Retiree, 69, brings Christmas cheer to Dover community
SINGAPORE — It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas for residents at Block 28D of Dover Crescent — all thanks to the festive decorations put up by retiree Mark Tham, on the block’s 19th floor corridor.
Visitors who take the elevator to the 19th floor are greeted by Santa Claus, reindeer and snow man figurines. Boxed presents line the floor and hanging on the ceiling are dozens of paper angels and plastic jingle bells.
Christmas carols play softly in the background — an added touch by Mr Tham to ring in the Yuletide joy.
“The purpose is to bring in the spirit of Christmas and, at the same time, encourage neighbourhood bonding,” said the 69-year-old, who had a 40-year career in the hotel industry. “I want to revive a ‘lost’ kampung spirit too.”
He added: “It’s rare, nowadays, for neighbours to talk to each other. We hardly know about each other’s lives. I hope these decorations will bring people out of their houses and create conversations like in the past.”
Mr Tham has been putting up decorations for Chinese New Year and Christmas since he moved into his flat seven years ago.
For this year’s decorations, he spent about three weeks scouting for materials such as plywood and Christmas stockings, sawing and drawing the characters and assembling the decorations according to his initial blueprint.
Mr Tham, who now works part-time tending a canteen stall at Queensway Secondary School, said he has “a little more time on his hands” now that it is the school holidays.
The materials cost him “several hundred dollars” but Mr Tham says that “he doesn’t keep track of the cost closely”.
He also recycles materials so as to be environmentally friendly.
“For example, for the Christmas tree, it was a straight cut before. But this year, I cut (the jagged ends) in to give the tree a fresher look,” explained Mr Tham.
In the true spirit of bringing a community together, Mr Tham’s neighbours also pitch in. One of them, a botanist, contributed pointsettias. Another decided to add boxes of chocolates to the decorative stash of gifts.
Neighbour Ms Claire Chen, who lives next door to Mr Tham, said: “I think it is very nice gesture, not everyone is willing to put in the effort to spend money, and the effort to make the place look so nice. It’s not just for Christmas, (he also does it) for Chinese New Year.”
The 18-year-old Temasek Polytechnic student added: “Some residents actually drop by and take pictures. If (Mr Tham) is around they will chat with him and ask him how he (decorated the place).”
But these decorations do get vandalised from time to time.
For example, less than two weeks after they were put up, his frost snow spray designs had already been smeared. But Mr Tham shrugged it off, saying that they are easily replaceable.
“Most people are considerate and they don’t tamper with the decorations,” he said.
The Christmas decorations will be put up until the second week of January, said Mr Tham, who is already working on next year’s Chinese New Year decorations and eager to usher in the Year of the Dog.
“I have big plans for Chinese New Year,” said Mr Tham, hinting that the installations will include paw prints that trail from the lift door to the common corridor.
