5 Things You Need This Christmas!

You may remember a collaboration I did with Floral Garage earlier this year. I am proud to say that this year they have developed another mew subsidiary, Christmas Tree Singapore. And so, they actually a mini survey find out who spend most during Christmas and what we spend on the most during Christmas. Yikes. Curious about the research? You can find them here.

It is kinda of early for Christmas, but the retailers spend a lot of their resources to find out our behavior! United Overseas Bank came up with an infographic using their statistics to show what most men and women want and want to give for Christmas.

I think I agree with most of the findings. Personally, I am quite practical so my family and BF get me things I would need and use for Christmas. I do like surprises but this usually come from friends. Haha and of course there are always time where it more of a shock like what on earth was this person thinking when he/she bought this...

But, I do spend a lot more than that for Christmas cos we don't really celebrate thanksgiving so it is the only time in the year where you can show appreciation to those around you and they don't question you about your niceness. :D 

But it does seems that most consumers indeed spend the most on themselves, and on house decorations! This is not really surprising at all because:-

1. Everyone wants to celebrate Christmas in beautiful atmosphere. I am not Christian but even my house has a Christmas Tree. My family take it as a day where we can gift each other expensive presents and gather together.


2. My Dad takes a lot of pride in making sure the tree looks great every Christmas. When we were younger, we would handmade the deco. Our tree doesn't have a specific theme, we would just hang anything happy on it. So as the years go by, our tree become over-decorated. Wonder what would happen when I have kids, we may never see leaves. LOL!


3. I am quite Instagram crazy and I sure many of you are too right. So there is some feel good factor when we receive compliments because of the beautiful decorations and the effort we put in to make our tree really special!

Here are some items I consolidated which you would need this Christmas to effectively create the festive mood!

1. Christmas Trees 

The number one must-have during Christmas - tree. In countries that experience winter, families often purchase real life Christmas Trees. Most of us have only synthetic tree at home because the type of climate that Singapore has would not be suitable for a real life Christmas Tree at all.  Despite the fact Christmas Trees signify life in the midst of winter, they would never survive the long ride here. :(

Fake trees work well for us cos we don't really want to sweep their needles. Moreover, due to commercial reasons, such real life trees are constantly treated with pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers which may be quite health issue. Bleh!

2. Baubles 

I am pretty sure nobody wants the trees to look bald. Baubles are actually meant to replicate the fruits on your tree. Guess that's probably why red baubles are the most popular!

3. Christmas Lights

One of my favourite decorations is the christmas lights. I always look forward to the lighting up of Christmas trees overseas. It is so magical. Some of you may like to purchase trees that come with attached light bulbs but do you know they are often not replaceable should any of light bulb blows! I do recommend the conventional method of lighting up your own tree because there is really more room for customisation and most importantly, it is incredibly fun!

4. Wreaths

Wreaths are made in a circular fashion to signify eternity. It is believed that the a long time ago, the Romans exchanged wreaths with each other as a sign of wishing good health. Today, in modern culture, families still hang wreaths at their front doors. I don't have one of these at home. But wreaths are one deco that signifies Christmas. Maybe this year, I will have one too :D

5. Stockings 

The original significance of hanging a Christmas Stocking out on Christmas Eve was so that Santa Claus would be able to fill it with small toys or gifts. Singapore never really had chimneys to begin with and as we grow up, we slowly realised that Santa Claus never really came (cos we are too naughty) but our parents would make sure our stockings are stuff full. Gone are my days of naivety, but leave your stockings up cos I am sure someone out there would want to fatten it with a thing or 2. 

Do plan early for Christmas if you are planning to have the most awesome tree in town. I hope you can support Christmas Tree Singapore because they are local and I write a lot for them. So you are indirectly supporting me if you support them. 

Floral Garage has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success ever since its founding two years ago. From its humble beginnings operating in a HDB unit in Toa Payoh, they have now cquired a physical operation space in Upper Serangoon and a warehouse in Jln Pemimpin. So of course, I hope Christmas Tree Singapore will share the same success.

We will have more surprises next week so stay tune!!!

