This Christmas, we handpicked gifts that will help your friends and family know, live and tell the story of a King who left heaven to make our heart His home.

For the little ones

Even months-old infants can proclaim His praise (Psalms 8:2) with punny-print rompers from hislittlechamps. A favourite amongst customers declares: Jesus loves me from my head to-ma-toes.

Punny baby clothes which proclaim Christ are hislittlechamps’s bestsellers. Besides rompers, hislittiechamps’s Christmas sale items include linen headbands (right) and milestone journals. Photo from hislittlechamps’s Instagram page.

Owner Gracy Ong’s vision for her baby apparel label, popular for its creative, faith-based wordplay, is for the “lighthearted but powerful” designs to not only “look good on the little ones but also speak to the hearts of those around them”.

Gracy intends to donate a portion of hislittlechamps’s Christmas sales profits to Food from the Heart, a leading food charity in Singapore committed to providing food security for low-income families and individuals.

The Treasure Box SG (TTB)’s First Things First devotional flashcards teach the alphabet to children using “words that truly matter, and concepts that will have an eternal impact”. In this set of cards, the letter ‘A’ is not for “apple”, but for “Amen” – a word that signals our earthly agreement with God’s perfect will. 

For their In Jesus’ Name, amen! book, TTB’s founders Elvin and Esther Foong gathered writings and doodles about the God-encounters of 40 children aged three to 13. The Foongs hope that the miracles of healing and provision that happen when “children pray in simplicity to a God whom they trust implicitly, without worrying if their requests are too big or too small for Him” will be an inspiration to children and adults alike.

In Jesus’ Name, amen! contains 40 testimonies of God’s healing, comfort, provision and other blessings from children aged three to 13. From now till Christmas Day, enjoy discounts of up to 50% off selected TTB  items. Photo from The Treasure Box SG website.

Staying prayerfully engaged with one another’s lives can help families grow closer to each other, as they seek the Lord together. 

TTB’s 2022 Family Devotional Wall Planner comes with weekly family devotions from the book of Proverbs, and columns designated for both family and individual schedules. Whether it’s good weather for tomorrow’s playdate or confidence to ace next week’s job interview, family members can input their prayer requests and lift one another up in prayer.

Family members can stay prayerfully engaged in each others’ lives with TTB’s 2022 Family Devotional Wall Planner. There are side-by-side columns for both family and individual family members’ schedules, and 474 stickers for scheduling family devotionals and outings, or for expressing feelings about upcoming events. Photo courtesy of TTB.

The Foongs’ hearts also go out to families which are formed by unforeseen circumstances – like unplanned pregnancies.

To raise awareness about abortion, fostering, and adoption in Singapore, TTB will be donating part of the proceeds from the sale of its embroidered keychains to Heartbeat Project SG, a local initiative by 3:16 Church. Through real stories, Heartbeat Project SG aims to inspire families to choose to give unborn children a chance to realise the potential of their God-given lives.

For the fashion-forward 

The handcrafted piece of jewellery or the handwoven shoes you wear to the admiration of friends can give you the opportunity to tell of how real, and how near God is to the suffering.

With its PURPOSE jewellery brand, International Sanctuary seeks to helps survivors of human trafficking heal from trauma through jewellery-making.

“Trauma impairs your ability to see yourself the way God sees you, to think clearly, to feel safe, and to trust people,” Susan Cramm, who chairs the International Sanctuary board, explained in an interview with Kallos magazine.

Each piece of PURPOSE jewellery is handcrafted and hand-signed by a survivor of human trafficking. When you buy a PURPOSE stud, earring or necklace, you get to pray for the survivor behind it. Order PURPOSE pieces from the Kallos website. Photo courtesy of Kallos.

Beyond the income that it provides, the enterprise’s initiative of having trafficking survivors make “beautiful jewellery” offers them the opportunity to “look at their creations with pride, and to realise that the jewellery reflects their own beauty, said Susan in the interview. 

The PURPOSE team is careful to ensure that its designs are “fashion-forward” pieces which inspire conversations.“When someone compliments your jewellery, you can tell them it’s handcrafted by survivors.”

Coterie brass disc earrings, handcrafted by Ugandan human trafficking survivors. International Sanctuary supports survivors of human trafficking with a safe, loving workplace community, as they heal from trauma. Photo from Kallos.

In Singapore, a similar “empowerment by employment” model is adopted by SG Enable.

SG Enable is behind i’mable Gift Market 2021, which promotes and markets artworks and artisanal products by talented persons with disabilities. The gift market is online for the second year running.

The inaugural i’mable Gift Market was held at Enabling Village in Lengkok Bahru in 2019 (left), and at the Istana Open House (right) in 2020. President Halimah Yacob is pictured browsing gifts at an i’mable Gift Market booth. Since Covid-19 hit, the Christmas gift market has moved online for the second year running. Photos from i’mable Gift Market website.

i’mable Gift Market 2021 features fashion, accessories, books, stationeries, handicraft, art, homeware, as well as food and beverage items made by artists from over 20 social service agencies and social enterprises supporting the disability community.

