Seasonal Illuminations
By Shim Hyun-chul
Staff Reporter
The winter chill is enough to hunch the shoulders and move the feet in staccato steps. But if you stop and look around, you will find beautiful December lights shining just for you.
The colorful lights and decorations illuminatingly brush over the surface of skyscrapers, tree-lined streets, show windows and Christmas trees near churches as the holidays draw nearer.
As if to comfort the passing of a rather depressing 2008, the lights seem to sparkle of hope, comfort and warmth.
The Hi Seoul Festival's winter festival, with its theme of "light," has lit up Seoul Square, Cheonggye Stream and its surrounding buildings with brightly-lit ornaments. The festival will take place through Feb. 18.
The bells of the Salvation Army lighten up the hearts of people while the huge Christmas tree near City Hall and the ``love thermometer'' that goes up whenever people donate to the poor, sending hope to passersby.
White lights on the trees beckon lovers to the streets as the blossoming flowers do, and the dazzling Christmas trees at department stores warm up our cold bodies.
Why not take a walk along the colorful streets of December, beckoning elderly couples and young lovers alike?
