These Christmas K-pop songs bring to mind holiday coziness, cheerful candle-lit moments and helps bring the spirits up.
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EXO – First Snow
If any K-Pop group can say they have Koreans in a grip during Christmas, it’s EXO. First Snow is a b-side in the group’s Miracles in December winter album, and since its 2013 release, this sweet ditty has reappeared in the country’s music charts each time the first snow of the season happens in South Korea.
As of writing, happened yesterday. This makes First Snow the All I Want For Christmas is You of Korea. Mariah would be proud!
Give the other songs on the album a listen as well: lead single Miracles in December is a Westlife-esque ballad complete with EXO’s signature soaring vocals and dramatic instrumentals, while Christmas Day is that genre of Christmas songs that say “Unwrap me under the tree, I’m your gift,” AKA for those who want to spend Christmas in the bedroom.
TVXQ – The Christmas Gift from TVXQ
In 2004, legendary K-pop group TVXQ released The Christmas Gift From TVXQ. This Christmas EP has eight songs: a mix of Korean and English covers of legendary Christmas songs, including a cover of the beloved Korean hit The Magic Castle.
This is the lead single of the album and while the cozy Christmas-themed video is for many reasons, is now decidedly aged (it looks very 2004 and there are only two members left in 2021 but in the spirit of Christmas let’s not talk about that), it does have SNSD’s Yoona in her first appearance during the years she was an idol trainee at SM Entertainment.
As is the norm with TVXQ, their singing makes all the songs. The First Noel has tear-inducing vocals and the a-cappella arrangement of Angels We Have Heard On High to me is still like serotonin to my brain.
TTS – Dear Christmas
In 2015, the SNSD subgroup TTS (standing for Taeyeon, Tiffany, and Seohyun) released their Christmas EP. The title track Dear Santa is about making wishes to Santa Claus and ending arguments in time for Christmas.
The three members of SNSD’s top vocal line make the song extremely special, and the video is a cozy holiday extravaganza, the kind of thing that gets up your Christmas spirit.
If you want more SNSD Christmas, the group had a 2011 Christmas special on MBC entitled Girls Generation’s Christmas Fairy Tale, which features the group singing classics like the aforementioned All I Want For Christmas Is You, Santa Baby, and Jessica’s solo version of When You Wish Upon a Star.
Taeyeon also has an entire solo Christmas album released in December 2017, which was a hit on digital charts. The touching music video for lead single This Christmas features the singer looking at a snowy scene of a young girl and her father, meant to be stand-ins for Taeyeon and her dad.
Twice – Merry and Happy, and The Best Thing I Ever Did
Merry and Happy was released in 2017. Written by Park Jin-young, it’s a fun and charming song fit for the holidays.
The Best Thing I Ever Did was released in time for Christmas 2018, and is an outdoorsy winter romp that makes anyone who watches desperate for snow. There is nothing like white Christmas, indeed.
