'Tis the season to be jolly, Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.’ As Christmas approaches fast, the rush to buy presents has already begun. Some countries are getting ready to enjoy Christmas under the hot, summer sun; other countries are looking forward to the blankets of snow that will cover their towns. Despite Christmas being celebrated differently worldwide, the Holiday season is a joyous time for all. Now, since we’re on the topic of Christmas, let’s take a trip down memory lane and reminisce about the Christmas moments BTS shared together – even before their debut (June 2013).
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2012
In the year 2012, BTS Members celebrated Christmas together as trainees. They put together a song titled ‘A Typical Trainees Christmas’ which uses the English song “Last Christmas.” In Korean, they sang all about their hopes and dreams and what it was like being a trainee. Back in those days, BTS wanted the world. Little did they know that ten years later, they would not only have made those dreams come true, but they would nearly literally own the K-pop Industry. Since 2012, BTS have come a long way, and how they celebrate Christmas today is a lot different to their first Christmas together. They also spoiled us with selfies while wearing Christmas-themed headbands and doing little aegyo poses for all of ARMY to enjoy. 2012 was the very beginning of the BTS ERA.
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2013
Now, 2013 was a special year for BTS, and a year they would remember forever. It was the year they celebrated their ‘first’ Christmas together as BTS because they debuted on June 13th, 2013. Every day, they spent in the practice rooms dancing, training, and preparing for their debut had all paid off. Their Christmas celebration that year was also a joy to see. It was jam-packed with a lot of cool things — like the creation of HoneyFM 06.13, where we got to see and hear ‘Storytime with Suga Claus.’ Suga kindly shared with us stories about seven hardworking trainees who were treated to a company dinner on Christmas Eve. Funny that, because that was all they wanted and sang about in their song ‘A Typical Trainees Christmas.’ They also released a sequel to this 2012 Christmas Song on December 22nd, 2013 titled “Perfect Christmas.” Jung Kook and RM (who was known as Rap Monster at the time) had the opportunity to work with Jo Kwon, Joo Hee, and Lim Jeong Hee when putting this song together. In 2013, the five of them also sang and dropped an acapella version of a Christmas favorite “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town.”
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2014
2014 was comeback time. BTS celebrated Christmas this year with a live comeback stage of "Just One Day” and “War Of Hormone" on M-Countdown. They also went to Social Media (Twitter) and spoiled all ARMY with photos that woo’d over everyone. The Handsome Kim Seokjin wore pink for ARMY because he said “It’s Christmas.” J-Hope sent HobiLove to all ARMYs. RM (aka Rap Monster) took a selca wearing black gothic attire (because that was his 2014 era). Suga thanked ARMY for coming to see them “even though it’s Christmas,” and the youngest member of BTS heard a rumor that ARMY liked white knits, so he took a selca whilst wearing a white knit. How cute. Not only did they gift us selfies this 2014 Christmas, but Jimin and JK composed “Christmas Day” which is a cover of Justin Bieber’s “Mistletoe” with a twist, changing the lyrics and modifying it to suit them.
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2015
On December 24th, 2015, the After School Club – which was a live broadcast show hosted by Eric and Jimin – invited BTS as special guests for their Christmas edition special. The boys that made everyone’s hearts flutter, who always knew how to have a good time, arrived on the show wearing Christmas accessories and had a huge Santa sack full of presents for ARMY!! It was an unforgettable hour. J-hope had amazing energy (as always). He and JK blessed us with a little snippet of girl group dances. Suga said the most famous English lines that all Koreans know by heart and they are “How are you?” “I’m fine, thank you, and you?” Jimin (my bias) was very proud to see that his profile was most searched in Korea whenever he googled his name, and the boys showed their sexy side by dancing “RUN” which ended up in laughing fits because of V. A lot happened on this broadcast, so check it out if you want more.
