Every Christmas, millions of people fly home to be with their families. This year however, it will be a Christmas like no other as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on around the world.
Using innovative technology, families and friends will be able to connect with one another even if they are physically miles apart. They will be able to reminisce about past Christmases spent together and look forward to future celebrations.
Check out our special edition of “Blast from the Past”, as we showcase our favourite shared memories of past Christmas celebrations in Singapore, such as the annual light-up on Orchard Road, Christmas parties and ceremonies.
Audiovisual Recordings
1. News (23/11/1986)
Date: 1986
Acc No. 1987000054
Mediacorp Pte Ltd, courtesy of the National Archives of Singapore
‘Christmas at the Equator’ was the theme of the annual Orchard Road light-up in 1986. Join the crowds soaking in the Christmas spirit, and find out which landmark was named the ‘Best Decorated Building’ that year.
2. Christmas Light-up
Date: 1994
Acc No. 1998001535
Singapore Tourism Board, courtesy of the National Archives of Singapore
Take a trip down memory lane! In this silent footage from 1994, admire the Christmas lights and decorations along Orchard Road, featuring past landmarks like the Crown Prince Hotel and the Specialists’ Shopping Centre.
3. News 5 Tonight (15/11/2008)
Date: 2008
Acc No. 2006003087
Mediacorp Pte Ltd, courtesy of the National Archives of Singapore
The 25th edition of the Orchard Road Christmas light-up took place in 2008. Dubbed ‘A Sweet Christmas’, the milestone was celebrated with giant cupcakes, candy canes and gingerbread houses lining the entire stretch of Orchard Road.
Photographs
1. Christmas decorations outside The Specialists’ Shopping Centre along Orchard Road in 1985, inspired by the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT). This was a period when the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) was just starting out.
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of the National Archives of Singapore
2. Christmas light up at Wisma Atria, Orchard Road in 1986
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of the National Archives of Singapore
3. Christmas light-up at the junction of Orchard Road and Scotts Road
Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection, courtesy of the National Archives of Singapore
Oral History Interviews
1. Oral History Interview with Marie Ethel Bong, Former Principal of Katong Convent
Acc No. 1390
The spectacle of the Christmas midnight mass celebration
2. Oral History Interview with Ronald Hubert Barth, Former Operator and Telecoms Traffic Representative
Acc No. 394
Visiting relatives and festive food eaten only during Christmas
3. Oral History Interview with Mabel Martens, Former Stenographer
Acc No. 388
Christmas shopping at Robinsons, John Little, and Whiteaway Laidlaw
Declassified Government Files
1. Children’s Social Centres -Christmas Parties
Period: 09/12/1953 - 26/11/1957
File Reference: SWD 323-53
Creating agency: Social Welfare Department
This file was about the planning and arrangements made for the annual Christmas parties for the Children's centres from 1953-56. The enclosures dealt with matters such as donations, food items, entertainment, programme, logistic arrangements, and the invitations and thank you notes.