How to Celebrate Christmas in Korea

Spending Christmas away from those who know you best can sometimes be difficult. While it is true that I have not celebrated the past five Christmases in the same place (think Mexico, Cuba, Canada....), I think it is important that your inaugural holiday in such a place as Korea should introduce certain special traditions that are sure to last a lifetime.

1. Get a manicure with Melissa. While she chooses pink and you go for red, both of you should have a dusting of brilliant silver sparkles on the tips. When pressed for comment, a true gentleman (Tony) will tell you that you look "Festive";

2. Win a Hello Kitty doll on the street in the middle of the night. Well, step one is actually to buy some goguma (sweet potato cooked in an oil drum sort of contraption with fire and stuff- true Korean delicacy), then convince Stu to break tiles with his fist (Note: picture a stack of overlapping terracotta tiles). Make it a team effort with him breaking the first 30 and you breaking the last 3. Sing the same Christmas carol over and over to thank Stu for sacrificing his fist for your greed;

3. Attend your friends' rock show in a small, sweaty, cramped, smokey bar. Wear a Santa hat, or dress yourself in one of the many Santa costumes that were circulating and being worn by everyone (yuck). When the bar owners finally demand, at 5:00 am, that you and your friends leave, respond by screaming "You ruined Christmas!" (thanks Jeannie!);

4. Bring a few close friends together for an evening of mulled wine at Jeannie's and more bread products than you can shake a stick at - including Pannetone (Woohoo! I found Pannetone in Korea!). Enlist the hilarity of certain friends as the evening's entertainment, but don't get lost in Shidae (eh, Max?);

5. Wake up at 6:00 am to call Canada. Disrupt the 17 people who have just sat down to Christmas dinner and make them speak to you on the phone. What was honestly kind of funny, though, was that all through the day, people kept going home to call their home country - New Zealand, Canada, USA or England, all at different times, depending on the time zone;

6. Exchange Secret Santa gifts at Karen's, fueled by coffee, Bailey's and Kahlua. Delight in the joy of watching grown adults tear into their presents with more gusto than children. Well, isn't everyone a child at Christmas?;

7. Ascend to the rooftop of Shidae apartments, overlooking the entire city of Suncheon for the entire afternoon. Bring along the following: a sparkly pink cowboy hat, a few BB guns, BBs, red wine. Vow to wear your pyjamas all day, especially since the weather is absolutely gorgeous. Realize that the true meaning of Christmas can only be found in watching two friends battling it out in a BB gun duel;

8. Retire to Matt and Helen's for Christmas dinner: turkey (!!), chicken, bacon-wrapped sausages, mashed potatoes (thanks Dave), veggies and 47 gallons of gravy each. Eat. Eat lots. Eat more. Be thankful that there is no kimchi on your plate;

9. Watch Elf, debate economics and philosophy, watch a certain SNL skit (Step 1, Cut a hole in the box...) no less than 6 times, thankful that having worn your pyjamas all day means that you don't even need to get changed when you simply can't keep your eyes open anymore;

10. WORK THE NEXT DAY. No rest for the wicked. Boxing Day is not a holiday, but many English teachers took it as a sick day (not me, though!).

This may not have been a typical, traditional Christmas, unless your family is prone to rooftop gunfights, but it was definitely one of the most memorable for me. Full of food, drink, music, friends, good times, laughter, more food, more drink, more friends, more laughter, surprises, gifts, and, dare I say, never a dull moment.

Thanks to Steve, Karen, Stu, Max, Jessica, Nicola, Big Dave, Kirsten, Wrestling Dave, Matt, Helen, Jeannie, Doug, Tony, and everyone else for showing that Christmas is really what you make it.