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2016
2016 saw BTS ditch the bad boy look for the sweet, caring guys that we know they are. For this Christmas celebration, BTS took part in the “Let’s Share the Heart” charity campaign. Alongside other celebrities, BTS showed their warm-hearted side and spread the Christmas spirit with all. They also did a VLive and exchanged Secret Santa Gifts — well they didn’t quite exchange gifts, but instead did Gawi, Bawi, Bo for the gift they wanted. Jung Kook got a deodorizer spray, Jimin and J-hope both got underwear, and everyone helped themselves to V’s gift. With a budget of 10,000 won, they did pretty well if you ask me.
2017
I know for sure that every ARMY would have tuned in to watch their RUN BTS episodes no.32/33/34. Their Christmas ornament hunt episode and Manito episode were definitely a fave for me. J-hope was the spy and had to run around cutting everyone else’s pig balloons off. V hid in a glass case, and while RM was devoted to the treasure hunt, everyone else was a chaotic mess playing hide and seek. In the game Manito, this was where the ICONIC jumping photo poses began. This was also where BTS played spot the difference and bingo before exchanging gifts. Some gifts were very thoughtful, whereas others were not that great (eg: J-hope got a giant box of cereal from Jin).
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2018
By 2018, BTS had become so big that this Christmas they performed at the SBS Gayo Daejun which is the music festival that happens every year on Christmas day. At this performance, BTS performed some of their great hits like No More Dream, Boy in Luv, Dope, Fire, DNA, and IDOL. I bet watching them perform here would have felt just like another BTS concert. The hype and the vibe would have been surreal. In 2018, BTS also had their Christmas photo shoot with Dispatch. Let me just leave these here for you all to enjoy.
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2019
Christmas spirit hit hard this year, with BTS performing at the 2019 Daejeon Music Festival showcasing a range of Christmas carols performed both in English and Korean. The members split into duos to perform a number of songs. V and Suga performed “Jingle Bell Rock,” RM and Jimin did “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town,” J-hope and Jin did “Feliz Navidad,” Jung Kook started off the show with his version of “Oh Holy Night,” and then they all came together at the end to perform “Silent Night” in Korean. Every year when December rolls in, I always go back and play this performance; because it always gets me ready for the Christmas season ahead. Now, this next topic isn’t a Christmas celebration but BTS finished the year off with an NYE Performance in Time Square. If I remember clearly, this was also their first performance at Time Square, and Jimin made everyone laugh with his iconic accidental jacket mistake. Go check them out!!
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2020 - 2021
Because of COVID, Christmas was celebrated differently all over the world, and even for BTS, their celebration plans would have also changed due to the pandemic. No matter the situation, BTS still tried their best to celebrate Christmas with their fans by giving ARMY gifts through social media platforms. This time, BTS was part of the 2020 ‘Disney Holiday Singalong’ where they performed a Christmas classic “Santa Claus is coming to town.” In 2020, Jimin and V also released their own Christmas-written singles titled "Christmas Love" and "Snow Flower.” Two great songs were written and composed by two great artists.
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Now in 2021, it was the first time since their debut in 2013 that BTS Members could spend their Christmas holidays with their families. We didn’t hear much about what they got up to during this time, but I know for sure that each member would have loved every moment of being back home and having home-cooked meals from their parents. As a bonus, BTS did record a Holiday Remix of their song "Butter” and uploaded it a day before Christmas Eve for all ARMY to enjoy.
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Christmas is a great time to spend with those close to you, but I know this year it’ll be a little different for BTS. I don’t know exactly how BTS members will celebrate Christmas because we already know that Jin has begun his enlistment, and the rest of them are currently carrying out solo schedules and still have yet to do their enlistments, but I can only guess (based on their nature) and say that they will probably reach out to each other on Christmas day, chat for a bit and wish each a Merry Christmas before parting ways. So, until BTS reassembles in the future, we wish BTS a Merry Christmas — and like V’s famous words, “WE PURPLE YOU.”
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DISCLAIMER: We do not own any audio & visual content in this video except for the editing. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THE RIGHTFUL OWNERS. No copyright infringement intended.
Written By: Jasmine
Edited By: Aury
Checked By: Miranda
