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SINGAPORE – Residents in the heart of the country are celebrating Christmas by sprucing up their own corner of Singapore.
From Sembawang in the north to Clementi in the west, as well as Bedok, Tampines and Pasir Ris in the east, locals are adding their own lights and tinsel to the decorations placed on the Housing Board’s properties.
A 3.5 meter tall Christmas tree stands proudly in front of Block 702 Bedok Reservoir Road.
Built by residents using steel rebar typically found in construction and a discarded gate, the tree is surrounded by four miniature reindeer figurines.
They also made a snowman out of a fiberglass mold, with their hands covered in knitted gloves.
Local resident Goh Siew Hua, 53, had started the project with her husband Cheah Kok Hwa, 57.
The co-owners of the Xing Long Canvas Steel Tent and Engineering Services tent company decided to build a tree that can withstand the elements.
They have been decorating the block for Christmas since 2011 with their neighbors.
“Everyone is very depressed this year. Some are unemployed, some of the older residents have fewer visits from their families due to Covid-19 restrictions. Adding decorations to the tree gave people something to do,” said Ms. Goh.
Jesline Gan, a 39-year-old administrator, was one of those who added her old Christmas decorations to the tree.
“This is a way to de-stress after work. My neighbors and I have children the same age, so we chat about them while decorating,” she said.
While some polished old ornaments before hanging them on the tree, others repaired broken frisbees to give the snowman his eyes.
About 40 residents spent 10 days working on the project, which was completed on December 13.
PHOTO SAN: JOEL CHAN
Visitors from as far away as Bukit Panjang have been drawn to the lights that resident Tong Wee Hock, 40, helped to hang.
The fiber optic subcontractor said: “Those passersby came to Bedok at 10pm to see our decorations after their friends posted a photo on social media. They thought the lights were on Orchard Road.”
In Tampines, Mr. Lim Beng Huat joined with neighbors to place Christmas decorations this year in Block 722 of Tampines 72 Street, to bring some joy to those who have had their travel plans in disarray due to the outbreak of coronavirus.
For more than 10 years, he has marked the season by lighting up his HDB block with festive garlands and decorations.
In pre-pandemic times, he even held a lighting ceremony and invited his neighbors to soak up the holiday spirit.
The centerpiece of this year is a 1.6 m high “snow covered” church, flanked by figures of Santa Claus.
He had worked on the piece for two hours every night since September.
“People don’t really know what traditions are for, they just think about receiving gifts. Everyone should get together and get to know each other better during the holidays,” said Lim, who runs an electrical works business.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Housewife Nurashikin Mohamed, 37, who lives on the 10th floor of Block 722, agreed, adding: “This doesn’t happen with other blocks … their decorations have become a topic of conversation for our neighbors. “.
Clementi resident Philip Sobrielo Gene has also animated his part of town.
The 40-year-old freelance dance instructor partnered with Jurong-Clementi City Council to decorate the vacant space in front of his childhood home at Block 351 Clementi Avenue 2.
PHOTO SAN: KHALID BABA
A big change from 2018, when the city council asked Sobrielo to remove from the block’s second floor ledge a mannequin that had been dressed up for Christmas.
He was allowed to keep the mannequin on the ledge after city council representatives saw that the decorations did not pose a safety concern.
This year, Mr. Sobrielo decorated a tree, which was provided by the council, with plastic poinsettias and surrounded it with large and small gift boxes.
“Christmas is a time to give, be it gifts, money or time. My decorations are my way of giving back to the community if they are of faith,” added Sobrielo, who is Catholic.
In Canberra in Sembawang, 43-year-old Ms Luu Thi My Uyen led a team of 10 from the East Canberra Zone 2 Resident Network to build a 3m high Christmas tree structure with a frame metal and a green net.
“With the Christmas tree, we hope that people can still come with their families to take photos for memories,” said Ms Luu, a permanent resident.
She is originally from Vietnam and has lived in Singapore for 17 years.
At Pasir Ris, too, a 6 m high Christmas tree and rows of colored lights dazzle onlookers.
About 40 merchants and street vendors from Pasir Ris Drive 4 and 6 Merchants and Hawkers Association contributed to the decorations.
“We don’t know when Covid-19 will end, but before we see the light, we still want to brighten the spirits of our residents,” said Jin Kok Teng, 58, the association’s treasurer.
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