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Festive holidays are a time for bonding and cherishing those around you, and one Tampines resident certainly went above and beyond to show his neighbours his appreciation.

Red and gold

Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman is the man behind the decorations festooning the corridor of Block 117 Tampines Street 11.

Step out of the lift, and you are greeted with Chinese New Year couplets and decorations in the theme of the Year of the Tiger.

A pussy willow plant has even been set up in one corner to transform it into a cosy nook with a view.

The corridor has been spruced up with small lanterns and fairy lights throughout its length, with residents' doorways decked out in red and gold decorations as well.

Gesture of gratitude

Abdullah is no stranger to decorating for the holiday.

He did the same in 2021, and decorated the area as a gesture of gratitude to his neighbours — they had helped water his plants and clean the corridor when he did not stay at his flat for a period of time after his father passed away.

Additionally, as many of his neighbours are elderly and the 37-year-old is younger and considers himself more sprightly, Abdullah took upon himself the slightly more tedious task of putting up the decorations.

By making the area more cozy and festive, Abdullah hopes to thank his neighbours for the homely kampung-like environment they have created.

This year, the set-up is much more "grand", he told Mothership.

And in line with the tiger theme, he has placed more plants to mimic the habitat of a tiger.

A pineapple light display (an "ong lai", as he has learnt) was placed in the corridor to bring his neighbours prosperity and luck as well.

Recycled some decorations

It took him around two weeks to put up the decorations, with the help of some neighbours who translated the Mandarin words for him.

In total, the items cost him around S$200.

Some of the pieces were recycled from the previous year, and another neighbour chipped in some cash as well.

Last year, buying the decorations earned Abdullah some curious remarks, as an atypical customer.

A shopkeeper had asked him: "You Malay can do ah?"

To which he responded: "'Why cannot do?' I say. Nothing wrong, this is all culture, not religion."

Upon hearing more about his endeavour though, most shopkeepers reacted with happiness, and some even gave him decorations for free.

"Doesn't mean that Chinese can only do for Chinese New Year, Malay can only do for Hari Raya, Indian can only do for Deepavali," he said.

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Top photo courtesy of Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman