Dreaming of a Red and White Christmas – in Singapore
If you haven’t already, it’s time to get into that ho-ho-holiday spirit folks! Christmas is just around the corner and we bet that you are just a bit stressed about your parents-in-law coming to Singapore to celebrate this jolly season! (Yikes, we are!) Ours are arriving from cold and snowy Europe and we know that they are longing for a tropical Christmas this year. What better way to welcome them to our lush, beautiful island, than a red and white theme for our lavish dinner table?
Let’s start with a crisp white tablecloth (make sure to iron it thoroughly so that dear mother- in-law won’t make any remarks!) and dust off your very best china! At Straits Canopy we just love to use the old silverware that Grandma left us, as it certainly adds a charming elegance to our table. Make sure to use your white linen napkins and instead of a store bought napkin ring, why not bring in nature? We will tie up our napkins with a fresh frangipani flower and a spruce twig! And how to add that pop of colour to our wine glasses then? Why, just tie a red ribbon on your red wine glass and a white ribbon on your white wine glass- we promise that this will come in handy after a few drinks, when it might be a bit problematic to remember what wine goes in which glass…
Our centrepiece will be quite a mixture of flowers. Pick up some oasis floral foam and different flowers at a nursery-garden (we often head to Far East Flora) and get creative! Use your imagination as anything goes! This year Straits Canopy will be using pointsettas, red and white amaryllis, lots of eucalyptus and why not some orchids and lotus root (flower) for that Asian touch? Spread some fresh cranberries, cinnamon sticks and star anise around it for some Christmas fragrance! And if that won’t do the works, scented candles can help you out as well. We are very fond of “Mistletoe” from Yankee Candle and plenty of candles is simply a must!
In our fruit bowl we will have sugar coated snow-apples and oranges decorated with whole cloves. This is a fun and easy activity for the little ones. All you need is red beautiful apples, egg white and caster sugar. Brush the apples with the egg white and roll them in the sugar and let dry. Stunning!
Whole cloves can be quite tricky to insert for tiny fingers, so we suggest that you poach holes in a nice pattern in the oranges first and then let the kids finish the job! Smells divine!
Now, last but not the least for that perfect table setting -make sure to surround yourself with people who makes you laugh and nurtures your soul! There you go dear mother-in-law, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… in Singapore!
Written by Caroline Jarl
