Korean Christmas-2

Top 5 Christmas Gifts from Korea

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The holidays are around the corner and expats are getting ready to send gifts for friends and family back home. It can be quite hard to find unique and interesting gifts. However, the following list is going to make it a lot easier to find affordable presents that are also suitable for a longer transit overseas.

Here’s my list of top Christmas gifts to send home from Korea!

Korean Christmas-2

Korean Starbucks Mugs

Korea Mugs from Starbucks

I love the beautiful mugs and tumblers you can find at Starbucks stores around the world. In Korea, there are a couple of really beautiful ones you can easily send back home as a gift. The staff at Starbucks wrap them up and put them in a nice box, which prevents the mugs from breaking during shipping. The coffee shop chain offers Christmas themed mugs but also Korean designs such as featuring the capital’s historic sites, Busan mugs or special Hangeul mugs embracing the introduction of the Korean alphabet. 

Price: 11,000 KRW and up


 

Korean Makeup

Innisfree Gift Set

If you don’t already know, Korea is a paradise for beauty products! I’m basically addicted to Korean makeup and can’t get enough from Innisfree, The Face Shop, Skinfood, Etude House and co. Even if you’re not into makeup specifically, these stores offer a great selection of cleansing or skincare products which everyone should have at home. Luckily, famous Korean brands sell seasonal Christmas gift sets ranging from nail polish sets, over makeup sets to skincare sets. There are also endless sets for men!

Price: 15,000 KRW and up


 

Korean Tea

Osulloc Gift Sets

I’ve come to love and appreciate the tea culture here in Korea. One of my favorites is the honey citrus teas you can find at any local supermarket. Simply mix the sweet and sour paste with hot water – done! If you’re looking for something more sophisticated, I highly recommend the Jeju teas from Osculloc 오설록. It’s a little more on the expensive side but of very high quality and they come in beautiful boxes. You can get it from big department stores like Hyundai or online.

Price: 25,000 KRW and up


 

Cute Socks

by Chelsea Marie Hicks

by Chelsea Marie Hicks

Walking around the shopping areas in Seoul, there’s one thing you cannot get away from: cute socks! Whether you’re into Kpop idol socks, socks with “KOREA” written on them or cute animals, the options are endless. If you don’t know what to send home, socks are always a go to since everybody wears them, right?

Price: 1,000 KRW each 

Korean Beer

Cass advert with TOP from Big Bang

For beer lovers, I recommend sending home cans of Korean brew. Kloud and Cass are the most popular brands and they come in 500 ml cans that are sturdy and ideal for sending home. I saw that it’s allowed to send 1l of alcohol out of Korea. For more information on restrictions see the official Customs Website. If you’re not into beer, why not send home some good old Soju or Makgeolli?

Price: around 1,500 KRW per 500ml can

Ready to Send it Home?

I use the regular Korean Post service to send my package back home. They are usually the cheapest and also deliver quite fast. Let me know what would you add to the list? And how do you celebrate Christmas away from home?

Merry Christmas!

 

Linda

Linda has been living in Asia since 2012 and loves sharing her travel and life experiences on her website. She currently works remotely in Online Marketing and also teaches various English classes in South Korea.

14 Comments

  1. Nathan Anderson on December 15, 2015 at 12:24 pm

    Just be careful sending glass bottles home… I know someone who tried to send soju home, only to have a bottle break in transit. Messy.

    My sister got my parents socks and makeup, they were pretty entertained by the gifts. This is a good list! You forgot a big, decorative box of spam, though! 😉

    • Linda on December 15, 2015 at 12:31 pm

      Haha. Thank you Nathan! Yes, luckily, Starbucks packed the mugs in a nice box and the beer is in cans 🙂 I hate when glass bottles break, especially in my suitcase ugh 🙁

  2. deany on December 15, 2015 at 1:25 pm

    I’ve picked up korean makeup and beauty products and the women in my family love it! A product that they’ve requested this year was the clay mask from Innisfree. You mentioned some nice ideas. I would also add stationary products as some of my friends love them, and they’re so unique.

    • Linda on December 20, 2015 at 12:12 am

      OMG the clay mask! I have it and it’s the BOMB! You should definitely pick that up as well!

  3. Megan Indoe on December 15, 2015 at 2:28 pm

    I always send socks and skincare home! I should send some tea, that’s a good idea! We also like to send soju (plastic bottle) home for our friends to try! Like Nadine, I also love sending cutesy stationary home as well!

    • Linda on December 20, 2015 at 12:12 am

      True, STATIONARY! I must say I’m not that into that stuff but Korean do make beautiful cards. I just walked trough Artbox today and the Christmas and New Year cards are absolutely stunning!

  4. Laura Nalin on December 16, 2015 at 2:40 pm

    I am getting ready to buy some stuff to bring home with me so I’ll definitely be bringing some stuff from this list! I also love that you included my pseudo-boyfriend TOP. Thanks for sharing!

    • Linda on December 20, 2015 at 12:11 am

      hehehe, yeah TOP…. he’s so hot. I’m glad you like the list! Let me know how your friends and family back home received the gifts.

  5. Wendy Flor on December 17, 2015 at 8:48 am

    I’m now vacationing here in the Philippines. And what did I bring home? Korean skincare products! Lol. They’re always a hit. They are triple the Korean price here so it’s well-appreciated, too.

    • Linda on December 20, 2015 at 12:10 am

      YES! I just love Korean skincare products! they’re the best.

  6. Donandsuji on December 21, 2015 at 1:37 am

    Wait do you actually like the Korean beer?
    I’m not a beer guy, but Korean beer’s worse!
    Girl friends back home, my wife’s friends, also love the warm Korean stocking/socks. Very good for those cold Canadian winters. But it might only be because they were Korean-Canadian..

    • Linda on December 21, 2015 at 9:38 am

      I think it’s not about actually “liking” the beer but it’s a nice gesture to give it to someone to try I think. A brew from a distant land…. hehe

  7. Rafiqua Israel on December 21, 2015 at 3:00 pm

    These are some great ideas, but can one actually post beer? I’ve never bought anyone starbucks mugs because they are so expensive

    • Linda on December 21, 2015 at 3:42 pm

      yeah I sent beer and it arrived safely. just ship cans. and the mugs are 11,000 come on 😛

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