Christmas in Korea

Christmas has now past, having faded gracefully into the past alongside the rest of 2013. It marked the first time ever that I spent Christmas away from my family. No stocking stuffed with cashews, fruit, socks, and candy waiting on the couch. No rotating Christmas tree surrounded by presents as far as the eye can see. No pictures of children with Santa ornately lined up along the top of the wall unit. No Christmas breakfast with the family. And perhaps worst of all, no Bing Crosby.

As a kid, Christmas was obviously exciting because of the presents, but in our family it was more about Christmas Eve. The entire family would gather at my grandmother's house and party until midnight. The adults would dance and drink the night away; uncles would invariably get into rowdy and stupid arguments, and one uncle in particular would eventually become filled with the warming generosity of the Christmas Spirit that only a dangerous amount of alcohol can provide, call me over, and give me $50 while telling me that he loved me dearly and that I shouldn't tell my mother about the money. Yes, Christmas Eve was freakin' awesome. The kids would usually hibernate upstairs, away from all of the rowdy adults, and watch television, play video games, or count the minutes until midnight.

As far as traditions go--aside from drunken uncles--the only tradition we had was that at midnight the family would walk around hugging each other and wishing each other a Merry Christmas, and then we'd gather in the living room and my drunken uncle (the one who slipped me the $50) or my cousin Salvador would take over MC duties on the mic and hand out the presents one at a time. Of course, the children always got theirs first.

This is where most of my vivid childhood Christmas memories come from. I remember putting together the racetrack and playing with the remote control cars with my brother. I remember how much Sergio and I freaked out when our mom duped us into believing that she had bought us a simple box of chocolates one year because we had been such bratty little shits, when in fact she bought us the very thing we wanted: Contra 3: Alien Wars for Super Nintendo. I wish I could watch a video recording of myself from the moment we unwrapped that present. I'm sure beer glasses were shattered by my screams. I remember getting older and becoming bitter alongside my cousins because we weren't getting as many presents anymore, while the whole family rained presents down on our younger cousins. (sorry, Ana and Eduardo!)

It's fair to say that my family didn't really celebrate Christmas the traditional North American way. All of that changed, though, when my mom met my step-dad, Arthur. Arthur introduced us to the world of Christmas traditions. Trees, stockings, Christmas music, the whole nine yards. Being older, I could now appreciate Christmas for what it was really about: family. All of the ornamentation surrounding Christmas serves as a reminder of the feeling of waking on Christmas morning to the sight of your family gathered around the Christmas tree. It's a tradition that bonds the family and raises everybody above whatever shit may be going on in their respective lives. On Christmas morning, nothing else matters but being surrounded by family.

It is for that reason that I took down my tree yesterday with a heavy heart. (I realize Christmas was almost two weeks ago, but I just got back from Thailand yesterday, so cut me some slack!) I may not have been able to hug them in person, but the tree itself reminded me of everything that I was missing. It was a little taste of home.

Christmas Day itself was definitely different this year. Aside from the fact that I'm in Korea, I got to spend the day with Mike, a childhood friend from the day's of Ledbury Park. Mike arrived in Ulsan on the night of the 22nd and spent the Monday and Tuesday before Christmas exploring the city while I wrapped up the last two days of the term at work.

Then on Christmas morning, we woke up and watched some good ol' football. (Now there's a Christmas tradition I could get behind!) After the game we grabbed a quick bite in the Lotte Department Store food court before hailing a cab to (Korean) Mike's apartment.

The three of us headed to Home Plus to stock up on drinks and we grabbed some Domino's Pizza on our way back to Mike's. Not the most festive meal, but pizza and beer is always a winning combination. We watched a couple of South Park episodes before Lex and Honey stopped by and joined the festivities.

Once the night crept up on us, Mike offered to take us out to a beautiful view of the city. It was an old fortified area that was once the place of some epic battle against the Japanese. The city lights illuminated the night sky and offered a beautiful view of our beloved Ulsan and the perfect place to drink with some beautiful people.

After sharing in a lovely little moment, it was time to head back. Like Cinderella, I had to be home by a certain time. There were no pumpkins or horse/mice devil magic involved; I just had to Skype with my family during their Christmas morning.

Although I couldn't be there in person, it sure felt damn good to see them and the smiles on their faces. I even got a present! It's waiting for me when I get home: Dookie on vinyl!

Thank you, Doris! I can't wait to play it!

All in all, Christmas wasn't too shabby. I got to spend time with my Korean family and my real family. I know it's pretty late for this, but I hope everybody had a Merry Christmas!