When people serve foreign cuisines in Hong Kong, they usually stress just how authentic it is. Yet while we celebrate Christmas with party and booze, we tend to forget what Christmas really means. How can you call it a Christmas holiday without singing some carols and attending some services? Here are a couple of events you can consider heading to for the added Christmas atmosphere, which I guarantee you will never experience by merely submerging yourself in the Christmas decor of our city's mega malls.
Carols
Friday, 16 December 2011 - Island ECC
One of the city's most high profile English speaking churches is running their annual bus caroling event at 7:15pm on Friday, 16 December 2011, which they guarantee will be real good fun. They will start the evening at their church on 2/F, 633 Kings Road, Quarry Bay with some steamin' hot chocolate and cookies, then move onto their open top double decker approximately 8:00pm to spread the joy around town. Tickets are available at their counter on 1/F of the same building, so make sure you grab hold of them soon, because they really do sell like hotcakes!
Sunday, 18 December 2011 - The Vine
This Sunday's service for Hong Kong's young adults' church will be in a Christmas Carol theme, with the choice of 10:30am for the early birds and 4:00pm for those of you who can't get up early on a weekend. After loads of fun-filled caroling at their church, 29 Burrows Street, Wan Chai, they will have mince pies and mulled wine available, so leave some room to tuck in the delicious festive treats!
Sunday, 18 December 2011 - Hong Kong Oratorio Society
The ultimate Christmas concert for the year, a Thankful Christmas, will be held at 8:00pm on Sunday, 18 December 2011 in the Cultural Centre. As you can tell by the name of the society, singing hymns are their specialty, so are you up for a top notch performance? Jointly performing with the Hong Kong Treble Choir and the Hong Kong Strings, they will be presenting some amazing organ concertos and audience sing-a-long sessions to make sure you are well in the holiday mood. Grab your tickets here, or drop them a line if you have any further questions.
Friday, 23 December 2011, to Saturday, 24 December 2011 - Hong Kong Children's Choir
Symphony of Christmas Angels, the most authentic Christmas concert, will take you through one of the most memorable Christmas Eve at 8:00pm on Friday, 23 December 2011 and Saturday, 24 December 2011, in the Cultural Centre, where you can conveniently admire the Christmas lights before and after the performance. Immersing into the sound of the angels with all time favourites by the Hong Kong Children’s Choir, Elvira Fatykhova, and Jon Dante will be a terrific way to spend your Christmas. Grab your tickets here, and hum along with tunes from Ding Dong Merrily on High, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and, obviously, Silent Night.
Services
Tuesday, 20 December 2011, to Sunday, 25 December 2011 - EFCC Kong Fok
On Tuesday, 20 December 2011, the most convenient Cantonese church in Central will be hosting a special Christmas gathering at 2/F Far East Economic Centre, 16 Harcourt Road, Admiralty. Starting from 7:00pm, they will be serving drinks and canapés, while around 7:30pm, they will be having a bit of everything from carols to magic shows, so contact them here for further details.
Their Christmas Eve service will be held at 6:00pm on 1/F of the same building, with sharing from the former Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Frederick Ma, so it makes an awesome stop by before your Christmas dinner. While the message on their Christmas Eve service will be about peace in silent night, their Christmas Day service explores whether Christmas is really Christ's birthday, so it will make an interesting debate for the skeptics. Their Sunday service is at 9:00am for the early birds, 10:30am for those who are planning for a Christmas lunch nearby, and 12:00pm for people who needs a holiday lie-in.
Saturday, 24 December 2011 - EFCC Tung Fook
Another popular Cantonese church on the island is having their Christmas Eve service in the HKCEC from 10:15pm on Saturday, 24 December 2011, which will take you way past midnight with hymns, so if you are planning for an early Christmas dinner and some late night clubbing, this is where you could comfortably kill a few hours in between.
Sunday, 25 December 2011 - Island ECC
They will be having three services on Christmas day at the exact same times as Kong Fok, so if you are an English speaker then here is where you should be heading. Their coffee is really amazing, so make sure you get there early for a huge cup.
Watch live streaming video from thevinechurch at livestream.com
Sunday, 25 December 2011 - The Vine
Christmas Day Family Service at 10:30am on Sunday, 25 December 2011, will be a special one hour event with your loved ones on a holiday that is meant to show how much you care. If your family isn't in town, you could even find some instant ones by joining the Vine for an awesome Christmas lunch right after the service, so just register at their church for the meal. Christmas is the season of giving, so why don't you give a hand in serving lunch that day as well? It will be a great way to meet some new people on Christmas day! Contact Anne Macpherson for further details.