December is also called shiwasu in Japan, which literally means "teachers run around." This word reflects the busiest month of the year. Actually, Japanese people run around a lot to welcome a new year with a clean state. All cleaning need to be done by the end of the year in contrast to "spring cleaning" that is common in the US.
As Christmas celebrations have become common in Japan, Christmas illumination spots are crowded with people in December. Although they are different from Christmas parties, many bounenkai (forget-the-year-parties) gatherings are held among co-workers and friends. You might see many drunk people in the streets on December nights.
It's a Japanese custom to send oseibo (the end of the year gifts) in December. Oseibo gifts are given to relatives, co-workers, bosses, friends, and so on to show gratitude.
It's also customary to write and mail nengajo (Japanese New Year's greeting cards) in December. Nengajo are delivered on New Year's Day.
In most households, people are busy preparing many New Year's food (osechi ryori) in late December. It is traditionally said that people prepare enough food ahead of time to take a rest during the holidays.
Since it's traditional for the Japanese to eat rice cake (mochi) during New Year's holidays, mochitsuki (pounding of mochi rice to make mochi) is done at the end of the year. People traditionally use a wooden mallet (kine) to pound steamed mochi rice in the stone or wooden mortar (usu). After the rice becomes sticky, it is cut into small pieces and shaped into rounds. As prepackaged mochi rice cakes are commonly sold at supermarkets, mochitsuki is not as common as it used to be. Many people use automatic mochi-pounding machines to make mochi at home. Fresh mochi is very sticky, so be careful not to choke when you eat.
New Year's decorations are placed by December 30 around and inside the house. A pair of kadomatsu (pine and bamboo decorations) is placed at the front door or at the gate. Shimekazari or shimenawa made with a twisted straw rope, paper decorations, and a tangerine are hung in various locations to bring good luck since the bamboo, pine, tangerines are symbols of longevity, vitality, and good fortune. Another New Year's decoration is kagamimochi which consists of two round shaped mochi rice cakes one on top of the other. It's placed in the main room and serves both as the dwelling place of the god of the harvest and the offering to the god.
Many people are off work from the last weekend of December to the first weekend of January. This period is the busiest travel season in Japan. After the all busy work, the Japanese usually spend New Year's Eve (oomisoka) rather quietly with the family. It is traditional to eat soba (buckwheat noodles) on New Year's Eve since thin long noodles symbolize longevity. It is called toshikoshi soba (passing the year noodles). Soba restaurants around the country are busy making soba on New Year's Eve.
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