Creating New Christmas Traditions

By this time last year, most of our expatriate Members would have booked their flights home for Christmas. But for reasons that need no explaining, this is a year like no other. Since Christmas is likely to be less hectic without the travel, it’s a great time to start some new festive family traditions. Here’s some celebration inspiration.

GIFTING IS SHIFTING

While COVID-19 made us all tighten our belts (and possibly let them out if you’ve been overdoing the comfort eating), ‘buying less and buying better’ was becoming the new norm long before the pandemic hit. Thanks in part to Greta Thunberg, good parenting and great teachers, young people around the world are waking up to the pointlessness and the perils of mindless consumption.

If you have older kids who are aspiring to living more sustainably, obviously your gift-giving choices should support their personal ethics. However, if you have younger kids who still almost burst with barely contained excitement at the sight of multiple gifts under the tree, why not start implementing the ‘four gift rule’? Buy them:

Something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read

We cannot claim originality here. (It’s actually been trending on social media for almost a decade.) But we think it’s a great idea. It

“While COVID-19 made us all tighten our belts (and possibly let them out if you’ve been overdoing the comfort eating), ‘buying less and buying better’ was becoming the new norm long before the pandemic hit.

doesn’t necessarily imply frugality (hey, a Lamborghini classifies as ‘something you want’), but it does require selectiveness. Call it mindful shopping, if you like.

WRITE A LETTER TO SANTA

If you decide to go the ‘four gift rule’ route and your children are still at the magical age of believing in Santa, ask them to think about the four ‘want/need/ wear/read’ gifts they’re wishing for, and write a letter to the jolly old man in red.

While you’re at it, ask them to tell Santa whether they’ve been mostly naughty or nice. A little self-reflection never hurt anyone.

DIY DECORATIONS

If you’re staying home, decorate it. But don’t be a slouch and simply head to a department store and spend a small fortune on environmentally unfriendly baubles and tinsel. Head instead to an art and craft shop and stock up on fancy paper, crepe paper, adhesive pom poms, glitter glue, coloured felt and any pretty materials that catch your eye. We love Art Friend – especially the flagship store in Bras Basah Complex on Beach Road. We challenge you to walk in with a list and buy nothing more than the items on it.

Better still, repurpose stuff that’s hanging around the house. The Internet is teeming with amazing ideas. We love Coffee Filter Garlands, Paper Mache Christmas Baubles (great for using up old recycled wrapping paper) and Spoon Mini Trees (finally, something to do with all those bulk plastic spoons you’re ashamed of even buying in the first place). Google them!

Dear Santa,

I want a pair of yoga pants made out of recycled trash from Girlfriend Collective, I need a new watering can, I would like to wear a new pair of wooden sunglasses from Truwood, and I would finally like to read ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ by Margaret Atwood – not a hard copy but a download on my Kindle, please…

We love Coffee Filter Garlands, Paper Mache Christmas Baubles (great for using up old recycled wrapping paper) and Spoon Mini Trees (finally, something to do with all those bulk plastic spoons you’re ashamed of even buying in the first place). Google them!

MAKE A DAY OF MAKING DECORATIONS.

Clear the dining table and line it with newspaper or old stained sheets. Then get crafty. The expressions of pride on your little crafters’ faces, when they see their handiwork hung and drawing compliments, will be priceless.

“Clear the dining table and line it with newspaper or old stained sheets. Then get crafty.

HANDMADE CHRISTMAS CARDS…

This is an extension of DIY decorations, really. You can use the materials left over from your decoration-making bee, plus some art card. A great way to reuse old Christmas cards is to cut out elements and make mixed media collages. Hand-torn paper over art card, with another cutout element on top, looks very arty and is easy for little kids to master.

CHRISTMAS IS (NOT JUST) FOR KIDS We’ve all heard it said so many times – Christmas is for kids. But in fact, Christmas is for adults, too. The childhood memories that we retain into adulthood shape the narratives of our lives. It’s called ‘autobiographical memory’. Christmas is a chance to channel those fond childhood memories of Christmases past, and help make some memories for the little ones in your life.

IT WON’T BE ‘LIKE BEFORE’ Though Christmas is supposedly a time of joy, it can also be a time of what some psychologists call ‘nostalgic moaning’ – that tendency to perceive things as inferior to the way they were in the past.

For example:

“Within the last half-century, this annual time of festivity has lost much of its original mirth and hospitality.”