Every product is a testament to not just the artists’ talent but also their grit.

To prepare for the gift market, the artists have put months of training into perfecting their respective crafts.

A dino-themed laptop sleeve (left) from The Art Faculty, featuring unique dinosaur silhouettes sketched by an artist who is “extremely pedantic about dinosaurs”, down to the full spelling of their paleontological names. Artably’s quirky pin-badges (right) add another dimension to holiday greeting cards. Shop at the online i’mable gift Market from now till December 31, 2021. Photos courtesy of The Art Faculty and Artably.

Proceeds from i’mable Gift Market 2021 will go back to the respective social service agencies and enterprises to fund training programmes for their beneficiaries or members. A portion of the proceeds may also contribute to royalty payment to the respective artists.

For people to hear the true meaning of Christmas to be above the “noise” of ongoing festivities, Michelle Ng, 27, who owns online and pop-up wearables shop Kléo, feels that it is important for believers to be “intentional about making Christ the centre” of Christmas.

Attractive wearables, like a pair of Jen espadrilles, can open conversations about God-encounters. 

The three colours on a pair of Kléo’s Jen shoes: Blue and grey symbolise trials, and coral in the middle represents hope – tell of how Christ came through for a woman dying of terminal illness. The shoes are limited edition, and will only be available until January 31, 2022, at Kléo’s pop-ups and online shop. Photo courtesy of Kléo.

The limited-edition handwoven espadrilles are carefully woven, sewn, and stitched by hand and furnished with colourful tassels. The tassels are an addition by the good assembly brand, a local specialist in artisan textile accessories.

The meaning behind the name, Jen, is a deeply personal one. 

Jen is the aunt of Sann, the woman behind the good assembly brand. 

About a year ago, Jen was diagnosed with cancer. In recent months, Jen started experiencing shortness of breath and doctors diagnosed her illness as terminal.

Alone in the hospital due to pandemic-related restrictions on in-person visits, and in a lot of pain, Jen had challenged God: If You want me to believe in You, take my pain away. 

She slept through that very night, without any pain.

With gratitude, Jen accepted Christ and was baptised before she passed away peacefully, just a few days shy of the December 1 launch of the tassel-bearing espadrilles.

The three colours of the tassel tell Jen’s story. “The blue and grey represents the trials which are bound to come, while the pop of bright coral in the middle symbolises the Hope that we have in every stormy gale, when we have Christ in our vessel,” Sann explained.

For the house-proud

Engraving family blessings on chopsticks is a practical way of inspiring Christ-centered conversations amidst the feasting and festivities.

With travel restrictions still in place, Orchid Chopsticks’s owner, Zhao Hongmin, 52, treasures the “rare opportunity of having a Christmas meal with the whole family at home”.

Blessings engraved on wooden chopsticks can be practical, everyday reminders of God’s gift of family. From now till December 24, 2021, Orchid Chopsticks is offering a 10% discount on all its products.

Bible verses and faith phrases, such as “Christ be the head of this family”, can be laser-engraved onto wooden chopsticks as everyday reminders of the blessing of family unity, which Zhao calls an “anchor in a world filled with so much chaos and uncertainty”.

“Chopsticks may not be extravagant or expensive gifts, but they can be powerful symbols and everyday reminders of family values.”

Orchid Chopsticks gained media attention last year when its then owner, Moses Zhao, included Christian emblems on traditional Chinese New Year decorations. (Moses Zhao has since opened another shop, The Chopsticks Store, which is also in Chinatown. Orchid Chopsticks is now run by Moses’s sister, Zhao Hongmin, and their brother.)

Those wishing to host gatherings, but are tight on space, may find creative solutions in HŌME by CYC. Lightweight, foldable furniture constitute the local heritage tailoring company’s latest series of “witty inventions”. 

Fong Loo Fern, 67, CYC’s managing director, told Salt&Light in an interview last August that the phrase “witty inventions” (Proverbs 8:12, NKJV) was given to her via a prophecy around five years ago.

HŌME by CYC features six pieces of lightweight home decor crafted from 100% recyclable materials such as wood and ultra-sturdy kraft paper. 

Easy to store, transport and set up, the pieces are designed to take the hassle out of hosting, allowing the host to channel all available energy toward “celebrating the coming of Christ, in the gathering of family”, as Fong puts it. When not in use, the pieces can even be folded away and stored. 

Versatility characterises each of the HŌME by CYC pieces. With three levels of brightness settings, nine possible shapes, and 10 different lighting modes, a yoga table lamp (left) is able to create multiple types of ambience. A footstool (right) can be folded into a side table or a storage bin. Photos from CYC’s website.

Previous “witty inventions” by CYC, such as reusable cloth masks and mask kits, not only rescued the business from an 80% dip – an effect of the pandemic – but also allowed them to bless 300,000 migrant workers in Singapore and create a source of income for 1,000 residents of the poorest slums in the Philippines.

