Not a Christmas post at first glance - but it is!

The slow travel lifestyle comes with this unique gift – the joy of discovering how different cultures celebrate Christmas. Each year as I travel around the world, I unwrap the festive traditions of a new country, never really knowing what surprises await me. From the commercial appreciation of Christmas in a Malaysia last year to the lively streets of my current destination, every experience is special in itself.

Hong Kong was particularly interesting! I was presented this seasonal spectacle… A colossal cat perched atop the Peak Galleria - a great place for a spot of festive shopping and delicious foody finds! This marvel is part of ‘A Meow Wonderland' - offering a Christmas greeting that’s quite unlike anything you might find in the US!

Surrounded by presents, this is the perfect example of Hong Kong's love for blending the traditional with the playful, the expected with the utterly surprising.

In the area, instead of finding warm Christmas hats, you can buy fun Christmas sunglasses - showing the difference of the holiday season spent here… With the sunshine this time of year, definitely being enjoyed! From here, I then rode the world’s longest escalators from start to finish. I’ll have to write up another post for this in itself as it was an amazing experience! Then from there, I walked back and passed the Hong Kong Botanical Gardens, it was magical. It also had some festive cheer here with snowmen and reindeer in the flowerbeds, as well as some more typical, playful Hong Kong decor…

Highly recommend Hong Kong as a great destination for the festive season for anyone who isn’t too attached to Christmas traditions back home - or if you’re keen to try out something new… Surprisingly though - roast dinner traditions are held close to the heart here, but many eat out at restaurants instead of cooking at home on December 25th, so it’s definitely a win-win for me!