Christmas in Korea

"Jeolgeoun kurissamassa"

This Christmas was the first spent away from my family, and well, i am thankful for two things.

1. That it went by rather quick, and

2. For the people here who made it awesome!

It's hard being away from loved ones during the holidays! Familiarity. Tradition. Mom's home cooking! You know, the little things that warm your heart! When you live across the globe, it is a little hard. But, even though a few tears were shed sharing Christmas with my family over skype... "i had a lovely holiday" (said in a Brittish accent)!

Christmas Eve was spent at work where i watched the first 40 minutes of Elf five or six times. And not just any Elf-- Elf with Korean subtitles. My kids loved it. I found myself mid-evening sitting at Kimbap Heaven on my Christmas Eve dinner break enjoying a less than delicious bowl of bibimguksu (mixed vegetable/chile paste cold noodle dish). My meal was quickly redeemed by the Christmas Eve program on a TV overhead featuring Korean pop stars and their renditions of English Christmas carols. Epic i tell you. I sat there, next to a taxi driver scarfing bowls of rice, chuckling again to myself... "Where the heck am i?" Later that night some friends gathered at my place and we welcomed Christmas Day in with a cup of cider, a potato pizza, some Sacha Baron Cohen Youtube clips, and the company of some good friends!

We celebrated Christmas morning how all Christmas mornings should-- brunch. No rice here folks. Only breakfast food. Only Christmas appropriate American-ly delicious breakfast food. Pancakes. Bacon. Eggs. Potatoes and coffee. It was delightful! A wonderful meal with some wonderful friends... followed by an afternoon of napping, skyping and movies.

i love breakfast! i really love Christmas breakfasts!

My dear friend and our lovely host... thanks Becks!

There you have it... a Merry little Christmas indeed!!