While Singaporeans look forward to a further easing of social restrictions with Phase 3 on December 28, limits on travel and gatherings still mean that many will not be able to spend Christmas this year with their loved ones.

Hearts too, are heavy for those lost or suffering in so many ways from the pandemic that rages around the world. 

The very first Christmas was not all bright and cheerful either.

Mary and Joseph went on an arduous journey as part of a census, and the only room she could give birth in was a stable (Luke 2:4-7). They had to deal with the scandal of Mary as an unwed mother (Matthew 1:18-19), and later King Herod’s hunt for their child. Discovering that he had been outwitted, Herod gave orders to kill all male infants under the age of 2 around Bethlehem (Matthew 2). 

But Zechariah prophesied that Jesus’ coming would “give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death” (Luke 1:78–79).

So even in this darkness and uncertainty of a Covid-19 Christmas, can we change our perspective such that our trials turn into blessings?

Friends of Salt&Light share how they are making this unusual Christmas meaningful.

1. Being thankful for family

A time of thanking each other after the usual gift-giving is a Christmas tradition in Esther Foong’s family that everyone from “as young as four years old to grandparents over 60” participates in.

“Last year, when my father-in-law thanked my mother-in-law, she got teary. Until then, she didn’t know how he really felt,” said Foong. “It is important to enforce time to articulate what is usually not said.” 

Foong, who founded The Treasure Box SG with her husband, has two young children. 

Because of Covid-19 restrictions this year, Foong can only meet with her extended family online via Zoom. They will also use an Advent conversation guide by Focus on the Family Singapore.

Over at Wendy Yeap’s home, following traditions passed down by her late father, have become more poignant during Covid.

The Yeap family will light the Advent candles before their Christmas meal. Each candle symbolises a certain aspect of Christmas such as faith, love, hope and peace.

Wendy Yeap and her family will light up Advent candles before their Christmas meal every year. Photo courtesy of Wendy Yeap.

“Family Christmas rituals are important because they draw attention to what the occasion means,” said Yeap who is a cell leader and part of the family life ministry in Covenant Community Methodist Church. She is also a counsellor at Lakeside Family Services.

Yeap, has a son and daughter, both adults.

They will continue the family tradition of opening presents together as a family – one present at a time. They also sneak small surprises into each other’s Christmas stockings, which are embroidered with their names. 

“Spending time together during Christmas is a testament to the quality of relationships over the year and keeping the family close to God,” added Yeap. 

However, with limits on social gatherings this year, Yeap and her husband are unable to practise a Christmas Eve tradition they started together: Opening their home to friends with no extended family in Singapore, or who do not celebrate Christmas.

Yeap, who is “pro-active in maintaining friendships” says it becomes even more important to catch up with people throughout the year, to let them know that she is thinking of them. “Cannot wait till only Christmas.”

No Christmas dinner for the clan this year? Try: 

• Hosting a Zoom meal with relatives and friends not from the same household
• Praying together and thanking God for the year that has passed
• Organising a gift exchange within the family

2. Bonding with cell and church

Because of Covid, certain members of the church have been working on overdrive. 

At St George’s Church, the unsung hero is the person in charge of the church’s audio-visual requirements, who has taken on “the mammoth task” of recording and editing all online services since March this year – even after in-person services resumed with limited numbers.

It also includes the Vicar, who has been tirelessly shepherding his flock. He will also be hosting a record number of seven services over Christmas Eve and Christmas instead of the usual five. 

Angelina Christian and her cell group have planned to show their gratitude to them.

“Christmas gives us an opportunity to express our love and appreciation to members of our church,” she said, adding: “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of a double honour, especially those who labour in preaching and teaching (1 Timothy 5:17).”

Over at Bethesda Bedok-Tampines Church (BBTC), cell leader Evelyn Peng and her husband, David Foo, organised a treasure hunt and a Christmas dinner for their group, which included young children.

Adhering to Covid-19 restrictions, the cell split into groups of five for a treasure hunt around a nearby community space. It was themed Three Wise Men Looking for Jesus.

Afterwards, they adjourned to separate homes – with no more than five visitors at each – for a Christmas dinner. To enhance their bond and connection, the same food was catered for each group. They met via Zoom to go through their answers to the treasure hunt, and to take group photos.

“After a very isolating year, it is extra important to make the effort to celebrate Christmas together,” said Peng.

