The Starbucks menu has changed and the Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas looms ominously ahead of us. I’ve never been a big fan of Christmas, but I like to watch It’s A Wonderful Life and drink eggnog in huge, comfy sweaters. From Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé, to Dean Martin and Bing Crosby, the cold wintery days are made warmer by these holiday classics. But I have a hard time stomaching the 2,000 renditions of Oh Holy Night and Silent Night that play at Hampshire dining commons. One thing I love about the holiday season as a Kpop fan is the end of the year award shows. I get so excited about voting (even though MAMA is totally rigged) and I love livestreaming the great performances. Additionally, there are many fantastic music videos that perfectly capture the winter-aesthetic. If anyone is looking for new additions to spice up their holiday playlist, look no further! I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorites, however, there are hundreds of Kpop Christmas songs so I only focused on my personal favorites.
2ne1’s Missing You: I would be remiss to not include 2ne1’s classic Missing You. The music video is iconic with its indoor palatial snowfall symbolizing their own interior solitude. Dara lays in a field of colorful string and CL broods in a peacock- blue Balmain biker jacket and rolls around on a marble floor in a Versace intarsia mink fur coat as white feathers fly all around her. Park Bom stands by an abandoned piano surrounded by snow as Minzy stoically sings to her reflection. All the while their perfectly-balanced harmonies are coupled with the haunting melody of the song that are enhanced by the video’s subtle restraint. This video is an indisputable classic that fits perfectly into a Kpop canon (if there is such a thing.) This song is not Jingle Bell Rock, it’s more of a melancholic Christmas tune that suits a chilly walk home from class.
B1A4’s Lonely: B1A4 is not nearly as well known as 2ne1 so I felt the need to include this underrated bop. Many newer Kpop fans might fall prey to the misconception that BTS was the first group to be involved in the writing and composition of their songs. B1A4 member Jinyoung composed Lonely along with composer Perfume and wrote the lyrics alongside the group’s rapper, Baro. The song itself is simple and understated; an 80s synth- pop ballad that is perfect to play while you make handmade Christmas cards or sip on a peppermint hot chocolate. My favorite part of the song is Baro’s rap matched with super- tight synchronized choreography that feels surprising and practically hypnotic.
LOONA/ CHUU’s Heart Attack: This song is a solo pre-debut from the member Chuu of the beloved talented girl group Loona. The music video is centered around the story of The Little Match Girl and gained a lot of praise for depicting Chuu crushing on fellow member Yves. Chuu and Yves were heralded as LGBTQ icons for the video due to the overall lack of representation in the Kpop industry. The video shows Chuu dancing out in the snow while watching Yves through a window, dreaming that she can someday come in. This song is super peppy and addicting and there is a subtle sound of bells which perfectly matches the holiday season.
TWICE’S KNOCK KNOCK: Some people would consider this song “generic” and not one of Twice’s best songs, but I personally love it. Twice has other more christmasy songs but this song is made memorable through its somewhat retro sound and bright visuals. I would love to live in this music video which centers around what looks like the greatest slumber party of all time. Twice has a snowball fight in their pajamas at the end of the video as they sing “After all this time my frozen heart will melt like ice cream.” This is a great song choice for baking sugar cookies with friends.
SoYou X JunggiGo’s Some (ft. Lil boi of Geeks): This song was the Kpop song in 2014. The music video admittingly doesn’t feature the same wintery imagery that the above music videos have and it might be more suitable for the lingering frosted leaves of November’s end. Having said this, this song is seen amongst Kpop fans as a staple of the holiday season and it always reminds me of their performance at the Melon Music Awards. This song is all about a “some” type of love which is a popular term in Korea used to classify relationships in the grey area and can be seen as meaning “seeing someone” or being almost a couple. I would love to listen to this song while shopping for holiday gifts.
APINK’s You’re My Star: I can’t stress enough how much I love Apink. I feel like their talent often goes under appreciated due to their “sweet and innocent” image which I’ve noticed is not as appealing to international fans as it is to domestic fans. Eunji is arguably one of the greatest Kpop vocalists in the industry and the members are all extremely funny on variety shows. They consistently produce high-quality songs and have earned steady success since 2011. This song didn’t recieve a whole lot of attention but I used to always play it while shoveling snow to keep my spirits up. This video features all of the fun Christmas fare, from decorating the tree to opening presents. The choreography is easy to follow along with and the repetitive refrain will stay in your head for days.
BTS’ Spring Day: I don’t need to sing the praises of BTS because their influence and talent seem like truths universally acknowledged both within and outside of the Kpop fandom. This music video is nothing less than a masterpiece in my humble opinion. There are actual BTS Christmas songs, but I really wanted to shine a spotlight on this video for not only its beautiful winter visuals, but for its thoughtful creation which draws inspiration from the graphic novel Le Transperceneige and one of my all time favorite short stories “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula K. Le Guin. The lyrics convey the emotions felt when there is a great deal of uncrossable distance between two people and the loneliness that comes with that. The lyrics compare their loneliness to the seasons with snowflakes turning to cherry blossoms. I feel like even the people who may not necessarily be Kpop fans would agree that this video is beautifully crafted.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Akdong Musician’s Melted, EXO’s Miracles in December, Zion T. Snow, Girls Generation TTS Dear Santa, Hyukoh’s Gondry, BTOB’s The Winter’s tale, Kim Jong Kook – Loveable (Sarang Surowo), Super Junior’s This is Love, Wendy’s cover of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Block B’s A Few Years Later, Crush’s Beautiful (Goblin OST), DEAN and Crush’s What2Do, Sunmi Full Moon.