Christmas with the animals

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PRE
It's 3 days until Christmas and like the more Christian or Western part of the world I am EXCITED! Even in South Korea which is traditionally a Buddhist country, Christmas trees are going up and Christmas music is playing (albeit 3 months too late). Why do we get excited? I think it's because of the families coming together -seeing your rellies that you can only fight or play with once a year. Giving and receiving presents, or giving the presents you received and didn't like LAST year. And the EATING - Pavlova, fruit salad, potato, pumpkin, chicken, cake, chocolate....! and the hopefully sunny but usually rainy weather in New Zealand. Plus last but not least, the mandatory one week holiday between Christmas and New Years that we cherish to frolic in the sun, play sports, eat ice cream, read books, and generally lounge around. Bliss.

So why am I excited when the Korean experience of Christmas does not afford ANY of the above mentioned?
I guess Christmas time has such strong connotations for me that even when I'm in a foreign country with no family, oven to cook Christmas food, presents, good weather or any holidays I still feel a little in the spirit. Although Christmas is celebrated here there is no holiday as it falls on a Saturday this year and most people work Christmas Eve. I asked the kids what they do for it and they say they hang out with friends and family and sleep, eat Korean food and give a present or two. It's basically a boyfriend/girlfriend holiday. They go out as all the shops are open and it is like a normal day. Definably not the same as our Christmases growing up where we were made to wait EONs by our parents to open the presents, (sometimes even after our big lunch). It was semi formal where we had to give our gift to the person and then give a kiss and a "thank you" when we received ours. We usually ended up fighting with someone or running away from another or simply on backyard adventure if we had the energy.

POST
This Christmas I spent with the animals. I will elaborate. We had some New Years drinks at a local expat bar and we were supposed to be dressed in animal onesies costumes. I had ordered min a few days before - one for me and one for the boyfriend. But they didn't arrive!?! Fuddlesticks! I hung my head in shame as I entered the bar but soon warmed up with friends and a lovely CASS beer. The next day we skyped the parents and I drooled as my sister told me about the amazing salads and deserts she made (she's a chef). "Well I'll be eating rice...and dumplings for Christmas.." Later we decided to check out a dog cafe. As everything stays open there are no restrictions on what you can do for Christmas. This is a place in Hongdae where about 20 dogs of all shapes and sizes from Siberian huskies to pretty little white dogs with hairstyles and addidas clothing wander about. They also jump on your table and lick you, knock your coffee over an fight with each other, then collapse in a heap exhausted. It's quite amusing. I used to have a dog and seeing as I had a vivid dream last night of rescueing some puppies from a building that was being demolished..I needed some dog time.

So Merry Christmas! It's what you make it in Korea.

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