While visions of sugar plums may dance in the heads of children in most of the world on Christmas Eve, in Japan the dreams are more likely to be filled with images of crispy and original recipe chicken.

In 1974 Kentucky Fried Chicken launched an advertising campaign called “Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii!!” — “Kentucky for Christmas!!” Since then having KFC on Christmas Day has become such an important tradition that it became the biggest sales day of the year for the restaurant chain, frequently requiring customers to make reservations.  (See a video of the phenomenon here.)

The tradition started when westerners were unable to find a turkey for their holiday feast and opted for fried chicken instead. The holiday special for Christmas dinner includes cake and wine and goes for 3,336 yen (about $40).

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