[Nyororin]

I also don`t find I encounter Last Christmas all that much. Enough that I know the song, or rather the chorus, but not to the point of hearing it everywhere. The more familiar Christmas carols seem more common, at least recently.　Tatsurou Yamashita`s Christmas Eve seems a lot more common. I think I heard it twice while shopping yesterday.

I believe that the whole dating on Christmas Eve comes from the simple fact that there are the trappings of the holiday, but none of the religious significance of it. I also seem to recall reading that it sprung up from the decorations put up in Ginza back in the 20s and 30s. The town would be decorated for Christmas, and all the lights on at night... Giving it more of a winter festival feel than anything else. And who do you take to a nighttime festival being held at an already prime date spot?

As for fried chicken... I think that KFC really found a niche there. I have heard that they make more than half the income for a year in the week around Christmas.
Turkey just isn`t really available or feasible to cook, so chicken sort of takes it`s place. KFC just got lucky with that campaign.

It seems sushi is really starting to pick up as a Christmas meal though. Everywhere is offering sushi plates, and they`re already taking reservations for them.

Cakes... Well, I really hate sponge and whipped cream cakes. Especially when topped with strawberries. "Christmas cakes" usually make me cringe. We do order one, but from a proper cake shop. We usually get a more traditional yule log type, with nuts and fruit mixed in.