Christmas season never
fails to bring hope and joy to the hearts of people. Korea is no
different from other countries when it comes to the romanticism that
comes along with the snowy season. Christmas trees and images of Santa
Claus liven up the streets in Korea, while Christmas carols can be heard
in all the shops. Although the spirit of Christmas is well present
among Koreans, because Korea’s cultural background is very different
from that of the Christian West, the way Korean people view and
celebrate Christmas is somewhat different. Unlike Western countries where Christmas is a family holiday, in Korea it is a day to celebrate with your girlfriend or boyfriend, as a couple or with your friends. Therefore, while people in other countries grow stressed during Christmas season worrying about facing family members, Koreans on the other hand grow stressed looking for a date or where to hang-out for Christmas Eve.
There are A LOT OF activities to do in Korea (examples of which are traveling, skiing,
shopping etc) but then if you think of
it, you can’t accomplish them all at the same time even if it’s a week before
Christmas or during the Christmas Eve itself.
Frankly speaking, it’s just getting more expensive the
minute you think of wanting to purchase something for your friends, love ones,
or special someone. It gets even more expensive if you plan to make the
“perfect Christmas” surprise just for them.
These days people are getting more realistic to the thought
that the economy is either recovering from the financial slowdown, or either
getting worse with a lot of expensive things everywhere. To avoid being stuck
in between, financial management is the key to prevent careless splurging of
income on a one day celebration event. Being thrifty and wanting to buy JUST
the right gifts for the people associated with you or by wanting to find the
fun on a boring cold Christmas eve with an affordable budget might and will do
the trick for you as well.
Here are some of my suggestive activities that are
‘wallet-friendly’ and won’t take much cash to splurge out on an eve’s
celebration event:
1.
Grocery Shopping & Overnights
In case you haven’t notice, it’s
quite a popular trend in Korea and even in Japan for a group of friends to overnight in a friend’s place (without the
parents of course). Why? because we have
the time to get along really well and improve that ‘friendship bond’ that we
lost along the way.
Shopping in groceries with your
friends, buying the ingredients of the food you want to cook later on, hoarding
snacks on shelves then dropping them on the grocery carts, and even trying free
food samples in the groceries are just one of the simplest yet happiest moments
you can ever have with your friends.
The Fun and Cool Rooftop Patios
It's never the less fun to enjoy having a chat with your friends, eating your favorite snacks, or grilling and cooking food on your friend's or at your rooftop patio. This is also a cool and friendly way to enjoy Seoul's night view together with your friends it’s the perfect spot for friends to have fun
rocking out (playing guitar), cooking ramen, karaoke-ing, enjoying the cold
night drinking soju while munching those squid bites, chatting, and sometimes
lighting fireworks (we normally use luminous sticks that dies after a few
seconds lol)
2. THE Pojangmachas
Ah and yes, this is one of my favorite whereabouts in Seoul and anywhere else in Korea. I always enjoy myself digging into these popular Korean street foods like the hotteok, tteokbokki, sundae, odeng and anju (dishes that are accompanied with drinking). I enjoyed a mouthful of spicy tteokbokkis when I go here.
You can encounter these store anywhere and just
almost everywhere around Seoul and other places in Korea. Unlike most of those
expensive diners, perhaps this shall be a nice place to enjoy eating
snacks with friends while telling stories on the cold night of Christmas eve.
Cheers to your favorite soju drink as well.
Experience the life in the Jjimjilbang
Jjimjilbang (Korean Sauna or Spa) are one of the most popular places to go with your friends, lover or even your families. If you guys find yourself of wanting to
relax on a Christmas Eve, then perhaps going to a Korean Spa would do the
trick. If you want to kill time, Korean spas are the perfect place for some
entertainment for you and your friends to have fun, exfoliate together and join
other activities that the Korean Spa near you offer.
Noraebangs
Having the feeling of a white
Christmas? Well sing your blues away by singing your heart out in Korea’s
Noraebangs. This is the best time to sing your heart out together with your
friends, eating an drinking at the same time having fun.
5
Korean Convenience Store Patio Dining
If you want to experience the cold night eve of Korea, then you can simply dine and relax with your friends in one of patios in each Korean convenience stores. A lot of us Koreans prefer dining out in these areas compared to the inside of the restaurants, well that's because we tend and like to smoke and drink soju as we chat with our friends and eat snacks with them as well.
Korean Convenience Store Patio Dining
If you want to experience the cold night eve of Korea, then you can simply dine and relax with your friends in one of patios in each Korean convenience stores. A lot of us Koreans prefer dining out in these areas compared to the inside of the restaurants, well that's because we tend and like to smoke and drink soju as we chat with our friends and eat snacks with them as well. SO that wraps it up for my suggestive budgeted get-aways for you this Christmas!
I hope you'll enjoy your "downtown blues" in Seoul and try this fun activities out for a change. REMEMBER, if you're not that fond of a "instagram" type of person, then definitely you wouldn't mind doing such an activity with your friends in Korea.
Have a MERRY KOREAN CHRISTMAS everyone!
