A Very Hong Kong Christmas

Happy Christmas Eve from Hong Kong. As I’ve written in years past, Hong Kong is a wonderful place to be during the holiday season. It takes Christmas decorations to a whole new level, and thanks to a British colonial history, we get the day off not only on Christmas itself, but also on Boxing Day. So I have a nice little four day weekend coming my way.

Life’s just been chock full of Christmas of late, and although I’m thousands of miles away from last year’s traditional American Christmas, I’m loving every minute of it. The city decorations in the various shopping malls are as eye-catching as ever, the mulled wine just as tasty, the mince pies as ubiquitous.

It’s funny, but this year, I’ve really been amazed at the number of poinsettias around town. I don’t know why it’s never struck me before, but they are absolutely everywhere. No building lobby or public square or shop is seen without generous heaps of them strewn all over the place.

Ever since Hallie’s visit and our nighttime trip to the Peak, I’ve been in the Christmas mood. And things have only escalated since then. Another great event that helped augment Hong Kong’s holiday spirit was SantaCon, the enormous Yuletide pub crawl with thousands of participating Santas. Last year was drizzly and cold, but we lucked out this year with pitch-perfect weather. 

Riding the Star Ferry from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui, parading along the Avenue of Stars as tourists stopped us to snap photos, imbibing in front of the skyline at waterfront bar The Dog House, caroling on the MTR back to Hong Kong Island, and partying on the streets of Wan Chai – it was a jam-packed, incredible day.

I didn’t make it to Lan Kwai this year because Sonia was back in town for her parent’s annual rooftop Christmas party that same evening. So, as a lone Kris Kringle, I hopped the tram back to Happy Valley and had a wonderful night.

The next day was even more packed, with Sha Tin’s International Races followed by two rooftop barbecues that I managed to squeeze in, one in SoHo and the other on Lamma Island! The weather, again, was glorious.

This year, Christmas is also blessed with an old friend and former flatmate visiting Hong Kong—Ally! After a seven week stint teaching in Dalian in the mainland, Ally made her way back to her old stomping grounds last Friday and will be here until Monday, when she and Sarah fly off to Japan for New Year’s. The last time Ally and I saw each other was during the London Olympics back in August of 2012, and it’s been great to catch up. 

Friday night, before heading home to see Ally, I had a quick dinner with Eleni so she could pass Penny off to me. I'm dog-sitting her until Eleni returns to Hong Kong in early January, and something feels particularly appropriate having a dog around the apartment during Christmastime.

We had a mini-Christmas party at my apartment that first night, replete with egg nog, mulled wine and some festive YouTube-ing. And on Sunday, Ally, Sarah and I attended the poignant, candlelit Fesitval of Nine Lessons and Carols at Saint John’s Cathedral, where we will attend midnight mass later tonight.

Sarah is hosting Christmas day at her Lamma Island flat tomorrow, and I'm sure it will be a great time. So Merry Christmas from Hong Kong, everybody. Wherever you are in the world, I hope the next few days will be full of family and friends, good food and drink, and true Christmas spirit!