Art and culture

Things to do in Hong Kong for Christmas

It’s December, and the festive season is here. Here’s how to make the most of Christmas in Hong Kong.

December in Hong Kong can be one hectic time of year. With a full social calendar and gift shopping on the horizon, we’re here to help you make the most of the festive season. From the best places to source your Christmas gifts and tree to the most magical staycations for the holidays, here’s our guide to everything to see, eat and shop in Hong Kong in December.

christmas tree decorated with pine cones and glitter
Credit: 123RF

Rock Around the Christmas Tree

There’s nothing quite like the woody aroma of a Christmas tree filling your home during the holidays. Go all-out with a luscious 6 or 7-foot Noble Fir from Market Place by Jasons – available to purchase in stores via an order form and delivered to your home for free from 9-16 December. Prefer to choose your tree in person? Head to Chun Hing Garden in Yuen Long, where the trees range from five to nine feet high. For those with smaller flats, Mong Kok’s Flower Market has an abundance of smaller Christmas trees, and rows of wreaths, garlands and festive foliage.

teapigs 24 days of teapigs christmas advent calendar
Credit: Teapigs

Count Down with an Advent Calendar

Can’t wait to unwrap your gifts on Christmas Day? With an advent calendar, there’s something to open every day from 1 December to Christmas Eve. From boozy tipples to skincare, there’s a myriad of treats available in these Christmas countdowns. For the beauty obsessive, Benefit has created a calendar that includes 12 of their best-selling essentials, while Lego fans can open a new mini-build every day with the Lego City advent calendar. You can shop for both of these and redeem with your Asia Miles – or a combination of Miles Plus Cash – at Cathay.

Enjoy your morning brew? Teapigs is offering 24 different tea blends in their festive countdown, as are Fortnum & Mason in their Tea Lovers advent calendar. For beer geeks, Tai-Pan Beer Co. has a boozy offering with 24 mystery brews. Prefer your classic choc-a-day advent calendar? Marks & Spencer have a variety available in-store.

Lion Rock Press Hong Kong skyline christmas baul bauls
Credit: Lion Rock Press

Turn Your Home into a Festive Wonderland

Fed up with the same sad baubles and dusty fairy lights you drag out from under the bed every year? Head out and restock your Christmas decorations at some of Hong Kong’s favourite stores. Franc Franc’s festive collection covers everything from fun snow globes and tree ornaments to bright LED lights and lush wreaths. Log-on is your go-to for more unique ornaments and trinkets, or check out Lion Rock Press’s uniquely Hong Kong Christmas ornaments. For something a little different, head to Sham Shui Po’s Fuk Wing Street, where this time of year Christmas decorations spill out of the stores onto the streets.

christmas shopping on cathay shop with asiamiles

Check Off Your Christmas Shopping List

Getting Christmas gifts right for those we love – and occasionally those we don’t know that well – can be a tiresome task. But thanks to Cathay’s extensive range of products and our helpful gift guide, Christmas shopping doesn’t have to be stressful. You can use Asia Miles or a combination of Miles Plus Cash to purchase gifts – and free delivery straight to your home means you can get your gifts out of the way without trawling the shopping malls.

Hong Kong ballet's the nutcracker
Credit: Hong Kong Ballet

Catch the Best Christmas Shows in Town

Once you’ve decorated your tree from head to (mistle)toe, you’ll be looking for more festivities to enjoy. Be whisked away on a fantastical, festive adventure by the Hong Kong Ballet’s The Nutcracker at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre from 11-26 December. Also showing is the Hong Kong Players’ pantomime: Jack and the Beanstalk. (Oh yes, it is!) Get in the panto spirit and join in the cries of “he’s behind you” at the Shouson Theatre on select dates throughout December.

Myosotis flowers wreath making workshop christmas

Get Crafty at Christmas Workshops

There’s no better way to spend time with friends and family over the holiday season than at a festive workshop or two. There’s an abundance of these Christmas activities occurring in the city this year – but be sure to secure your spot early as spaces fill up fast.

Use your Asia Miles to book a wreath-making workshop with Myosotis through Cathay – or go for a Christmas card and Christmas Yule Cake workshop instead. Hong Kong Academy of Flower Arrangement will be hosting not only wreath-making, but also floral arrangement and table setting workshops, which you can sign up for here.

Stitch Sister’s festive embroidery workshops will take you and your friends from clueless beginner to sewing master in just two hours, and Cut N Carve are offering Christmas-themed candle workshops in their Hung Hom location which you can book via email. Last, but certainly not least: culinary workshops. Make Christmas cookies and gingerbread houses at Lazy Baking Studio or Harry’s Kitchen, Christmas couronnes at The Mixing Bowl, and Santa-shaped sushi (yes, really) at BiteUnite.

festive items available to purchase at the shangri la christmas market
Credit: Shangri La

Visit Hong Kong’s Christmas Markets

You may not have Jack Frost nipping at your nose in Hong Kong, there’s nothing like a festive market to get you feeling jolly, especially with a glass of mulled wine in hand. The Discovery Bay Sunday Market is back this year on 12 and 19 December, spotlighting small local businesses selling everything from jewellery to snacks.