Volunteers Needed: Flag Day for Animal Lovers League

Remember my last post on volunteerism, for any of you who love animals, Animal Lovers League (ALL) are desperately in need of volunteers to raise awareness for their flag day on 30 Oct 16.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Animal Lovers League is a non-profit and no-kill animal shelter. Located at 61 Pasir Ris Farmway 3, this shelter is a place to call home for more than 700 cats and dogs who were either abandoned, or strays that were once abused.

At Animal Lovers League, these animals are assured that with a shelter, meals and much love for the volunteers as they live out for the rest of their lives. Nonetheless, each animal still hope they can one day find that special owner and be taken in by an accepting family. 

Sadly like most shelters, Animal Lovers League faces financial debts. Most of the aging dogs or rescues often face health issues that require urgent and immediate medical attention. Their monthly rental amounts up to S$22,000.00, and they owe their veterinary clinic more than S$30,000.00.

Animal Lovers League relies solely on donations to defray their expenses. On 30 October 2016, we will be having their very first flag day. The supplies have been generously sponsored by Floral Garage Singapore and their new subsidiary, Christmas Tree Singapore. However, we are still very lacking of volunteers. If you would be keen to do some good, you may register your interest here!

Every individual counts. You can know more about Animal Lovers League at their Facebook Page. To to be convinced on the merits of adopting if you are planning to get a pet, read this page.

** All my photos are taken from Animal Lovers League's Facebook Page. 

Floral Garage Singapore: Flowers for Mum

Women always seem to have a thing for flowers no matter how old they are. Yeap, it was my Mum's birthday recently and so I thought why not give her a floral surprise!!! My Dad was rather un-involved apart from attempting to make sure she is home in time. So Bro picked the flowers and I penned the message on our family's behalf. HAHAHA

This is called teamwork! We got our flowers from Floral Garage Singapore which had a super huge selection. Thank god, their website was quite easy to navigate. You can pick based on your budget and the flower type etc. 

Surprise being surprises had lots of flops on its way. We picked quite a late delivery time (later than their norm) to ensure every one is home. Thanks to Floral Garage Singapore for accomodating! But still my brother had some last minute project work. So we were home even later. And our flower got delivered to my neighbour. Ooops. Haha, in the end had to walk over to collect and my Mum was like in the background screeching "WHY ARE YOU DISTURBING YOUR NEIGHBOUR SO LATE AT NIGHT!"

If you noticed, the card in our message was handwritten cos the typing machine broke down. 祸还真的不单行！Misery really love company doesn't it! But cos my mum was so overwhelmed with joy, she didn't even notice the tiny flops. LOL! That's the great thing about surprises. Nobody notices they tiny errors along the way.

And Mum being mums initially wanted to know the price and scold us on it. Halfway, she decided what done cannot be undone and happily went to change her clothes to take photos instead... Like LOL! I created trouble for myself and had to be her personal photographer looking for nice spots around the house for her to take her photos. Lol!

My Dad just looked along-side jealously. Did we just set a new standard!!! Lol! But to be rather honest, fathers are less celebrated than mothers. Just think of Father's Day versus Mother's Day!! Life is never fair and will never be fair!

Halfway through, my Dad decided enough is enough. He wanted photos too. So we my brother and I re-created those wedding photos poses! LOL! where they stare awkwardly at each other. My Mum insisted my Dad was making funny faces. My Dad just growled at her to get it done and over with and to be more professional HAHAHA!

We ended the day taking family photo instead. Had to rotate here and there to take the best shots cos my Dad claimed that his arm is too short to take wefies (-.-) WHY IS MY FAMILY SO LAME!!!!

Sharing more about Floral Garage Singapore, do quote "ForFunk" to get additional 10% off your bouquet!! Because I have dumb friends on instagram who needs link before they know how to buy, here's lotsa links for you. HAHAHA! The flowers here are really quite affordable.

If you are looking for cheap bouquets, less than $30, do check out the freestyle bouquet! Valentine Day prices differ of course! With my additional 10% off, more cost savings can be made. Also you can also get flower stands for corporate. 10% off to that as well. Shiok or what!