Christmas 2017

Christmas is probably my second favorite holiday, after Thanksgiving. Nothing really changes around here, but in the United States, people are nicer to each other and less selfish and heartless as they are during the other 11 months. People always say the Founding Fathers were brilliant, but I think one of the best things they did was to put elections in November. In just two months, you can see Americans at their worst and their best.

This was my first Christmas in Hong Kong after leaving Disneyland. Hong Kong does not have anything like a Christmas atmosphere. There are signs all over the place advertising holiday sales, and colored lights on some of the larger buildings designed to look like Christmas decorations, but it never feels like Christmas. Everyone here knows what Christmas is – a day of shopping – but the day has nothing to do with Chinese traditions, so it will never be an important part of their lives.

The best place in Hong Kong to get an authentic Christmas feel is Disneyland. The park does not feel like an American Disneyland, especially if you have worked there and have seen behind the scenes, but they go all out to make the place feel like it is truly Christmastime. There are just as many decorations as any shopping mall, if not more, but not a single sale sign in sight. Disney is a giant corporation that wants you to spend your money, of course, but Disneyland is not about shopping. There are worse places to be than the happiest place in China during the most wonderful time of the year.

Now that there is a Disneyland in Shanghai, Hong Kong Disneyland might not be the happiest place in China, but I have never been to Shanghai Disneyland. I suppose I should go, if for no other reason than I have been to every other Disneyland. And Shanghai has Krispy Kreme, so what's not to like.

Last Christmas, I had a boyfriend from South Africa, so we incorporated some of those traditions. That was interesting. They do a lot of British things, which you would think I am already used to, but Hong Kong is far less British during Christian holidays. Christmas in Hong Kong is mostly a day of shopping, which is also true in the US, and probably UK, but there are other family traditions that you never see here. China has plenty of its own family holiday rules.

South African Christmas food, from what his parents sent him, is very different from British Christmas food. If you are British or Canadian in Hong Kong, you can find enough familiar food to make your holiday relatively recognizable. For Americans, not so much. Pumpkin pie and dinner rolls do not exist here. You can make your own, and I make potato rolls all the time, but pumpkin pie will never taste the same when you have to use Chinese pumpkins.

Fortunately for me, I can't taste anything. That made this Christmas far less disappointing than previous years. We had a small dinner at home with a few friends. Finding people to invite is always easy. All the expats we know are desperate for a home cooked Christmas meal and our Chinese friends are mostly curious about the differences to their culture.

We kept our guest list small for a few reasons. We all knew that I would be doing far less cooking than usual. Out of the three people who live in this apartment, I am easily the best cook. That's not bragging. They would be the first to agree. Without me taking charge, it had to be a smaller meal.

I'm also not ready to be in large crowds yet. The fewer people in my home, the better. I would much rather have visitors one at a time, but that is not much of a Christmas dinner. Normally, when you invite a small group of friends, everyone else feels left out. Lately, I have had the greatest excuse in the world without offending anyone. Next year, we will invite more people. Or rent out a space, hire caterers and invite everyone. Christmas 2018 is a Tuesday, so maybe December 23. Mark your calendar.