Yet one more item on the holiday "to-do" list:

Japan's cosmetic surgeons are preparing for a holiday rush as patients seek temporary nips and tucks to greet the new year.

The country's largest clinics say they expect a surge in patients seeking minor procedures.

"We get a lot of patients toward the end of the year because people want to get rid of the things they don't like about their faces and feel refreshed before moving on to a new year," said Shin Saito, a spokesman for the nationwide chain Otsuka Academy of Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery. The benefits last for about six months.