Party at tinsel town ... Yule love it!

A glass Christmas tree, in the central atrium of Life Hub, is an eco-friendly creation made from recycled glass. Photos provided to China Daily

Santa Claus, festive carols, warm drinks and puckering up under the mistletoe - Shanghai gets ready to celebrate Christmas. 

With jingle bells set to ring next week, the city of Shanghai is making preparations to welcome the arrival of Santa by lighting Christmas trees, holding special events and opening Christmas markets.

There are a lot of activities coming up for local people to feel the warm Christmas atmosphere in a cold winter in well-known locations around the whole city.

Merry KissMas in Xintiandi: It has been a tradition that artists are invited to create Christmas-themed installations in Xintiandi, a renowned landmark in the city. They will be working with Paul Cocksedge's studio from London to introduce an interactive lighting installation KISS, which is activated by human touch in the form of a kiss.

Featuring artistic lighting and ingenious technology, KISS will bring people a warm and sweet Christmas with a unique romantic atmosphere to greet the coming New Year.

The tree was lit up by a kiss from a Chinese celebrity couple and a kiss from a Chinese actor and his son on Nov 21. It is continuously collecting kisses from passersby to help raise money for the Smile Angel Foundation, which helps Chinese children with birth defects.

KISS was first staged in Milan in 2010 and London in 2011, where during Christmas there is a tradition of kissing under a plant called mistletoe. Cocksedge has integrated some elements into KISS in Shanghai by obtaining inspiration from the city flower of Shanghai and combining it with the traditional mistletoe, the symbol of Christmas, thus blending Chinese with Western cultures to create something exclusive for the city of Shanghai.

The kisses will not only spark lights vertically on the tall Christmas tree but lights will also spread out horizontally on the trees beyond, reflecting the traditional architecture

"This light installation creates a beautiful festival sight with artistic inspiration and love. Lovers, friends or relatives can light up Christmas through the simple but powerful gesture of a kiss," says Cocksedge.

In addition, Xintiandi presents a series of exciting festival performances on weekends, including French Art Birds Union's grand stilts tour and French puppet shows.