For readers 

Besides celebration, the close of the year is also prime time for remembering, reflecting and recalibration.

Christmas is a time to “remember Christ’s birth, and how He turned our world upside down”, Christian publisher Graceworks told Salt&Light.

Bernice Lee, Graceworks’s Managing Director, shared that its Christmas highlights are family and discipleship-centred books that “stirred our readers’ convictions, challenged their worldviews, and inspired thought about what it means to live relevantly as Christ’s ambassadors.” 

Here are Salt&Light’s picks:

Ten months after stepping down from political office, Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee sought God’s guidance on how he could “add value wherever He put me”. 

God led him to form Carmel Men for Christ (CmFC), a men’s ministry which explores what it means pursue Christ holistically as fathers, spouses, workers and co-labourers, by forging a “solidly-grounded Christian worldview (Romans 12:2).” 

Tapping on his contacts from over 20 years in public service, Associate Professor Ho invited “brothers from various sectors” to speak at the men’s ministry’s monthly gatherings. 

Men for Christ is a compilation of 21 of their talks. Speakers include financial services executive Hsieh Fu Hua, lawyer Gregory Vijayendran and the Bishop Emeritus of the Methodist Church in Singapore Dr Robert Solomon, who together demonstrate how a sovereign God “manifests His presence in every field of human endeavour – history, science, church and politics (Matthew 28:18)”, as Associate Professor Ho writes in the preface of the book.

Perspective-changing reads from Graceworks’s Christmas highlights. Selected titles can be purchased at a special price of 15% off upon checkout, from now till 31 December 2021. Photos from Graceworks’s website.

Many of the contributors are men with illustrious careers, but Associate Professor Ho’s intention for the book is not to put the contributors on a pedestal.

Rather, he hopes that the testimonies and the issues raised in the book “will get men thinking and praying about their own walk with God, both individually and collectively.”

The book challenges men to “love and understand themselves” (Mark 12:31) as a starting point to realising their God-given potential, to pray and ponder about how they can “be His priests and ambassadors during the nine or 10 hours every day that they are out there “in the world” (John 17:11)”, and to “live life fully and finish well (Hebrews 12:1).”

Women Without Walls draws parallels between biblical women and historical Christian women, highlighting the potential of every woman to engender whole community transformation. Centred on the Parable of the Yeast (Matthew 13:33), the narratives stir women to realise that they can be dynamic agents of change.

In 3-2-1, Graceworks’ founding director Rev Dr Tan Soo-Inn discusses the necessity of developing spiritual friendships in a time-starved urban setting, and proposes a simple 3-2-1 structure for establishing these friendships.

When death, divorce and depression destroyed Rev Dr Tan’s family life, the grace of God came to him through the brothers and sisters-in-Christ who refused to give up on him.

Referencing Genesis 2:18, Rev Dr Tan expressed his conviction that “God has created us in such a way that we actually need two relationships: With God and with others”.

The 3-2-1 book explores the role of friendships in the Bible, including those made by Jesus (John 15:15). It further challenges Christians to go beyond transactional relationships to forming deep spiritual friendships using the 3-2-1 framework of three friends, meeting up for two hours, once a month.

Throughout church history, Christian literature has been a key vehicle for evangelism.

At a time when most Protestant missionaries ministered in the coastal areas, British Protestant Christian missionary Hudson Taylor was the first to push the evangelistic ministry into China’s interior – hence the name China Inland Mission (CIM).

To aid this effort, Hudson Taylor founded the publication arm of CIM in 1865,  the precursor of today’s Christian Communications Ltd (CCL). 

Today, more than a century later, CCL is still serving the training and resource needs of Chinese Christians worldwide, with regional offices in five countries dedicated to the establishment of Chinese churches and the equipping of Chinese Christians for ministry and Christian living. The Singapore regional office is known as Christian Communications Singapore (CCS). 

Family-centered titles for Mandarin-speaking loved ones are available at Christian Communications Singapore (CCS). The publisher has its roots in the China Inland Mission (CIM), which was instrumental in Hudson Taylor’s evangelistic work in China. From now till December 31, 2021, all CCS books are available at a 20% discount, except for Bibles and already-discounted books. Photo courtesy of CCS.

Selected titles, such as Legacy Beyond Self-A Certain Kind of Family by Reverend Tan Kay Kiong, are available in both English and Mandarin. Rev Tan taps on his experiences as pastoral advisor for the Men’s Ministry Network in Singapore and former Chaplain for Focus on the Family Singapore to offer wisdom on leaving a lasting legacy by building a Christ-centered family. 

Readers have appreciated that Rev Tan “talks about difficult moments in his marriage, as well as raising his two children”.

May all the gifts that we give during this season help us glimpse our Father’s heart for our families, and grasp the price that He paid to call each of us His own (1 John 3:1-2).