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By Jon Dunbar
Christmas is almost upon us, even if it doesn't feel as festive this year. As events are being canceled or modified to comply with stricter gathering rules and group events are discouraged, it is getting harder to celebrate the holiday season. But there are still ways to capture the festive atmosphere and get in the Christmas mood.
Food
A meal is a major part of any Christmas celebration. Some restaurants are advertising Christmas events, although the number seems smaller compared to American Thanksgiving last month. Reservations have already been filled, and any in-restaurant dining experiences are likely to be all booked out by now. Those craving a Christmas feast should probably turn their attention toward apps and delivery services offering meals, such as Wadiz, Coupang Eats and Market Kurly.
Another easy option is fried chicken, which is plentiful, somewhat special and also officially the world's most popular Korean food. So stop by your local chicken hof, pick up a couple rotisserie birds from one of those ubiquitous trucks or just stop by KFC like they do for Christmas in Japan.
Drink
It may be hard finding eggnog in Korea, but why not go for makgeolli instead? It looks almost the same, right? The similarities stop with the thick milky appearances of both, but makgeolli is still a good drink if you get the right kind.
Vegan & Beyond, an American vegan bakery and grocery store, is offering a class this Thursday evening for those who want to try their hand at making makgeolli. Visit fb.com/veganandbeyondkr for more information and to see if there are any remaining slots for registration.
Go for a walk
There are plenty of places to stretch one's legs, even in the middle of urban Seoul. Not just Cheonggye Stream and Han River, there are several urban streams around the capital. So if you haven't before, find the one closest to you and give it a visit.
Birds Seoul is offering a high number of bird walks at locations all across the city, including streams, mountains, parks and palaces, with four announced for Christmas Eve alone. Visit fb.com/BirdsSeoul for more information.
Not a morning person? Join Seoul Hiking & Nature Group this Thursday evening, for a night hike up Mount Acha in eastern Seoul. Visit fb.com/seoulhikingnature for more information.
Or if you want to escape the city, go out to the Garden of the Morning Calm in Gapyeong, east of Seoul. The garden is currently holding its annual Lighting Festival, in which visitors can walk through a winter wonderland after dark while enjoying the colors of the many lights on display. Go to morningcalm.co.kr for more information.
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| A Christmas display is seen at the front gate to Jogye Temple in central Seoul, Dec. 17. / Yonhap |
Go shopping
Commercialism is certainly a major part of modern-day Christmas, and while there are valid criticisms of that, it's hard to say no to the practice of gift-giving. So why not go out and shop for gifts for friends or family, or just treat yourself? Outdoor markets are an ideal shopping destination while also being relatively safe environments during the pandemic, and they need more customers to return. It's the perfect time of year to wander around the market streets of Namdaemun and Myeong-dong, and get a look at the Christmas decorations on Shinsegae Department Store.
Listen to music
Christmas music is no fun to most people, but there's still plenty of good music around at this time of year.
Club FF has shows this weekend for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. On Friday, the "Christmas Tribute Party" offers local bands doing tributes of internationally famous bands, like Tilde covering Oasis, the Williams handling the Strokes, Who Who playing Nirvana, Kico doing Radiohead and 2 Day Old Sneakers on Arctic Monkeys. And for Saturday's "Happy Christmas" show, Calf, Batu, MacGuffin, Hey Men and Jackingcong will play. Both start at 5 p.m. to get more time out of the events before mandatory shutdown.
Meanwhile, the Incheon venue Knock has a Christmas Day show for a low price with some pretty good bands. There's pop-punk band Merry Heyday, with E'Sha and Blaze.
Want something to listen to but don't actually feel like braving a live music venue? Look up the hilarious "Christmas Punk CD" released in 2000 by 12 Korean punk bands. Some of the songs are parodies, others are played straight and there are a few originals in there as well. Listen to No Brain tear through "Joy to the World," or long-since-broken-up skatepunk band Half Brothers warp "Feliz Navidad" and tell you how they "Wanna Hate Your Merry Christmas." There are two albums of this, but someone has uploaded the entire 33 minutes and 56 seconds of the first one to YouTube for anyone to listen to for free.
