8 K-Dramas To Celebrate Christmas With This Year 2023

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, with mistletoe, hot cocoa, thick sweaters, fuzzy blankets, snowflakes, and warm fireplaces. It’s that time of the year, as Christmas is upon us and the festivities come bearing their own significance in the K-drama world. It is a time of hope for some, nostalgia for others, and new beginnings for the rest. Here’s a look at eight K-dramas that set the mood for Christmas.

“Crash Landing on You”

A love story beyond enemy lines, this epic drama is about a South Korean heiress named Yoon Se Ri (Son Ye Jin) and a North Korean army captain named Ri Jung Hyuk (Hyun Bin). “Crash Landing on You” remains an all-time favorite for fans. As these two border-crossed lovers defy challenges as well as politics to keep their love alive, the drama had several significant moments. Christmas was one such moment. Se Ri is a hard-task master while she runs her empire in Seoul, even making her staff work over the holidays. After meeting Jung Hyuk, her perspective toward life changes. She craves warmth, and there is a feeling of belonging.

She creates a homegrown tree in Jung Hyuk’s home. It’s not fancy, but she pours love and affection into it. She also has a special gift for him, which unbeknownst to her, holds significance for him. It’s a poignant moment in the show, and soon after there is an incident, and Jung Hyuk moves heaven and earth for the safety of the love of his life. It is not a bad idea to revisit the drama once again and celebrate the festival along with your favorite on-screen and off-screen couple of all time.

“Heirs”

Lonely, rich boy Kim Tan (Lee Min Ho) tries to keep himself invisible from his domineering older brother Won (Choi Jin Hyuk). But things change after he meets Cha Eun Sang (Park Shin Hye). He returns home and discovers that she is not only his classmate but also happens to live in his home. Eun Sang is the daughter of the Kim household’s help. Some serious sparks fly between the teens, there are a host of stolen kisses, and there is still hesitation given their situation. Kim Tan shows his defiance toward his family and everyone when he escorts Eun Sang to a swish party during the holiday season. And it is here that he introduces her as his girlfriend, much to the shock of his family.

“Heirs” makes for a perfect rewatch this Christmas. Growing pains, the first blush of love, and a fabulous ensemble cast make for a cozy fare.

“Guardian: The Lonely and Great God”

Kim Shin aka the Goblin (Gong Yoo) is cursed to a life of immortality and has roamed the earth for nearly 1,000 years. The woman who holds the key to his fate and is destined to be his bride is the orphaned Ji Eun Tak (Kim Go Eun). She can see ghosts as well and can call upon the goblin too.

The two meet, and despite their twisted fate, they set off on an enchanting journey. In episode 6 we have the Christmas tree that Kim Shin puts up for Eun Tak, when he tells her that he worries she likes him too much. In later episodes there are a delicious embrace and a kiss as Eun Tak cries in front of a Christmas shop, missing the Goblin, only to have him appear in front of her.

“Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” is a bittersweet drama and is one that will make your heart ache. But who can resist the charms of Gong Yoo, right?

“Secret Garden”

When the super wealthy and narcissistic CEO Kim Joo Won (Hyun Bin) falls for a self-reliant and independent stuntwoman named Gil Ra Im (Ha Ji Won), he does not anticipate how love will change everything around him. Though he is constantly pushed away by her, she is well aware that their class and social positions will always be a boulder in their relationship. But this man, who has people doing everything for him, is willing to give an arm and a leg when it comes to his lady love. Christmas is one such moment as he sets up a tree for Ra Im and her friends. It’s a tree that is minimalistic but comes alive with bright ornaments and is his way of telling her how she is the sparkle in his empty life.

This soul-swap drama is fun especially given Ha Ji Won and Hyun Bin’s scorching chemistry. It will tingle your toes these holidays.

“Touch Your Heart”

Oh Yoon Seo (Yoo In Na) is an actress, and to get better prepared for her next role as a lawyer, she starts working at a law firm. But she is assigned as a secretary to Kwon Jung Rok (Lee Dong Wook), a workaholic and brusque attorney, who is neither impressed by her nor drawn to her star status. But Jung Rok realizes that beyond the glamour, Yoon Seo is a warm and caring person, and it’s not long before Jung Rok is head over heels in love.

The Christmas tree these two decorate together in the law firm is important—after all, that’s where their love story begins. “Touch Your Heart” is a breezy rom-com, and the cute chemistry between Yoo In Na and Lee Dong Wook will warm you this winter.

“Reply 1988”

One of many people’s all-time favorite squad in the K-drama universe, the famous five of Ssangmun include Duk Sun (Hyeri), Choi Taek (Park Bo Gum), Sun Woo (Go Kyung Pyo), Jung Hwan (Ryu Jun Yeol), and Dong Ryong (Lee Dong Hwi). Christmas in the show is a time for heartfelt confessions and sharing gifts, but it’s also quite a chaotic affair in the neighborhood. Christmas Eve is spent together watching the “College Campus Song Festival,” planning a Secret Santa game, with each thoughtfully giving the other what they want. Jung Hwan cutely gets Duk Sun the pink mittens she so wants, and it is also the day for confessions, as in Sun Woo’s case. The five teens and their clan celebrate Christmas the way it should be done, with joy and togetherness.

“Reply 1988” is a perfect holiday watch and one of those timeless shows which still reigns high on recall value.

“Pinocchio”

Choi Dal Po (Lee Jong Suk) is haunted by his past. When an ambitious reporter misreports an incident, it changes the course of Dal Po’s life. He aspires to be a broadcast journalist and to also unearth the truth of his past. He grows up with Choi In Ha (Park Shin Hye), whose family had adopted him. She too aspires to be a journalist but suffers from “Pinocchio Syndrome,” a condition which triggers hiccups whenever she lies.

Christmas comes at a crucial juncture in the show when against the backdrop of a giant tree, Dal Po meets a young man. It is his long-lost brother, and this expedites the turn of events in the show. Another moment is when Dal Po forgets the way to his new home and finds himself back in his old home on Christmas morning. The message is clear as he is told that Christmas is a time to be spent at home and with family.

“Pinocchio” is a taut drama and keeps one entertained. It’s definitely not a bad idea to rewind and rewatch this one during the holidays.

“Oh My Venus”

Kim Young Ho (So Ji Sub) is a personal trainer to Hollywood stars. He starts training Kang Joo Eun (Shin Min Ah), a lawyer who has been dumped by her boyfriend. Not before long, they transition from trainer-client to friends and then lovers. She even moves into his palatial home which he shares with his two friends. Christmas comes twice at a crucial juncture in the show. Once, it comes as a happy Joo Eun basks in the warmth of love and friendship and reflects on how life has changed. It’s also a lonely Christmas as Young Ho battles his issues followed by one of gratitude.

An all-time favorite given the undeniable chemistry between So Ji Sub and Shin Min Ah, “Oh My Venus” also captured the Christmas spirit. It’s a day best spent with people you care about, who don’t necessarily translate to those one is bound with by ties of blood.

cr: Soompi