The Lunar New Year rings with joy, prosperity and abundance. 

It is a season of fresh beginnings, of communion with community. It is a time when blessings in cheery reds adorn home and hearth. 

If you’re shopping for ornaments to dress up your home for Chinese New Year, here are three options that offer décor with words of eternal life.

Morning Mercies couplet: The Treasure Box

Mornings in the Foong household are special. 

“We enjoy watching the sun come up as we send the children to school. We pray for each other before bidding goodbye,” Esther Foong, co-founder and designer of The Treasure Box told Salt&Light.

“Mornings also symbolise new beginnings to us – a new chance to be better, new opportunities to love.”

Each year, Esther, who runs The Treasure Box SG with her husband Elvin, designs Chinese New Year decorations based on verses that God places on her family’s heart.

This Year of the Dragon, she created the «晨光迎新 Morning Mercies» Chinese New Year couplet based on Lamentations 3:22-23 and recollections of mornings in the Foong household. 

The morning glory symbolises the freshness of Spring and the renewal of God’s mercies. The rays of light beaming from the cross are a reminder of all we have in and through Christ, Esther elaborated. 

The Morning Mercies couplet is based on Lamentations 3:22-23. Photo courtesy of The Treasure Box.

Lamentations 3:22-23 has a special meaning for the Foongs.

The year 2023 was a frenetic one. Esther and Elvin juggled several new professional endeavours while parenting two young children, one in the throes of PSLE.  They also discovered that a rent hike will force them out of their work space.

“Amidst all these, God is faithful and steadfast,” Esther said. “As a new year begins, may we be reminded that no matter what we go through, we can trust in God.”

Another wall ornament designed by Esther prominently features the word 爱 (love). This ornament, based on 1 Corinthians 13:13, is a perfect reminder of the cornerstones of being a believer, she said.

The verse reference is included in the design to hopefully spark a conversation about Christ.

Families can also opt for a calligraphy set to create their own wall ornaments from two characters –  愛 (love) and 家 (home) .

Esther picked the both characters and corresponding Bible verses to encourage families to contemplate the meaning of family and love while crafting the wall ornaments together.

These ornaments are available at the stores below or online here.

For The One Gifts (KAP Mall)
9 King Albert Park #01-70 Singapore 598332

The Ink Room (Suntec)
1 Raffles Blvd, Level 6
Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hall 605
Singapore 039593

Blessings on ang baos & ornaments: The Chopstick Store  

For Moses Zhao, 51, who runs The Chopsticks Store with his wife Lilian, Chinese New Year decorations are reminders that we are new creations in Christ.

“I hope that as everyone celebrates the Lunar New Year, these ornaments will remind us how blessed we are as children of God, to have His protection in this life and to have an eternal Kingdom in the life to come,” Moses expressed.  

This cross is crafted from 49 renditions of the Chinese character 福 (prosperity), pointing to the completion of blessings in Jesus. Photo courtesy of Moses Zhao.

This year’s décor at Chopstick Store draw on the peace and blessings of God as one prepares to welcome a new year. 

The Covid pandemic may be largely behind us, but those three years have opened our eyes to the impermanence of life, the vagaries of this world and the frailty of man, Moses noted. 

A standout piece is a cross inspired by Job 22:21: “Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.”

The cross is crafted from 49 renditions of the character 福 (prosperity). The number seven in the Bible points to perfection, and 49 is made of seven multiples of seven, Moses explained.

“This does not mean there are only 49 blessings, but that all blessings are in Christ.”

Moses has included modern wood carving pendants this year to the store’s flagship traditional Chinese decorations and ang baos.

He has also added paper-cut designs fusing Chinese and Western styles that incorporate floral bouquets, waves and landscapes.

An update of traditional paper-cuts with a floral bouquet based on Jeremiah 31:3. Photo courtesy of Moses Zhao.

“I hope these ornaments do not just enhance the New Year atmosphere, but remind us to count the blessings of God’s grace, and to understand that all blessings come from God,” said Moses.

The Chopsticks Store carries an extensive range of Chinese New Year at its store at: 

39 Pagoda Street,
Singapore 059198
Tel: 6635-6683

ChezHemdi

If you are having trouble landing the perfect ornament, how about personalising one?

Customisable ornaments with a choice of Chinese character, colours and verses. Photo: ChezHemdi

ChezHemdi is offering a limited edition of customisable artwork for Chinese New Year, with a chosen Chinese character in gold on an original watercolour handpainted by owner Hemdi Umanee.
 
The original artwork is fully customisable with one’s favourite colours, preferred Chinese character and a verse or blessing.

The Chinese character could be a name, a word of blessing, a verse or a quote.
 
Lead time for delivery is one week. To order, send a direct message to Chezhemdi on Instagram here or email [email protected].

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