Influenced by British and Western cultures, the Christmas atmosphere in Hong Kong is quite strong. Christmas is an important festival in Hong Kong. Christmas Day and the next day are public holidays in Hong Kong, lasting for two days, but Christmas Eve is not a public holiday.

Every year, various celebrations are held on Christmas Eve (for example, the countdown to Christmas Eve in Times Square has been cancelled in recent years), and a large number of people take part in the celebrations. Public transport services, including subways and buses, will provide overnight services on Christmas Eve.

On that night, many Hong Kong people will attend the Christmas party and exchange Christmas presents. Some people will go to hotels or restaurants to have a buffet, while others like to have a Christmas dinner with their family and friends at home. After nightfall, many citizens will go to Tsim Sha Tsui to watch Christmas lights, and some people will go to bars in Lan Kwai Fong and other places to have an all-night carnival.

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Celebration forms in various places

Christmas Eve is also considered as a time when Santa Claus and other similar people in other areas give presents to good children everywhere.

In Italy, presents are opened on the morning of Christmas Eve, while in Britain, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Portugal and Poland, Christmas presents are usually opened on the night of Christmas Eve or on the morning of Christmas Day. In most parts of Germany, people open Christmas presents on Christmas Eve (German: Bescherung).

In Iceland, Christmas Eve begins at 6 pm, the church bell will ring, people will have a holiday dinner with their families, and then they will open their presents and spend the night together. In North America, most families open presents on Christmas morning. For divorced families, children may be separated for two days to celebrate with one of their parents.

In Spain, gifts are not opened until the morning of Día de reyes. Many traditional Christmas stories take place on Christmas Eve.

Because Australia and New Zealand are located in the southern hemisphere, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are in midsummer, so many people celebrate festivals outdoors, such as surfing on the beach or barbecue.