Can you believe that this miserable lament appeared in the editorial of The Times way back in 1790?

So don’t be a Grinch (leave that to Jim Carrey – see ‘Christmas Movie Night’) and get into a Christmas mood. Granted, it won’t be like last Christmas – it might even be better!

… AND CRACKERS…

Save your toilet rolls and make Christmas crackers. They may not have the paper fuses (that ‘gunpowder’ smell is a little disturbing anyway), but they still provide the thrill of a friendly tug-of-fun. Fill them with candies or little ‘IOU’ notes – a back massage, breakfast in bed, an original poem, etc.

… AND WRAPPERS!

For DIY wrapping paper, plain brown paper covered in rubber-stamped patterns, finished with red and white twine, always looks stylish. Order your rubber stamps from an online craft shop or check out the seasonal boxed sets at Kikki K. If you really want to go to town, buy a few rolls of fancy craft or washi tape. “ Don’t leave the gift-wrapping to the last minute and do it all yourself – make an occasion of it and rope in the family to lend a hand. (Obviously, gifts from Santa are wrapped behind the scenes in Santa’s workshop.)

Don’t leave the gift-wrapping to the last minute and do it all yourself – make an occasion of it and rope in the family to lend a hand. (Obviously, gifts from Santa are wrapped behind the scenes in Santa’s workshop.)

DECORATE A GINGERBREAD HOUSE

This might sound like hard work, but not if you cheat and buy a DIY kit from a supermarket. The gingerbread comes in pre-baked panels and all you need to do is assemble and decorate it – not unlike those model planes made out of balsa wood that older Members may recall from their childhoods. To avoid spats, allocate a panel per child. If your offspring are prone to hyper-competitiveness (oh yes, we all know that), be careful to dish out the praise in equal servings.

Decorating a gingerbread house might sound like hard work, but not if you cheat and buy a DIY kit from a supermarket.

IT’S BEGINNING TO SOUND A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS…

Thanks to Spotify, this one’s really easy. Ask every family member to choose 4 or 6 or 10 songs (any number is fine, but be egalitarian to avoid accusations of favouritism – a bane of many mothers’ lives). Then compile your official 2020 Christmas Family Playlist. Play it on a portable speaker or through your high-end sound system. If your kids are musical or sporting, you might even be able to pull off a family singalong. Either way, your Christmas has its own soundtrack now!

If your kids are musical or sporting, you might even be able to pull off a family singalong. Either way, “ your Christmas has its own soundtrack now!

CHRISTMAS MOVIE NIGHT

Most families already have their favourite Christmas movie. Whether you’re a diehard fan of the ‘Home Alone’ franchise, crack up at Will Ferrell’s ‘evergreen’ performance in ‘Elf’ or never tire of Jim Carrey’s manic meanie turn in ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’, play it again. Watch two or three in a row. And do it every year. Never mind that you know what’s coming next. Remembering the lines by heart and saying them out loud is half the fun.

CELEBRATE AT THE SWISS CLUB

Pardon the soft-sell, but when you’re far from your big noisy extended family, dressing up, going out and being among people really does help to jolly things along. This year, the Swiss Club is hosting two lavish celebrations with live gourmet stations. For obvious reasons, self-serve buffet-style dining is out. There’s even a kids’ menu for little ones who prefer spag’ bol’ and nuggets to more grownup gastronomy. Book your tables early to avoid disappointment.

HAVE A THOUGHTFUL CHRISTMAS

Christmas is traditionally a time to think of those less fortunate. You could actually ditch the gift-giving altogether and ask each family member to nominate a charity and donate the money you would have spent on gifts accordingly. Just a thought. Or you could spend some time volunteering. There are dozens of worthy charities and social enterprises you can find online, though opportunities for hands-on volunteering may be affected by the ongoing situation.

Of course, there are many ways to be thoughtful. You may have a helper who will be missing her family terribly at this time of year. Or you might know of a relative newcomer to Singapore who never had a chance to establish a social network due to the pandemic. Reach out to them. Kindness is catching – hopefully even more so than the coronavirus.

Happy Christmas with a difference! You may have a helper who will be missing her family terribly at this time of year. Or you might know of a relative newcomer to Singapore who never “ had a chance to establish a social network due to the pandemic. Reach out to them. Kindness is catching – hopefully even more so than the coronavirus.