Christmas Lights Up Department Stores... "This Year's 인증샷 Sanctuary"

Lotte's Christmas Featuring Author Jeong Seraang's Stories
European Shop Displays from Euljiroipgu to Young Plaza
Shinsegae to Light Large Media Facade from the 9th
Hyundai's 'Small Workshop Street' Fairy Tale Implementation H Village

Major department stores in Korea have turned on their Christmas lights since the beginning of this month, collectively heightening the year-end atmosphere. With their unique decorations and dazzling lights featuring Christmas concepts, these stores have become popular spots for visitors to take ' 인증샷' (proof photos), and this year, they have added stories to the Christmas decorations, increasing the visual and entertainment appeal.

Lotte Department Store Main Branch lit up the 2023 Christmas theme under the title "My Dearest Wish"
[Photo by Lotte Department Store].

According to the distribution industry on the 4th, Lotte Department Store lit up its 2023 Christmas theme yesterday under the concept of 'My Dearest Wish.' This year's Christmas visual theme is 'My Dearest Wish.' It captures the nostalgic sentiment of sending greetings by letter at the end of the year, expressed through a vintage mood and analog elements.

Starting with five stores?Main Store, Jamsil, Incheon, Dongtan, and Busan Main Store?Lotte plans to sequentially apply the Christmas theme and expand it nationwide. While inheriting the fairy-tale atmosphere that was well-received last year, they have strengthened the 'story, space, and content' linked to the visuals, going beyond mere appearance.

Christmas decorations extending from Lotte Department Store Main Branch to Young Plaza
[Photo by Lotte Department Store].

To add depth to the visuals, they collaborated with novelist Jeong Sera. Together, they created a dreamlike story where a child named Haeah, who accidentally visits the secret 'Letter House' (편지 상점), meets Christmas fairies called 'Ttonttu' who deliver letters. The story’s illustrations were done by Julia Sarda Portabella, a Spanish artist famous for fairy tale illustrations. The official lighting is timed with sunset (5:30 PM) and remains lit until 10:30 PM.

At the main building’s front entrance, a vintage Letter House image is created, and a 15-meter-high giant tree is placed in front of the Euljiro entrance. On the exterior wall of the main store, a structure depicting different European Christmas shops lined up three stories high is installed. The shop windows feature moving figures, Christmas gift products, interactive media, and infinity mirrors, allowing visitors to enjoy and experience various attractions. A large media facade installed on the Young Plaza exterior of the main store also screens Christmas-themed animations. It tells the full episode of the story where the main character, child Haeah, meets the Christmas fairy Ttonttu at the Letter House and sends magical letters.

Models are taking commemorative photos at 'H Village' set up on the 5th floor of The Hyundai Seoul's Sounds Forest [Photo by Hyundai Department Store].

Hyundai Department Store brought a back alley concept to this year’s Christmas theme. They exhibited ‘H Village’ at The Hyundai Seoul’s 5th-floor Sounds Forest and the Trade Center Store’s main plaza, consisting of large Christmas trees, back alley shops, street lamp lights, and various sculptures. This year’s H Village whimsically recreates a small artisan workshop street, evoking nostalgia for Generation X and offering new experiences to the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z).

H Village, installed at The Hyundai Seoul until the 25th of this month, is a 3,300㎡ (about 1,000 pyeong) Christmas village featuring an 11-meter-high large Christmas tree, over 120 trees, 16 boutiques and markets symbolizing Hyundai Department Store’s 16 stores, and more than 6,000 lights. Especially this year, the back alley concept is emphasized with warm and charming street scenes such as a post office, cake shop, Nutcracker zone, and detailed shop decorations to enjoy.

Shinsegae Department Store's preview video for the '2023 Shinsegae Christmas Lights,' which will be showcased at the main store starting from the 9th, features last year's media facade display.
[Photo by Shinsegae Instagram capture].

Shinsegae Department Store will start its 'Shinsegae Christmas Lights' on the 9th. In 2021, the video displayed through 1.4 million LED chips installed on the main store’s exterior wall became a huge sensation on social media, causing traffic jams as crowds gathered to take photos and videos. Last year, to enhance video immersion, they removed outdoor advertising boards and presented dazzling videos themed on circus performances, elevating the Christmas atmosphere.

This year, Shinsegae Department Store’s main store Christmas decoration is themed 'SHINSEGAE THEATER: from legacy to fantasy,' creating a fantastic musical stage on the year-end street. The 3-minute video displayed on the media facade of the Shinsegae main store begins with the theater’s red curtain drawing back and follows a golden deer into a mysterious forest. Along with Christmas carols, sparkling carousels, a gift train running through the night sky, and an ice rink surrounded by Christmas trees unfold sequentially, delivering a 'magical fantasy.'