Bei-Jingle All the Way: Make Like a Tree and Get Lit This Christmas Weekend

Santa Claus is coming to town and he’s got a bag full of buffets, free-flow alcohol, and cuddly animals. Don’t believe us? Just check out this list of holiday happenings around town (and find an even larger list right here). But act fast, because you're not the only one staying in Beijing this year. A lot of these events are booking up quicker than you can say "Ho Ho Ho!"

Dec 24-27: Celebrate Christmas With Lily’s American Diner

As one of the earliest Beijing restaurants to offer Christmas dinners both in-store and to-go, Lily’s American Diner has been spreading holiday cheer for well over a decade. This year, they’re back at it with a special Christmas menu, available Dec 24 to Dec 27. For RMB 219 per adult and RMB 179 for kids, enjoy a garden salad or soup to start, followed by roasted honey glazed ham or imported turkey – both of which come with all the trimmings such as mashed potato, sweet potato, mixed vegetables, and cranberry sauce. Then finish the whole thing off with homemade pumpkin pie, apple pie, or a chocolate brownie. Prefer to eat at home? Lily’s is offering the same menu to go. For more information, click here. Lily’s American Diner

Dec 24-25: Christmas Eve & Day Full-Buffet Dinner at EAST Beijing

This year, Feast at EAST Beijing is teaming up with Roundabout to collect winter clothes and backpacks which will be donated to students in Qinghai and Yunnan Provinces, “giving them the gift of warmth and hope this winter.” Drop off your donations, and then swing by one of the buffet options on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. The former is dinner only, 5.30-9pm, and runs RMB 488, while the latter is an all-day affair, 11.30am-9pm, for RMB 428. Both include free-flow soft drinks, beer, and sparkling and house wines. What’s more, kids under 6 years old eat free, and those 7-12 eat for half price. Click here for more info. EAST Beijing

Dec 24-25: Christmas Buffets at Grand Café of Grand Hyatt Beijing

Grand Café of Grand Hyatt Beijing is also getting in on the Christmas Eve-Christmas Day buffet action, however much like EAST, the two events differ slightly. The Dec 24 bash is dinner only, 5.30-10pm, and runs RMB 988 per adult, RMB 488 for kids 6 to 12 years old, and free for children 5 and under. That may seem like a hefty price tag, but the night includes a raffle with grand prizes including free nights at other Hyatt hotels. So if you’re feeling lucky, it could all be worth it. Meanwhile, the Christmas Day lunch and dinner buffet is from 11.30am-9pm, and costs a definitely more reasonable RMB 398 for adults, RMB 199 for 6 to 12-year-olds, and free for those under 5. Both buffets include free flow juice, soft drinks, beer, house wine, and one glass of sparkling wine. Email fb.reservation.beigh@hyatt.com or call 10-6510-9024 to reserve your spot. Grand Café of Grand Hyatt Beijing

Dec 24-25: Christmas Feast at Tian Tan Kitchen

Well, if there was any doubt that this was the year for Christmas buffets, let it be erased, as Tian Tan Kitchen is also hosting a Christmas Eve and Christmas Day lunch and dinner buffet. At this point, it’s kind of like a buffet of buffets. At any rate, Tian Tan’s Christmas Eve affair is RMB 788 per person, or RM 468 for kids 6-11 years old. If you failed to win anything at the Grand Café, pop over here for another chance to win grand prizes such as the presidential suite at Beijing New World Hotel or CTrip travel vouchers up to RMB 3,000. If you’d like a little side of entertainment with your meal, there will be close up magicians on hand and a visit from Santa Claus. The fun continues on Dec 25 with Tiantan Street Buffet Restaurant’s lunch and dinner offerings at RMB 198 for adults or RMB 98 for kids. For more info, click here, and to make a reservation for either day, call 5960-8888. Tian Tan Kitchen

Dec 26: Boxing Day Lunch at CW Summit Wing 

Keep the holiday cheer alive on Dec 26 with the Australian and Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Boxing Day Lunch Buffet. For RMB 550 – RMB 275 for kids under 10 – enjoy an endless amount of traditional roasts, seafood, and desserts with unparalleled views of the city from China World Summit Wing Hotel’s 79 Grill, which, as its name suggests, is on the 79th floor of the building. Purchase a whole table and enjoy 10 percent off the total. For more info, click here. Grill 79

Dec 26: Adoption Party and Holiday Dinner

And of course, it wouldn’t be a holiday without something for the plant-based community! This time around, Beijing Vegan Community and Redthread Artful are joined by VegRadar and Good Food Fund to host an adoption party and holiday dinner at the pet-friendly, vegan-friendly café and adoption shop, ChuXiang. From 3-6pm, enjoy the Adopt! Don’t Shop event, where you can bring friendly-animals looking for loving homes, adopt or foster your own little fur baby, and gain some important insights about bringing an animal companion into your life. Then, from 6pm-8pm, enjoy a holiday dinner celebration for RMB 99. Choose from one of four set menus including avocado tofu or Z-Rou burger with fries, Malay nyonya noodles with flaxseed coconut yogurt, tofu avocado sesame miso bowl or Z-Rou balls Japanese curry bowl with tofu lotus root skewer, and Thai noodles or Z-Rou balls and Japanese curry noodles with chips and salsa. For more info, click here. ChuXiang

READ: Road Test This Christmas Vocabulary at The Hutong Winter Fayre, Dec 12

Images: Erin Mckenna (via Unsplash), overstock.com, Rhaul V. Alva (via Unsplash), courtesy of the restaurants