Christmas 2011

Wow. It's been quite some time since I last updated on the goings-on of the Harrison/Lee family, so here's a  run down of this year's Christmas...

Baking

This year I decided to bake Christmas cookies for the first time ever. My mother and grandmother always made it look so simple, but I assure you it is not. I attempted to replicate my grandmother's shortbread cookies and did a pretty darn good job of it. In fact, I dare say they are identical to my grandmother's in both appearance and taste, but it was no easy feat. Next year I intend to heed the advice of friends and add wax paper & my freezer to the equation.  

Presents

As usual, my mother shipped a ton of stuff for us to open (which is lovely because without it there really wouldn't be much of anything to open). Clark and I don't generally exchange gifts (though I did sneak a pack of socks for him under the tree) and he gave me a card because he is under the mistaken but very adorable impression that card giving among immediate family members is a 'western' custom. He sees cards arriving in the mail from grandparents, cousins, aunts/uncles, & friends and thinks this means he's supposed to buy me a card ~ so cute! 

We don't exchange gifts, but we do buy gifts for Clark's parents every year. Our first Christmas, I put a lot of thought, effort, and expense into their gifts, only to realize they, frankly speaking, don't give a rats' behind. So this year I got wise and put very little thought, effort or expense into their gifts and got the same reaction as always ~ none. Whenever they receive gifts they always just ask what it is, examine it for a moment, then put it down with a sort of approving grunt. Clark insists that we're wasting our money and that they don't care if we buy them anything. While this is obviously the case, I was raised in the gift-giving tradition and not buying them something, no matter how small, seems wrong. 

Logan was happy to find presents from Santa waiting for him under the tree, and there were, of course, copious amounts of gifts from grandma & grandpa, too.

Dinner

Every year is the same: I spend the morning cooking and cleaning, Clark's parents arrive, they play with Logan, they open their presents, we eat, they leave. This year they stayed for a record 2 1/4 hours (and that was with Clark pushing them to stay to taste-test some Baileys). In years past, I failed to satisfy their taste buds, so this year I opted for a "fusion" holiday meal. With the help of some advice solicited from fellow expats in my shoes who know of the difficulty in pleasing Korean in-laws, a successful meal was had by all in the Harrison/Lee family this year :) On the dinner (actually, it was lunch) table was: chicken baeksu (boiled chicken), scalloped potatoes gratin, butter sauteed carrots & peas, cranberry/orange sauce, and sweet & sour red cabbage. For the first time ever my father-in-law asked for seconds and my mother-in-law requested my recipes. She also took home all of the leftover cabbage & cranberry sauce ^.~

It's a little tricky trying to celebrate Christmas in a culture where people don't really "do" Christmas, but with Clark on board (he's proven himself to be a very good student^^), hopefully with each passing year we'll be able to establish our own Harrison/Lee family Christmas traditions.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas

This year is my 5^th consecutive Christmas in Korea (my 6^th including my first back in 2001) and, oh, how I wish I were in Canada! Christmas really isn’t much of an event here. Judging from the reactions of those who’ve visited our home recently, I’d venture to guess we’re the only people singing along to “I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” (best Christmas song ever^^) with a 6ft tree and stockpile of gifts in our living room. Though designated as a national holiday, for most Koreans, Christmas is just a day to sleep in and meet friends or significant other for dinner and drinks (NB: Koreans love to drink).

On Christmas Eve, we ordered pizza and watched "The Santa Claus". Then, on Christmas morning, we Skyped my parents and opened the gifts they sent. 

Here's Bubba getting ready to open his first-ever Christmas present.

He got lots of new clothes, CDs, and toys.

My mother sent us hoards of food and toiletries that aren’t readily available here.

Clark also got a really nice purple tie and I scored the Annie DVD,  measuring cups & spoons which I really needed, pillow cases, hand towels, and these (I am, aren't I^^)... 

Throughout the day we nibbled on an assortment of goodies (prosciutto, brie, crackers, dried persimmons, nuts, chocolate, oranges, BBQ chicken). No Christmas cookies, pumpkin pie, or turkey for us. L Most Korean homes don’t have full-size ovens (not a requirement for Korean cooking); we have a convection oven equal in size to our microwave and reminiscent of the Easy Bake Oven from my childhood. So, preparing an old-fashioned Christmas dinner is near impossible and buying a pre-cooked turkey from Homeplus or Emart is just plain silly given the price. A weenie 4kg pre-cooked turkey costs 80,000 won (about CAD$75).

Like most Koreans, Clark’s parents don’t think much of Christmas (his father giggles every time he sees the tree) This year, his father came over on Christmas Day, but his mother decided she’d rather stay home. We buy them a gift every year, but this is the first year they've reciprocated. I don’t mean to say that they never buy us anything, they do; just not for Christmas. We’re always given cash for Seollal “Lunar New Year” and Chuseok “Thanksgiving” (NB: cash gifts are standard in Korea). So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that our first Christmas gift from them was, you guessed it, cash.

Next year, we hope to go to Canada for the holidays (and every year thereafter) because we want Logan to learn the Canadian traditions ~ family, turkey, egg nog, shortbread, fireplace, snow ~ and have a childhood full of happy and truly “Merry” Christmases.

Herb Island

Today we went to Herb Island in search of the Spirit of Christmas. It's a whimsical tourist attraction with a botanical garden, herb museum, restaurant, cafe, bakery, variety of gift shops, aroma therapy center and spa. It's 100km north of our place and took just over 2hours to get to. We planned it so we arrived in mid-afternoon and stayed until just after dark to catch the Christmas lights festival.

We had been told that Santa was going to be there (we even called ahead to confirm). Alas, the Korean idea of pictures with Santa differs ever so slightly...

After a good laugh over what will forever be Logan's first picture with Santa(s), we meandered around the 'island' (I assure you, it is not an island).

It was quite chilly, so we ducked into the Herb Restaurant for some herb bibimbap (chock full of fresh herbs, edible flowers, and other greens) and donggas "Japanese pork cutlet". Much to our delight, they provided us with a Jellymom for Logan to sit in while we ate.

   

We did a little (window) shopping after lunch.

  

And visited the herb museum.

Then went outside just after sunset to enjoy the lights.

  

We had a good time and are feeling a tad more "Christmassy" now :P

Christmas Party

Today was the 2^nd Annual “Olle Club” Christmas Party. We’re an odd bunch: a 20-something-year-old University student, 30-something-year-old elementary & middle school teachers, a 50-something-year-old middle school principal, and me. We met in 2008 at Kyonggi University here in Suwon. I was their TESOL teacher trainer.  We became friends and formed a club of sorts.



On Jeju Island, “Olle” means a narrow pathway that connects the street to the front gate of a house. It is also the name of walking paths along the coastal perimeter of the island and has the connotation of “let’s go!” We named our club “Olle” with the intention of meeting and/or traveling together semi-regularly. Not coincidentally, our first trip in 2009 was to Jeju Island. We’ve also stayed at a pension in Gyeryongsan National Park, and we've met quite a few times at local restaurants and coffee shops. Our next trip, to Gapyeong County to visit Petite France and Nami Island, is planned for February.

So, back to the Christmas Party. I hosted this year. We gorged ourselves on Chinese delivery, cake, and other snacks; played a few party games; and did Secret Santa. I got a great new hat this year. We haven’t met since I was pregnant, so Logan, of course, was the center of attention. And, he had no trouble at all charming the ladies with his dimpled smile in his adorable new Grinch sleeper (courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa). It was a great Saturday afternoon.