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8 Korean Shows To Cuddle Up With This Holiday Season

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December is the holiday season throughout much of the world, and even if you’re not celebrating anything and Dec. 25 is just a normal day, there’s something about holiday films and television shows that just fit this time of year. Christmas in South Korea is more of a couple’s holiday and Christmas (let alone Chanukah or Kwanzaa) is not particularly popular in K-dramas and Korean reality shows. But the ideas of the season – being with family and friends- is easy enough to find. So if you’re with your loved ones, or trying to hide from them, this December it’s time to watch some of these seasonal Korean dramas.

”Winter Sonata”

The title says it all, but this drama is more than just about the snow. “Winter Sonata” was the start of all things Hallyu, or at least the K-drama portion of it. Released in 2002 featuring Bae Young Joon and Choi Ji Woo, this drama is all about first loves, memory loss, evil mothers, and all the good things that will take you off into a wintery K-drama wonderland.

”Answer Me 1988”

If you are watching this show, you know that the first snow is the perfect time for a kiss. And if you’re not watching it, why not? “Answer Me 1988” is a feel good, family-oriented drama filled with nostalgia. The characters don’t celebrate Christmas, but do celebrate the new year and it’s like the winter, and family bickering, never ends in this feel-good show.

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”She Was Pretty”

This and “Answer Me 1988” were two of the dramas that multiple members of KultScene’s staff just couldn’t stop watching this year. “She Was Pretty” put a large emphasis on the greater realm of relationships, which is exactly what you want to snuggle up with in the dark days of the winter. The lovable, laughable relationships between the characters played by Hwang Jung Eum, Choi Si Won, and Go Joon Hee is just the thing to make you value friendships during the winter months and holiday season, beanies and all. (“She Was Pretty” is also part of Viki’s 12 Days of Oppa, so definitely don’t miss out on all of their offerings!)

”You Who Came From The Stars”

The story of an alien and actress falling in love surpasses time and the seasons, but much of this drama takes place in winter months. A key moment takes place as the two main characters (played by Jun Ji Hyun and Kim Soo Hyun) freeze their butts off ice fishing. There’s support from friends, mysterious villains who could easily double for the Grinch, and just a lot of shiny things that look like they’d fit right in place on a Christmas tree.

”The Return of Superman” & “Dad, Where Are We Going?”

These two family-oriented reality shows aren’t dramas, per say, but… We’ll throw them on this list anyway. The variety shows are all about family’s playing around together, enjoying one another’s company. And the kids are freaking cute. You can watch summer episodes if the winter months are getting you down, but when these adorable children stars play in the snow with their dads… Our hearts just go to mush.

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”The Winter, That Wind Blows”

This heart wrenching drama about mistaken identities and disabilities takes a backdrop to the winter weather. The warm family relationships, and the lack of, will make you look towards those around you and appreciate all the good things in life. And you may even find yourself hoping that some of the jewelry Song Hye Kyo wears makes it way into a prettily wrapped box this holiday!

”White Christmas”

What better way to end this list than with something called “White Christmas”? But this drama isn’t all about the presents and religious aspects of Christmas. “White Christmas” may take place during the last week of December, but it’s also the least feel-good holiday cheer drama. Which could be the perfect recipe for some people! No, this 2011 drama is a school-based murder mystery featuring young stars like Kim Woo Bin, Sung Joon as more.

What’s your favorite holiday-oriented K-drama? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

Playlist Sunday: Holiday Tunes

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christmas songs playlist kpop

With Christmas and Kwanzaa right around the corner, and Hanukkah ending recently, we’re all feeling all kinds of cheery and warm inside. So for this week’s playlist, we’re listing all the holiday songs we love — or at least the ones we can stomach — by our favorite Korean artists.

GOT7’s formula for releasing singles since debut seems to be to release a powerful dance song, followed by cute and playful one. So after the release of their manly single “If You Do,” it’s time for the cute one. And since tis the season, the boys put out a Christmas song, “Confession Song.” The cool thing about it is that it’s not another lame holiday song about Santa and reindeer and all that nonsense. Instead, they take the non-Christian Korean concept of Christmas, a day to spend with your significant other, and give us a sweet song about writing a love confession to the person of their interest. But to still keep that Christmas cheer, bells ring throughout the track. In true GOT7 fashion, “Confession Song” is just the right amount of cute and cheesy that never taps into the ridiculous. It’s just a cute song that will make you feel like a middle schooler again.

— Alexis

Taetiseo made a relatively low key comeback recently with Dear Santa and still managed to make one of the best K-pop Christmas songs. In fairness, there’s not a lot of competition for this crown but Girls’ Generation’s subgroup TTS stuck to what they’re best at and slayed the concept. The opening harmonies are some of the best vocals they have ever done, and offer us something different to the saccharine that is to come. It is almost sickeningly sweet but this is Girls’ Generation meets Christmas. It had to be like this. There’s sleigh bells jingling, plenty of piano, and vocals that are as fun as Mariah Carey’s to belt out on Christmas day. In keeping with the more western version of Christmas they are portraying here, TTS also released an English version of the song, to make sure we don’t mess up the lyrics. How thoughtful.

— Joe

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Usually I don’t expect much of K-pop holiday songs. Because, let’s face it, they all follow the same boring, slow ballad formula that it has become quite the science. But INFINITE’s “Lately” is the only exception to this. If it were not for the nutcrackers in the music video and the bells in the instrumentals, it probably could pass for any old K-pop track. The festive tune retains the same classic INFINITE sound, what with its guitars, chic raps, and warbly vocals, that it’s unmistakable who it belongs to.The rise and fall of the harmony gives the song actual contour, as opposed to the one flat mess of a song that is common nowadays. The video itself is also very endearing and warm, as it avoids the “let’s pretend we are having a blast around the Christmas tree and yule log” bit. I want to believe that the members actually exchanged gifts over a company dinner. I want to believe all the interactions in the streets with the civilians are genuine. Its low production cost is exactly what makes everything seem so much more relatable. Since its release in 2011, there has really been no other K-pop holiday song that has done it as well as INFINITE’s “Lately” has.

–Shelley

Being that there will never be a K-pop song for Chanukkah, picking my favorite K-pop holiday song is like picking a pair of shoes I’ll never wear. They’re all good, but I’m not personally invested. But Nell never disappoints, and their “White Night” reminds me of the winter holiday season (and not only for the title!) The romantic, building rock ballad depicts the perfect picture of this time of year. The twinkling, tapping sounds remind me of snow, and the lyrics describing someone you want to be around is just like every holiday film about not spending the season alone. It may not be conventional, but Nell’s ardent expression of being with the person they love, even if it means trying to turn back time, is something I just adore and listen to each December.

–Tamar

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EXO came back recently with their winter special album “Sing For You” and while all the tracks on the album are amazing, their title song of the same name was the one which really touched me. It’s a ballad, which may seem typical of this season but with the soothing guitar instrumental and the wonderful voices of all the EXO members the song stands out and becomes something special. It’s a song about being in love and wanting to confess but always missing the chance to do so. The lyrics speak of regret and reflection, a feeling we’re all prone to experiencing at this time of the year, even amidst all the bright lights and hearty Christmas celebrations.

–Anna

What’s your favorite holiday themed K-pop song? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.