Christmas All Around

Koreans don't typically celebrate Christmas. Christmas is a national holiday but most people give it the same amount of attention as any other day off. However, the strange thing about Seoul right now is the massive amounts of Christmas decorations everywhere. Every store, mall, restaurant, cafe and corporate building at least has a Christmas tree and garland with small reindeer and some of the bigger buildings are decked out in lights and decorations. The building next to our school has officially gone overboard and is beginning to look gawdy. One of my students works in a 40 floor building that is covered from top to bottom in garland. She was complaining that they can't see out the windows anymore. No one seems to really understand why they decorate for a holiday that has little significance in their country. My students have told me that the businesses do it because other businesses do it and nobody knows why but they have to outdo their neighbors by making the displays bigger every year. I have to admit, I enjoy the decorations but I'm not sure that is the common perception.