9 Christmas Struggles Only Hongkongers Understand

And our love-hate relationship with Christmas begins…

1. You want to feel excited about the Christmas light displays along the harbor, but how can you? They’ve been there since Halloween.

2. You feel an urgent need to make travel plans with your SO rather than face the prospect of spending Christmas with your enormous family.

3. Forget stuffing and Christmas pudding – come December, you’re experiencing severe hotpot and lamb stew cravings.

4. The annual office party is coming up and the epic tale about that colleague who got crazy drunk three years ago is circulating once again. Note to self: easy on the mulled wine.

5. Every night between Halloween and New Year’s is spoken for. You’ve got Christmas dinners with friends, gift exchange parties, out-of-town-friends returning, Chinese Winter Solstice jo jit with your mom’s side of the family, Chinese Winter Solstice jo jit with your dad’s family, Chinese Winter Solstice jo jit with your SO’s family…

6. You go to the mall to pick up a gift and get stuck watching some abstract blue/red/neon Christmas tree spin for an hour. But it’s so mesmerizing…

7. You receive a Christmas hamper at work. Everyone stares at you enviously until you cave and share it with the rest of the office.

8. Gift exchange parties begin. You pray for a Starbucks gift card but know you’ll probably get yet another mug/hat/sock you’ll never use.

9. The struggle that is roasted chestnuts. The streetside treat smells so good but you have no idea how they taste since they are physically impossible to crack open. Maybe next year…

Check out our Ultimate Christmas and New Year Calendar 2015 here.