Merry Christmas

Here it is, my Christmas post, enjoy.

This is my second Christmas in a row spent in the great country that is South Korea and I’m sure people are curious as to how Christmas is celebrated here.

Honestly, if you were to walk around downtown areas of Seoul, you probably wouldn’t notice too much of a difference from what it’s like back home. There are tons of Christmas trees and decorations everywhere and some of the big company buildings have gigantic neon signs hoisted on them. It looks almost identical to what Christmas looks like in Japan. There are, however, a few notable differences since about a third of the Korean population is Christian and will actually be attending church during the holidays and there are no “Christmas cakes” here. As for the media aspect of Christmas here, you won’t find too many Christmas movies on T.V. but you will definitely see lots of images that capture the aesthetics of the season. If you want a peek at what Christmas looks like in Japan, visit my friend Doug’s site since he has taken the time to lay it out a bit on his blog, something I lack the energy (and time) to do. Anyways, it’s as easy to feel the holiday mood here as it is back home.

Me and the Charlie Brown Tree

Now for my thoughts on Christmas.

I remember back when I was a child and all I cared about was gifts. Yes, I was a spoiled little brat (probably still am in some ways) and I only understood the meaning of Christmas as “must hoard toys”. As I got older, I started to take Christmas gatherings for granted and mostly looked forward to it because it meant I was on break from school. Back then my grandfather used to sit down next to the Christmas tree and pass out presents to me and all of my family while wearing a Santa hat. It’s times when I think about that memory that I miss him the most (that and when I reminisce over the finger scar he “bestowed” upon me). Even though I was mostly dragged into the commercialism of the holiday and brief break from school it provided, there was always a lingering voice in the back of my head that constantly reminded me that these holiday seasons are important. How important I wouldn’t figure out until much later and in actuality, I am still trying to grasp at it in many ways.

I have now spent something like 4 Christmases away from home. That’s enough for anyone to understand why my feelings towards Christmas have changed the last few years. While I’ve kept the core ideals behind the holiday in my heart, the actual practice of celebrating it has changed quite a bit. Most of the Christmases spent abroad have involved me carousing with friends and generally being caught up in the party aspect of the holiday while quietly missing my family and friends. While I treasure the memories of those Christmases spent with new friends and faces immensely, there was always something that reminded me that I wasn’t home. Perhaps it was that lingering voice again.

I guess the point of this was to let people, those who have the opportunity to spend the holiday season at home with friends and family, know that they should feel blessed for that one reason alone, because believe me, I would trade almost anything to be in your shoes.

So for all of my friends and family reading this, I want you to know that I miss you all very much and I wish you all a very safe and happy holiday season.

From da hart, from da hart.

Michael