suit and a fake beard over my face. They're pretty smart, you know."

"If you say so," Kentucky mumbled, rubbing the side of his neck. "Well, this place ain't too busy these days, so I guess I can spare an hour of my time bringing joy to little kids if ya don't mind paying me extra."

"Really? Thank you so much!"

~ Ho ho ho! ~

To the class of kindergarten students, it was the last day of school before winter break. Their teacher told them that morning to be on their best behavior for she had planned something special later today. They whispered among themselves throughout the day, wondering what it could be until lunchtime came around. After setting up the classroom for lunch, their teacher finally told them a special guest was coming over to bring them food. That special guest was...

"Santa Kurōsu!" The children marveled with sparkling eyes at the merry bearded man in red.

"Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!" Kentucky bellowed in a deepened voice, shaking his belly ferociously with laughter as he marched into the classroom. With Aichi helping translate his words, he continued speaking before the young students, "Ho ho ho! What a wonderful sight to see! Your sensei told me all of y'all have been good this year—except for little naughty Naoki."

"Eh?!"

"Ho ho ho! I'm just kidding! Everybody is on the nice list this year, which means everybody gets a present—a piece of finger-lickin' good chicken!" He hoisted up a bucket of KFC.

"Whoa! Arigato gozaimasu, Santa-san!"

"Ho ho ho! You're welcome, children!"

With the teacher's assistance, Kentucky and Aichi served every child a piece of fried chicken, a biscuit, and a warm bowl of creamy soup in addition to goody bags filled with Japanese toys and sweets to take home.

"Looks like you did a good job bringing Christmas cheer to these children," Aichi smiled.

Kentucky smirked, "I sure did. It was quite amazing to see their eyes brighten up like lights on a Christmas tree over some fried chicken. Never thought it was possible until—" He gasped, suddenly getting a bright idea in his head. "Miss Aichi, I know what we're gonna do to increase winter sales next year."

"What is it, Kentakki-san?"

~ One Year Later.... ~

On a dreary cold December night, Japan sat comfy underneath a kotatsu in his home with his pet dog snuggling in his lap. A cup of tea kept him warm, and a volume of his favorite manga series kept him entertained that evening. He thought pleasantly to himself, 'Ah, it's always nice to relax at home.'

"HO HO HO!"

Fits of eccentric laughter roared outside the house, causing great concern for Japan. Before he could investigate, a large man in a red suit suddenly crashed through his shoji window and rolled into the living room, scaring the spirits out of him and his dog. "Nani (What)?! An intruder?" He searched frantically for his sword.

"Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!" Kentucky stood up with a smile, wincing slightly from the wood splinters lodged in his bearded face. "Pardon my unannounced entrance, but I'm here in the spirit of Southern hospitality to grant you a gift for Christmas!"

"W-Who are you? What business do you have here? What is even happening?"

"Ho ho ho! I'm Colonel Claus. You may think of me as Santa's hillbilly cousin from the good ol' American South. Instead of bringing toys, I bring wine and lots of finger-lickin' good fried chicken." He forced the frightened Japanese man to accept a bottle of champagne and a barrel of fried chicken from his hands. "Here ya go!"

"This is too much for me to eat alone." Japan gulped nervously. "Must I accept your gift?"

He laughed, "No need to be shy. It is my duty to put KFC on the table of every Japanese household for the holidays."

"Was it necessary to crash through my shoji window though?"

"Well, I don't see any chimneys around here."

He sighed, "I advise you to leave my house immediately."

"Alrighty then." He tipped his stocking cap with a wink. "I'll be on my merry way, but I swear I'll be back next year to bring ya even more fried chicken."

"I rather not have you destroy my shoji window again," Japan scowled.

"Fine. I won't as long as you eat KFC for Christmas from now on." Kentucky went back outside through the huge hole in the shoji window, hopping back to his horse-drawn sleigh full of wine and fried chicken. He gave one last holler for joy as he took the reins, riding off merrily into the frigid night to deliver more KFC party barrels to unsuspecting households across the island.

~ Have a Kentucky Fried Christmas! ~

Hey, hey, papa, give me moonshine!
Hey, hey, mama, hey, hey, mama!
I cannot forget the taste of that
Derby pie I ate so long ago!

Draw a circle, that's the Earth!
Draw a circle, that's the Earth!
Draw a circle, that's the Earth!
Hey, I'm Kentucky!

Draw a circle, that's the Earth!
Looking closely, that's the Earth!
Or maybe, that's the Earth?
I'm the Bluegrass State!

Ah, with just a brushstroke,
A wonderful world can be seen!
See the Thunder Over Louisville!
I'm Kentucky!

☆☆☆☆☆

+ Christmas isn't a national holiday in Japan. It was first observed in the Land of the Rising Sun around 1522, but its observance was relatively minor and obscure until America entered the picture. Outside of World War II, Christmas parties steadily became more common in Japan, especially in the 1960s during its boom. Even then, it was small in scale and significance compared to New Year's. To many of them, Christmas was enjoyed for its commercial consumption, which led to the creation of a unique tradition not seen outside the island.

- That tradition took shape in 1970 after KFC was introduced to Japan. According to various accounts, it supposedly happened around Christmas Eve when a foreign resident went to a KFC and asked them to deliver fried chicken in a Santa Claus costume on Christmas. In their words, "I can't get turkey in Japan, so I have no choice but to celebrate Christmas with Kentucky Fried Chicken." A worker at the store then had the ingenious idea to drum up sales by falsely marketing "party barrels" as a traditional American Christmas meal to family households, including a bucket of fried chicken for the kids and a bottle of wine for the adults. KFC Japan later expanded the promotion nationwide in 1974 with its long-running "Kentucky for Christmas" advertising campaign. Thanks to them, it became a widely practiced tradition for Japanese families to get together and eat KFC food as a Christmas meal, so much so that reservations for these special meals needed to be made months in advance.

~

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