Jan 6

Jan 6 Our Silly and Superb Singapore Tree

Red lights made the most sense, no precious little, white lights for this tree. — Red lights made the most sense, no precious little, white lights for *this* tree.

This idea just sort of came to me one day. We were living on Goodwood Hill at the time and I just decided that in addition to our regular Christmas tree, we needed a tree that was entirely devoted to all things Singaporean. Chinese, Malay, Indian — all mixed up, just like Singapore. Once I got rolling, it came together very quickly.

Goodwood Hill had tons of space, a real luxury in the crowded City-State.  It was not always the easiest place to live, but it sure was grand.  It was the best of times and it was the worst of times... :) — Goodwood Hill had tons of space, a real luxury in the crowded City-State. It was not always the easiest place to live, but it sure was grand. It was the best of times and it was the worst of times... :)

From countless trips to Chinatown, Little India, and Arab Street I already had a fairly firm grasp of the trinkets and geegaws that populate their bustling markets, that part was going to be easy. But I wanted to go one step further and make it more personal, so as most projects like this start, I broke out the glue gun and the glitter and I then got to work. Since I wasn't trying to replicate anything I had already seen, a perfect Martha Stewart version of something — I couldn't fail! So, I took some of our favorite elements of life in Singapore and I turned them into ornaments. I covered empty Tiger Balm boxes in glitter and added some ribbon, I did the same with McDonald's chili packets!

My kids' favorite, they would perfectly coordinate a McDelivery to the arrival of their school bus in the afternoon when they were in high school.  No wonder they loved Singapore so much. — My kids' favorite, they would perfectly coordinate a McDelivery to the arrival of their school bus in the afternoon when they were in high school. No wonder they loved Singapore so much.

The takeaway bags of coffee from Singapore's famed Kopi Tiam shops (yes, you read that right, coffee in bags) were an absolute must. An endearing, quirky reminder that we were living in a place faraway from the utilitarian mugs or hyper-engineered take-out cups of America. To create them to enjoy in perpetuity took a little more thought and finagling. I made some plaster of paris and used acrylic paint to get it to just the right color. Kopi in Singapore and much of southeast Asia is a concoction of the blackest coffee mixed with sweetened condensed milk, it's delicious and it is enjoyed through a straw. The ornaments are a bit heavy for the tree, but they look like the real thing!

Remember those paper chains we made from gum wrappers in grade school? I applied the same principle here and made a garland out of hell money. For those who don't know... Hell money is made of joss paper and is loosely bunched into a pile or put in a brazier made just for this purpose. Burned all over eastern Asia as a sign of respect and tribute to their ancestors, August in Singapore smells of burning 'money' as well as other items like paper gold bars, calculators, shirts and ties, even, a bit ironically, cigarettes.

If your ancestors enjoyed it in their mortal life, chances are a paper version of it is available in the dingy, cramped (but impossibly charming) shops of Chinatown.

Gillian is a big fan, here in Charlotte.

Ten years later, the Singapore Tree is a reminder of all that was pretty and fun and fantastic about life in Singapore. It doesn't seem the least bit out of place here in Vermont, or... more accurately, no more out of place than coffee in plastic bags.