Christmas in Hong Kong means a lot to me. It's got the lights, which are always beautiful, and the shopping, which is always enticing. What matters more, perhaps, is the spirit of the city, which shines through in all its splendour once a year at this festive time.

That impression was greatly heightened a few years ago when I walked into the white-marble lobby of the Excelsior Hotel on my return from a long assignment in Beijing. Rising above the murmur of the usual crowd of people, dressed for partying, was the beautiful voice of the girls' choir from the nearby StPaul's Convent School, singing the Christmas carols that have become dear to our hearts. Although I am not religiously affiliated, I found the atmosphere to be emotionally uplifting.

HONG LIANG

That evening was made perfect when the most helpful receptionist of the hotel offered me an upgrade to a large harbour-view room when she discovered that they had somehow misplaced my reservation for more modest accommodation. "Merry Christmas," she said with a broad smile as she handed me the key.

It has almost become a fad for people in mainland cities, especially Shanghai, to visit Hong Kong during the Christmas holidays. Most packages, including flights and a two- or three-night stay in a top hotel, are booked out months in advance.

My friends in Shanghai love to talk about their Christmas shopping experiences in Hong Kong. I am not a seasoned shopper able to judge whether they really are getting such great bargains. But I can't help but think that they may have missed the biggest bargain of all in their non-stop shopping sprees. Hong Kong has a lot more to offer at Christmas than discount merchandise.

Winter is the best season in the monsoon climate of Hong Kong. There is plenty of sunshine during the day to take the bite out of the crisp cool air blowing from the north. The evenings can be a little chilly. But a light overcoat would do just fine.

To be sure, many Hong Kong families flock to the big shopping malls, which try to outdo each other with the most imaginative and extravagant Christmas decorations. Times Square boasts the tallest Christmas tree and Pacific Place is well loved by children for its mini playground, which has a different theme every Christmas.

The shops in those malls can be a big attraction in themselves. Many of them hand out small gifts to children accompanying their parents on shopping treks. When I was a kid, I loved collecting balloons from the shops, even though my mother had bought me a whole box of them in many different shapes and colours. I guess we're all a little greedy.

Walking down the many boulevards in Hong Kong over Christmas can be just as exhilarating an experience as going to the malls. I used to love sauntering down Leeyuanshan Road off Causeway Bay before the Lee Garden Hotel on that road was torn down to make way for a giant office complex. It was a broad street with few pedestrians because there was no department store or large shop on it. But the Christmas decorations, put up by the hotel and the owner of several blocks of old office buildings there, were tastefully subdued and delightfully inspiring.

For a more lavish treat, I would recommend Chater Road in the middle of Hong Kong's financial district. The mile-long boulevard, extending from Pedder Street to the old Cricket Club, is usually packed with traffic. But if you go long after office hours at night, you'll be rewarded with the sight of some of the most spectacular outdoor Christmas lighting, not only along the road, but also at the garden outside the Legislative Council building.

When you're tired of walking, you can take a short walk from Chater Road to the Star Ferry pier and take a ferry ride to the other side of the harbour. You don't have to do anything. Just sit back and enjoy the Christmas lights that adorn the tall buildings on the waterfront. You'd be amazed by the bargain you've had for just 25 US cent.

But, of course, it's the people of the city who make Christmas so special year after year. A massive fire broke out in Shek Kip Mei, a squatter area in Hong Kong, on Christmas day in 1953, destroying the homes of more than 50,000 people. Fellow citizens of what was then a backward trading outpost rose to the occasion by donating clothing, blankets, food and money to relieve the fire victims. Many people who donated so generously were not well-off themselves. Indeed, very few people were at that time.

That was a Christmas that helped establish a tradition in Hong Kong.

(China Daily 12/12/2006 page4)