1. It’s not really winter, is it? I mean, yes, it’s a bit parky but 14 degrees doesn’t really warrant a special cold weather warning from HK Observatory in my opinion. Man up, Hongkers – back home this would be a mild spring day!

2. A rare and exciting opportunity to wear one (or more) of the following:

• MY LEATHER JACKET!
• Socks
• Medical facemask – cold weather equals germs! Useful for pairing with sunnies for totally unreadable facial expression. (TIP: try this for your next annual salary review – they’ll agree to anything to get you out of the room. You can thank me later).
• Novelty hat; likely in the shape of an obscure Japanese cartoon character/an owl/a tea cosy.

3. Chestnuts and sweet potatoes roasting on street corners. Smells amazing! I’m also told the small, speckled baked eggs are yum, though I haven’t tried these myself.

4. The malls go Christmas-decoration crazy. If you’ve ever wondered what decking your tree with hundreds of metallic Mickey Mouse-ears and having a seven-foot tall bauble containing the characters from Finding Nemo would look like, come to Hong Kong! (Specifically; Harbour City… get there on the Movember Star Ferry!).

5. Our apartment, which has split aircon! After the initial years of oil-filled radiator-related injuries, this is a huge plus (although does feel a bit like being blasted with a hair dryer).