Safely-distanced yet together: Evelyn Peng and David Foo’s (both far left in lower left photo) Christmas dinner for their cell, who Zoomed one another from various households after a treasure hunt. Photo courtesy of Evelyn Peng.

No cell group gatherings this year? Try: 

• Inviting your friends to join Chapel Carols, an online carol service.
• Blessing your church leaders and pastors with care packs
• Praying for and with your cell members

3. Being salt and light at work

With work-from-home days becoming a norm, many are feeling isolated and stretched mentally. Others are financially challenged by the toll Covid is taking on businesses.

It has become even more important to “usher a glimpse of the joy we have in Christ and share the hope of Christmas to others”, said Lim Kok Ping, regional operations leader at Microsoft Consulting Services.

With a group of volunteers, Lim organised a Christmas carolling event for his colleagues.

“Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to share the story of Jesus,” said Lim. “With the restrictions on physical events this year, we are reinventing the way we tell the Christmas story.”

The hour-long event included pre-recorded Christmas carols, games and the telling of the Christmas story. 

Lim Kok Ping (top right) and volunteers spread Christmas cheer and shared the story of Christmas via a Zoom event for colleagues. Photo courtesy of Lim Kok Ping.

No office Christmas party this year? Try: 

• Writing a short note of encouragement to your boss
• Ordering in a meal for a colleague 
• Blessing a colleague with a small financial love gift

4. Blessing the neighbours 

Bringing cheer to the residents in their community is how members of BBTC put “loving your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:31) into action. 

Having built a connection with their neighbours over the years, cell groups in BBTC have adopted various blocks as their own.

This year, they gave out a total of 3,000 vacuum flasks to the residents. Biscuits and supermarket vouchers were also given to the blocks housing lower-income individuals and families. 

“We observe all necessary guidelines, respect each person’s comfort level, and do our small part,” said Pastor Sharon Liau. 

“Seeing the smiles on their faces also brought smiles to our faces,” she said, adding that “divine appointments have lead to friendships”. Some neighbours have also come to be “personally connected to the Giver of Life and start to experience the abundant life”.

Elsewhere in Singapore, fellowship group LifeHouse Singapore – which comprises members from different walks of life, nationalities and churches – partner with NGOs, charities and other public organisations to bless different facets of the community. They started their outreach in the early days of the coronavirus.

“Covid-19 has reshaped our thinking of who our neighbour is and how we reach out,” said lawyer Stephanie Magnus. The fellowship group started out of Alpha sessions she and husband, Daniel Ong, have been running since 2012.

“It has caused us to work in the community in a more personal way, meeting specific needs in the recipients homes and community rather than just large group events.”

This Christmas, LifeHouse Singapore is working with the Prison Fellowship Singapore to deliver presents to children of inmates. The group is also taking the elderly in Henderson on an open top bus tour, with safe distancing measures in place.

Star-studded Christmas: Invite your neighbours to your home for a meal to hear Olivia Ong sing Christmas carols and MediaCorp actress Felicia Chin’s moving testimony. Photos by Thir.st.

No church Christmas drama to invite neighbours to this year? Try:

• Inviting your neighbours to hear Felicia Chin and Olivia Ong share their testimonies
• Walking around your neighbourhood to pray for your community 
• Looking out for people who are under the radar

5. Quality time with self

Perhaps this Christmas, God is changing our expectations and perceptions of the season, bringing us back to thinking of its true meaning. 

Instead of “the hustle and bustle and scrambling” from what he has come to expect every December, Salt&Light intern Silas Low is discovering that the slower pace of the season in Covid times has given him time to reflect on the real significance of Christmas.

“The heart of Christmas isn’t God accommodating to our comforts, and squeezing into the box that we sometimes put Him in, but more of us learning to understand His ways that are higher than our own,” said Low.

No dashing around to Christmas parties this year? Try: 

• Journalling the highs and lows of 2020
• Reflecting and giving thanks to God for all He has done throughout the year
• Planning a devotion schedule or bible reading plan for 2021

MORE WAYS TO CELEBRATE THIS CHRISTMAS :

Home for Christmas Eve? Gather your family for this intimate online carol service

30 meaningful gifts to bless others with this Christmas

Three profiles from the Salt&Light book step out of their stories to give readers a glimpse behind the scenes