Be transported to a charming European-inspired Christmas Market at Island Shangri-La, where you’ll find festive delights such as mince pies and nutcrackers, and children can pay Santa Claus a visit (19 November to 26 December). The annual Stanley Plaza Christmas Market (weekends from 11-26 December) is the ideal place to source your stocking fillers, with its array of accessories and handcrafted gifts, and you can find gifts for both you and your furry friend(s) at the Furry Tales Christmas Weekend Market throughout December, in partnership with local charity First Initiative Foundation.

kinship christmas dinner menu
Credit: Showmen Group

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

When it comes to Christmas menus, Hong Kong restaurants know how to do them right. From traditional roasts to Mediterranean feasts, there’s no shortage of seasonal meals to enjoy. Hong Kong institution Mr Wolf will be offering a festive roast dinner menu throughout December, featuring turkey, beef, or roast cauliflower cheese – and there’s a 12-3pm sitting on Christmas Day. Kinship is offering a December Festive Menu, featuring herb-roasted turkey breast, sea bass, or pumpkin ricotta, and a Christmas Day Brunch with all the trimmings: we love the look of the homemade doughnuts filled with brandy butter custard.

Osteria Marzia Table Spread
Credit: Black Sheep Restaurants

Looking for something a little less traditional? Black Sheep Restaurants around Hong Kong will all be offering their own take on a festive menu. Enjoy Christmas Eve at Rajasthan Rifles where you’ll be treated to made-to-order chaat and off-menu specials, and be transported to the Mediterranean coast for a coastal Italian take on Christmas at Osteria Marzia. Fancy something a little spicier this festive season? Throughout December, tuck into fiery Sichuan dishes at Hutong’s new home: the 18th floor of Tsim Sha Tsui’s H Zentre. The Winter Solstice menu includes brand new dishes such as flaming suckling pig and charcoal yu xiang crispy pork dumpling.

four seasons Festive staycation What The Fox
Credit: Four seasons

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Staycation

There’s no shortage of festive staycations to enjoy in Hong Kong this December. Get in the holiday spirit with The Murray’s all-inclusive Christmas Everyday festive retreat, where you’ll be treated to an abundance of food, as well as a welcome mulled wine and a Christmas stocking. Stay in one of the Four Seasons’ reimagined rooms as part of their Let the Holidays Begin package to be showered with gifts, a bottle of sparkling wine, and a tour of the IFC’s Orient Express Christmas installation for the kids.

Hong Kong Disneyland staycation
Credit: Hong Kong Disneyland

Looking for a staycation your little ones will never forget? Book a stay at one of the hotels at Hong Kong Disneyland. Feast with your favourite Disney characters, build your own gingerbread house – and come back to a room filled with Disney Christmas-themed merchandise.

In December and January, Cathay is offering a unique range of staycation deals, with getaways available at some of the city’s very best hotels – and a host of additional benefits as well. The staycation packages launch on 13 December.

young girl meeting Santa Claus with mother
Credit: 123RF

Festive Fun for All the Family

We may not have snow here in Hong Kong, but there’s no better way to escape to a winter wonderland than at an ice skating rink, so wrap up warm and head to Festival Walk Glacier with the family. Prefer to stay warm? Meet Santa and his elves at the secret Soiree with Santa on 18 and 19 December, in a hidden Taikoo location. When you buy a ticket, you’ll be sent a map revealing the whereabouts of Santa’s Secret Kingdom.

feather and bone christmas dinner delivery service
Credit: Feather & Bone

Order Your Festive Feast

It’s fun to cook for the holidays – but it’s less fun to lose a day slaving away over the turkey. This year, Santa’s little helper can come in the form of a meal ordered from one of Hong Kong’s best restaurants or delis.

Feather and Bone’s build-your-own feast menu allows you to select your favourite festive dishes – from honey-glazed ham to brussels sprouts – to cook at home, while their Sunday roast set menu comes pre-cooked for ease of time. (You can also order barbecue sets or charcuterie boxes using your Asia Miles on Cathay).

Meanwhile, Kinship’s Turkey Takeaway menu features favourites such as grandma’s stuffing and their legendary brussels sprouts with ponzu dressing, and comes with a complimentary bottle of bubbles.

Christmas town west Kowloon art park, 20-m tall tree

See the City’s Biggest Trees

There’s a larger-scale Christmas to be found in the city’s public spaces. There are nightly LED light shows at the Gifting Tree in Tai Kwun: this stunning Christmas tree is decorated with ornaments bearing wishes of hope, health and happiness. If you buy your own bauble, you’ll also receive an LED wristband that will flash in time with the tree. All proceeds will go towards Community Chest Hong Kong, to help share the spirit of the season with those in need.

West Kowloon’s Art Park has been transformed into a glimmering Christmas Town, complete with wooden lodges, Santa’s reindeer, festive music and a dazzling 20m-tall Christmas tree. Set against the dramatic backdrop of Victoria Harbour, the LED-adorned tree – the tallest in Hong Kong – provides the ideal setting for a seasonal family photo.

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