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Private housing residents in Yio Chu Kang pooled some S$50,000 to decorate the streets to rival the Christmas light-up in Orchard.
A taxi driver tipped Shin Min Daily News off about the the well-lit and decked out streets, which consisted of reindeers, Santa Claus, snowman decorations, and Christmas trees.
The decorations extend to four streets: Seletar Green Avenue, Luxus Hill Avenue, Seletar Green View, and Seletar Green Walk.
Three years and running
The coordinator of the decorations is a 52-year-old resident, only identified by his surname Lee.
He let on that decorating the streets have been a tradition that has been occurring for the past three years.
Got residents to chip in
Over the years, Lee rallied the support of other residents, which eventually culminated in the buy-in of some 400 households in the area who chipped in to get the Christmas decorations set up.
"We went from two streets to four streets, with some eight groups of residents overseeing the decorations. Each street has a person-in-charge overseeing the decorations," he explained.
Private housing residents in Yio Chu Kang pooled some S$50,000 to decorate the streets to rival the Christmas light-up in Orchard.
A taxi driver tipped Shin Min Daily News off about the the well-lit and decked out streets, which consisted of reindeers, Santa Claus, snowman decorations, and Christmas trees.
Each family used to contribute about S$260 to purchase the decorations, but due to a surge in the number of residents who want to be part of the initiative, the cost is less than S$200 now.
The S$50,000 cost includes setting up the decorations and its insurance.
The decorations rely on electricity supplied by just four households in the private estate.
Each family providing electricity contribute only S$20 for the decorations.
As a matter of fairness, households that belong to other religious groups only pay half of the full amount to contribute to the light-up.
A 19-year-old resident in the area said the light-up provides a feeling of warmth and maintains the kampung spirit among those who live there.
Lee said:
"I used to live in a condominium and realised that neighbours often closed their doors [without speaking to one another].
I hope the kampung spirit will be cultivated among the residents here, and that younger people will be part of it too."
https://mothership.sg/2022/12/seletar-christmas-deco-residents-pay/
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