What would I be doing for Christmas if I was in Hong Kong in 2007?
This time of year, the end of December, I want to get a bit of a Christmas feel.
I decide to book a hotel in Hong Kong and go over the border for a few days.
Though I do have a few friends on this side of the border but I elect to not shack up with them and get some time to be alone.
At Luohu border crossing(As I will be taking the MTR to my hotel in TST.)there is a long line for foreigners crossing over.
Judging by the size of the suitcases most of them have with them,
I am guessing that most of them will be catching the bus to HKIA airport at Sheng Shui
and then catch a flight home to their countries for the holidays.
I guess I’m not the only one who needs a bit of ‘jingle bells’ to re-charge before the new year.
The crossing over is unremarkable and the train ride even less so.
I reach my hotel, the Holiday Inn, check in and am enveloped in the Christmas carols being played over the hotel PA. Nat King Cole.
I breathe a sigh of relief as I receive my room card and then head up to my room, synching my step to the rhythm of the boy playing on his favorite toy in the song ringing in my ears ＜in＞.
After taking a shower and changing, I get back on the MTR to head to Central to meet my friends at the mall in Admiralty. They have young kids and Santa will be there from 4-6pm.
We can catch up while we wait for little A*****s to sit on Santa’s lap and ask for all the gifts she wants that Christmas.
If only she knew that the only fat man that brings her all of her presents was her dad, and not this fake rendition of St. Nick, she might not have the patience to wait in 1hr long line.
The things we believe as a child and how our parents encourage them!
The mall has the whole shebang with little elves, actual reindeer and a life size sled.
All the kids get a gift from the elves after speaking with Santa and all of the parents receive some complimentary sweet wine for our patience.
This level of thought and service is why I love Hong Kong this time of year.
They go that extra mile to bring Christmas and the festivities of the season to all.
We leave Santa and make for the Mandarin Hotel where we have decided to have our Christmas dinner this year.
We arrive at the lobby, are enveloped by the Christmas cheer they decorated the place with and are taken upstairs to the restaurant and shown to our table with the harbor view.
We had made the reservation for this place 2 months as they offered a full course Christmas dinner with the fixings we all wanted.
As we sit down, the waitress brings over the complimentary champagne and we all say ‘A Sante!” at the exact same time and laugh as A*****s screams ‘Jinx!’.
It’s a great collective laugh that carries over into the meal….
I hope all of you get to enjoy Christmas with your family & friends.
A Merry Christmas from my family to yours!
Maurice Lyn
月謝制英会話ステージライン
仙台/銀座/新宿/名古屋
