Advent Season in Seoul: A Smattering

Christmas decor for sale at Namdaemun Market in Seoul.  If glitter and tinsel had a baby.

MsCaroline is behind in all things right now, including blogging.  She has tons of interesting and ironic material to share with her readers, but, even as she speaks, the snow is falling and she is beginning to panic about how long it will take her to get to work in the snow/slush/ice/sleet-covered city.  

For those of you who assume that an Asian country will naturally be devoid of Christmas-ness (-osity?) let me just put your minds at ease:  the Christmas spirit is all over the place in Seoul.  Some of it arrives here with the expats themselves, but most of it is just Seoul itself - a city that loves lights, glitter, decorations, and all the trappings of the season, even if only 30% of Seoulites actually observe the holiday.

Of course, since MsCaroline works at an international school with ties to Europe, she has been up to her ears in small excited children, and quite a few excited adults as well.

 

At private homes, at school, and on the city streets, it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas:

Clever Advent 'Calendar' in a friend's apartment, hand-knitted by a doting Grandma in the Old Country and containing a small gift for each day of Advent.

Musical Santas in downtown Seoul.

First snow of the season, with more on the way.

And, of course, who can forget that the 6th of December is St. Nicholas Day? He made a special visit to the children at MsCaroline's school and graciously agreed to pose for a photo op (MsCaroline will be sure to provide him with extra cookies in the teacher's workroom the next time she sees him.).