Richard Ekkebus, culinary director of Amber, Landmark Mandarin Oriental
I have worked over Christmas for my entire career, as it is one of the busiest days of the year. Guests come with their families to celebrate and their expectations are high, so I need to ensure these expectations are met and even exceeded. However, our tradition is to have a nice family Christmas breakfast moment, where we unwrap our gifts. That moment is always magical and I have always enjoyed the look on my kids’ faces when they unwrap their gifts. For breakfast we will always have a nice panettone. In Amber, we serve traditional Bresse capon over Christmas. I will make sure that after it’s served in the evening I get some of the bird and ensure the sommelier has a nice glass of wine for me. We often do this standing in the kitchen with the key members of my team, and we wish each other a merry Christmas and many more to come.
Kate Babington, managing director of TREE
I adore Hong Kong at this time of the year. The Christmas lights, the social life, the shopping – and the weather is great. Nowhere else can compete. I never go away during Christmas. I love to hike during the holidays to get a bit of peace and quiet, as it’s the perfect antidote to all the socialising. Christmas is a time for appreciating what you have and spending quality time with people who matter to you. This year I’m looking forward to our company’s Christmas party. We always have a great time, especially because we have so many different nationalities, cultures and personalities, and it’s an absolute blast.
Girish Jhunjhnuwala, founder of Ovolo Group
My favourite thing about Christmas is spending time with my family. Our children go to school overseas, so Christmas is our time to come together and indulge a bit by spending the whole day eating, drinking and generally being merry in our big family room – just lazing around, hanging out and watching movies.