The festive season is about to begin in Singapore with Deepavali (Diwali) in November, Christmas in December, New Year in January and the Lunar New Year in February. Every festival has its unique characteristics.
I always enjoyed being invited to celebrate Deepavali and Chinese New Year with my colleagues in their homes in my younger days. There was always a constant stream of guests arriving throughout the day. We were always too many to fit around a table, but there was no problem sitting on the floor. We enjoyed festive food cooked by the mother of the family and other family members. It was such a treat. We have all grown older and so have our mothers. It is hard to keep the same traditions going when the cooking skills have not been passed on to the younger generation.
Recently, Homskil received a request to conduct a course on hosting. It is a new area of interest, so we are excited to offer a new programme on hosting in 2027. Hosting a celebration at home involves more that offering a good meal, it involves offering hospitality and the warmth of a home. Each culture has its own style, customs and dining etiquette.
When I was a young professional in the corporate world, my boss asked me to organise a Christmas lunch for clients. I thought it would be an easy task. I went looking for a good Peranakan caterer. I found one that had good reviews. I thought I had done a good job. But on the day of the Christmas lunch, when the caterers arrived with the buffet lunch and pink plastic tablecloths my boss was visibly upset. “Pink plastic tablecloths?” was all that she said. It meant that she was totally disappointed and embarrassed. It was, of course, my fault for assuming that the caterers would provide proper tablecloths and table skirtings like those at hotel functions. There was nothing I could do as guests were due to arrive. I was nervous throughout the lunch, but since the food was good, the general impression was that the lunch went well. The peranakan buffet was a change from the usual turkey and baked ham buffets. I will never forget my boss’ look of disappointment. I realised that being a lady, she had high expectations when it came to presentation. Elegance and style mattered as much as good cuisine.
We are looking forward to 2027 when we will be offering new courses, like the one on hosting celebrations at home. This year we have been running Homskil’s Homemaking 101 courses for young brides-to-be. I attended the wedding of one of the participants last week. Her husband is very lucky because she is a good cook, and she enjoys cooking for the family. She was very grateful for the homemaking course, because she realised that there is so much more to homemaking than cooking.
Our greatest joy at Homskil is being able to contribute to creating happy homes.
We are including some photos of festive dishes to give you some inspiration for planning celebrations at home this festive season.
Happy menu planning.
By Chayo, Homskil Editor 1, 6 November 2026
