The other day, I went out for lightbulbs and batteries and came home with a pair of bright green pants, an iPad mini, a game involving cat figurines and chopsticks, a hair styling iron which I may or may not ever use, and some pop-up Christmas cards. Festive is the right word for the Christmas shopping season in Hong Kong, and the positive energy in the crowded malls clearly affected my will power.  I’ll admit to loving all the crazy decorations; I think I would be disappointed if there wasn’t something over the top about Christmas in Hong Kong. The mall displays here definitely qualify. Consider the miniature ski mountain complete with lodge and working gondola.  Or perhaps you would prefer the off-kilter red and white explosion at Harbour City.

Even I was moved to snap a few pics of the boys with the mall displays. In a truly Hong Kong moment, a couple of mainland tourists took a break from photographing themselves to also take pictures of the boys, too.

Closer to home, we knew the Christmas season had started when a small brick house appeared in the foyer of our apartment building, complete with a mini fence and a sign stating “work in progress, do not touch”. Soon the house was joined by an elf and skinny snowman. Then came some faux evergreen reindeer with red noses. Then oversize gifts, followed by a real Christmas tree, electric blue lights and a poinsettia or two.

Hmm, what else can we add?

Even after the display became an almost comical overstuffed mishmash of Christmas themes, the decorations kept on coming. This impulse for festive addition stretches beyond just our building. Why have a simple poinsettia when a few mardi gras beads and some purple Christmas balls wired to reeds would be so much more festive?

In general, I find the Christmas decorations that have popped up all over the city a bit foreign in subtle (and not-so- subtle ways).  One skyscraper sports an elaborate light display of Santa being carried away by a multi-colored bunch of balloons. Cute, but weird once you think about it.  Salvador Dali-esque clocks, rabbits, and white elk feature in another display, while ballerinas perched in wreaths prompted Luke to comment “that would be really scary, sitting up there”.  Still, the enthusiasm and spirit surrounding the season is nice to be around.  Who couldn’t use a little more color, a little brighter light, a little more joy?

No matter how kooky the finery, it is fun to see the city all dressed up.  Which decorations are your favorite?