The end of December and the beginning of January are ...(5)... times for the Japanese post office. The Japanese have a custom of...(6)...New year's day postcards to their friends and relatives, similar...(7)...the Western custom of sending Christmas cards. Their orginal purpose was for giving your faraway friends...(8)... relatives tidings of yourself and your immediate family. In other words, this custom existed for people to tell others whom they did not often meet that they were alive and well. (5) busiest busy the busiest busier (6) sent sending to send send (7) with as to for (8) but and or so