Christmas in Korea

Another last, and a wonderful first! Our last Christmas in Korea was my first white Christmas ever! We only got about half an inch or so, but combined with the remnants from a few days ago, it was enough to cover everything and make it a true white Christmas! Unfortunately it has been so bitterly cold we didn't go out to play in the snow, but we cozily sat on our porch and enjoyed the view as the girls enjoyed their stockings and hot cocoa. And that was just Christmas day.

We weren't able to go out and accomplish the many plans I had due to some things that I had to do to help a friend - priorities you know. I had hoped to see the parade at Lotte World and the lights around the city, some ice skating at city square, but we simply couldn't. Now the Koreans are all on winter break and everything in Seoul is crazy packed, which is not something I deal with well, so we missed those things. We did make it to the Hilton where they have an enormous revolving tree and electric train set up, as well as a 'gingerbread' house with souvenirs.

For some days before Christmas there was enough snow to make sledding possible. (It was also warm enough to not be miserable!) Since Korea is full of hills, finding a good hill was not a problem at all! Finding a clear, open one is a little more troublesome, but fortunately there was one just down the sidewalk from our house! Since I never got to do these things growing up, sledding makes me feel like a giddy 6 year old, and I had a blast!

We also took a short trip down to some old favorite places in Daegu and saw some of the decor there. About this time the temperatures really started to drop, so seeing the lights was a brief occurrence!

Dongdaegu Station

Jongno area

in the hotel lobby

I also decided I wanted to take part in a popular Korean tradition - the Christmas cake. I don't actually know if it's a tradition, but they sell them everywhere (I bought mine in a subway cafe), and they're always marvelously decorated! This one is a little more simple than others.

So, our last Christmas in Korea was fairly uneventful, which in my opinion is a good thing, and I will treasure it!