Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly.

Junk on Victoria Harbour.

Christmas is in the air again and in Hong Kong all the malls are trying to outdo each other with their Christmas displays. It's fun just to wander around looking at them all. They are everywhere, but I started my wanderings in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Despite having lived here forever, I managed to come out of the wrong exit of the MTR. Oops! Not to worry it was about time I went to check on the Antiquities and Monuments Office which is housed in the former Kowloon British School and I had come out quite near it. The last time I looked for this building, was when I was exploring Jordan, and it was under renovation. I couldn't even see it. Now it is finished and it has been beautifully restored. This old colonial building is located at 136 Nathan Road. It dates from 1902.

Antiquities and Monuments Office.

Antiquities and Monuments Office.

Antiquities and Monuments Office.

Since I was just across the road from it, I then headed into Kowloon Park for a stroll. I spent most of my time photographing the flamingos and the occasional flower.

Flamingos.

Flamingos.

Flamingos.

Beautiful dancing lady orchid flowers in Kowloon Park.

Fountain in Kowloon Park.

I was surprised to see that the robotic T-rex I had seen on the roof of Ocean Terminal, then on the Waterfront in Tsuen Wan, was now in Kowloon Park. He's still angry and roaring. I wonder where I will meet him next.

It's him again.

Him again!!!

I intended to start my Christmas ramblings by visiting the Peninsula Hotel, but on the way I passed a rather cute display outside a shopping mall called i-square, so I stopped to photograph that.

I Square decorations.

I Square decorations.

Then I continued on to the Peninsula.The Peninsula Hotel is the poshest hotel in Hong Kong. It was founded by the Kadoorie family and officially opened for business in 1928. It was here on Christmas Day 1941 that the British surrendered to the Japanese. The Japanese then proceeded to use this hotel as their headquarters for the duration of the war.

The Peninsula was looking incredibly elegant in its Christmas attire. I really loved that nearly all the decorations were white and snowy. I found this display very tasteful and absolutely beautiful.

Staircase In the Peninsula Hotel.

Staircase In the Peninsula Hotel.

Restaurant In the Peninsula Hotel.

Restaurant In the Peninsula Hotel.

Lobby In the Peninsula Hotel.

Christmas Shop In the Peninsula Hotel.

Christmas Tree In the Peninsula Hotel.

I then headed to Heritage 1881 which had quite a pretty display in front of it. Heritage 1881 was the headquarters of the Hong Kong Marine Police from the 1880s to 1996. It is now a shopping mall, heritage hotel and an exhibition hall. It's always good to have a wander around here.

Heritage 1881.

The Hotel in Heritage 1881.

Old Kowloon Fire Station in Heritage 1881.

Time Ball Tower in Heritage 1881.

While I was looking around, I came across a wonderful photographic exhibition on Old Hong Kong. These old black and white photos are going to be published in a book about Hong Kong in the 1960's.

Old Hong Kong Photograph Exhibition.

Old Hong Kong Photograph Exhibition.

Old Hong Kong Photograph Exhibition.

Old Hong Kong Photograph Exhibition.

Old Hong Kong Photograph Exhibition.

Next, I went to Harbour City next to Ocean Terminal. I was just in time to see the Aqua Luna Junk pass by. I see this a lot, so either it plies the harbour frequently, or we are somehow chronologically twinned. It had different sails this time, not its usual red ones.

The Aqua Luna Junk.

The Aqua Luna Junk.

The Harbour City displays are some of the most extravagant in Hong Kong, so they are always really popular. This year they are all based around unicorns. They were lovely, but really crowded, which made me not enjoy them as much as some of the other displays.

Uni Christmas at Harbour City.

Unicorns at Harbour City.

Unicorns at Harbour City.

Unicorns at Harbour City.

Unicorns at Harbour City.

Unicorns at Harbour City.

I had a look inside Ocean Terminal, which is next to Harbour City and it had a display based around Pucky and Poh. I've never heard of them, but apparently they are from a cartoon called 'One Little Planet'.

Pucky and Poh. Display in Ocean Terminal.

Pucky and Poh Display in Ocean Terminal.

I had noticed in passing that there was a beautiful Christmas tree outside the Marco Polo Hotel, so although I hadn't thought of visiting there, I took a look. It was really good inside. There were lots of polar bears and teddy bears and old fashioned scenes. I loved it. For me, this and the Peninsula were the highlights of this visit.

Christmas Tree and Bear Cub Display in the Marco Polo Hotel.

Polar Bear Display in the Marco Polo Hotel.

Polar Bear Display in the Marco Polo Hotel.

Ye Olde Curiosity Shop Display in the Marco Polo Hotel.

Ye Olde Shoppe Display in the Marco Polo Hotel.

Teddy Bear with a Penny Farthing Display in the Marco Polo Hotel.

Cosy Fireplace Display in the Marco Polo Hotel.

I walked past the star ferry terminal and was heading for home by this stage but I decided to take a look around the harbour front first. To my surprise, there was an eight metre tall bright red gummy bear/dinosaur in front of the old clocktower. Apparently this is part of an exhibition called 'Tick Tock, Tick Tock ' by American artist WhisBe. I think it's called Tick Tock Tick Tock, because it is linked to a New Year's Day countdown. There's a second two metre tall teal gummy bear sculpture on the waterfront.

Wall art by the star ferry.

Gummy Bears.

Gummy Bears.

Gummy Bears.

Gummy Bears.

Harbour Displays.

I had noticed earlier that the Chinese dragon horses I had seen in Fortress Hill had found their way to Tsim Sha Tsui, so I took a look at these. These mythical creatures symbolise inspiration and are part of an art project called 'Drago Cavallo' by Chinese artist, Simon Ma.

Chinese dragon horse.

Chinese dragon horse.

Finally, I made my way to K11 Musea. This had golden Christmas trees, but wasn't over exciting.

Golden Christmas Tree.

As I headed home, I caught the beginning of sunset over Sunny Bay.

Sunset, Sunny Bay.

Sunset, Sunny Bay.

Next day, I happened to be in Tsing Yi, in pursuit of the Christmas cracker from Marks and Spencers, so I photographed their Christmas display, which centred around Disney characters.

Tsing Yi, Maritime Square Christmas Display.

Tweety Pie.

Garfield.

The mouse from Dumbo.

Dumbo.

It would be rude to go to Tsing Yi without checking out the park. I took a few shots of the birds resting by the pond.

In the park.

In the park.

Birds in the park.

Birds in the park.

Then I had a quick walk along the waterfront to enjoy the clear blue skies and pleasant weather.

Ramblers Channel Tsing Yi Waterfront.

Ramblers Channel Tsing Yi Waterfront.

Ramblers Channel Tsing Yi Waterfront.

Beautiful flowers on the waterfront.

Which is the best Christmas display so far?

My wanderings will continue soon with Christmas displays, Hong Kong Island.