Going Big at Christmas!

Decorating the house for Christmas? Christmas décor and trees take centre stage this time of year at the Watten Estate home of British expat MICHELLE JONES. We take a look!

Tell us a bit about yourself and your Singapore journey so far.

In 2011, I had been living happily for four years in Dubai and Muscat, but I was starting to get stressed I might miss my opportunity to get married and have a family. I went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and prayed, and within days I knew in my heart that I needed to make the move to Singapore and that my husband was there!

So, I lined up a job in a local medical group (to this day, I still use all of the amazing doctors I met during that time) and made the move. I met my husband at the gym on Orchard Road six months later, and married him a year after that. We had all three of our children here.

I get quite emotional when I think about ever leaving Singapore – everything good that ever happened to me, happened to me here! I love how safe it is, I love the people, the sunshine (I even love the warm, “fat” rain), how green and beautiful it is, how much there is to do. I’ve been PR here now for almost 10 years.

Where have you lived on the island?

I first had a little studio in the CBD, not far from Lau Pa Sat. My husband had a condo at Haw Par Villa and I moved in with him in the early days, but once we had our first child we really wanted to move to a black-and-white for the space and the garden – we made so many memories in a gorgeous house in Alexandra Park. We then spent a few years in Texas from 2020, and when we moved back we were lucky enough to get this Watten Estate black-and-white when it came up.

We love your home! Tell us more about it.

It’s unique as far as black-and-whites go because of the gorgeous Dutch-gabled roof. It was designed by the same architect behind the Fullerton Hotel. Some heritage homes have a difficult labyrinth-style layout, but ours is really practical. It has two storeys, five bedrooms and a large garden that we love – the kids are always out there and it makes things easier with the dogs.

A few months ago, someone put a card through the door, saying they had grown up in this house 40 years ago. He shared with us some beautiful family memories and also some history of the house – in the days before the PIE and condos, when they had horses in the garden and could ride to the old turf club. He told us there was an old World War II bunker in the jungle behind our house when they moved in, and how it was one of the last strongholds of the Japanese during their occupation – a high-ranking official stayed here. Also, he mentioned that Queen Elizabeth stayed here for a couple of months as a young child.

I don’t know how historically accurate any of this is, but I love the Royal Family, and that story of a little Princess Elizabeth staying here has cemented my love for the house!

Where do you source your furniture and décor?

We have houses in Bali and Lombok, and I was so impressed with the quality of the furniture we bought to kit out our Indonesian homes, that most of our furniture for Singapore has been custom made in Bali and shipped over. I also got a few pieces from Originals and Curio Home.

What are three of your favourite items in the house?

I take a Christmas photo of the kids every year – I use Junko at MamaRazzi (mamarazzi.sg) – and when our third and youngest son Joshie was born just in time for a Nativity-themed photo, I outdid myself. I was so happy with the photo, I had it enlarged onto a huge canvas and my favourite framer (Framing Angie at Holland Village) did such a great job with the frame – it’s hung pride of place as you walk in. My husband thinks it looks like something Pablo Escobar would have had made, but the Narcos vibe just makes me love it more!

Our family bed was custom-made in Bali when the two oldest kids were little, and there was no space when we were getting into our bed every night! It’s four metres wide and completely ridiculous, but I love it. Heveya made me a great custom mattress for it.

We bought an Eternity Mirror with a built-in light feature and rock crystal from Curio Home at Dempsey. The illuminated crystal feels magical – like Narnia; like you could step into it.

Your home looks incredibly festive! Tell us about your Christmas decorating.

We came downstairs one morning and the kids found that our elves had built us a ten-foot-tall Santa; we still don’t know how they did it! We spent a few years in Texas over COVID, and the Christmas décor there is next level – Americans do such a good job decorating their homes for the holidays, I am forever changed! I buy a lot from Pottery Barn – I wish they shipped to Singapore, but Singapore’s US forwarding service, V-Post, has never let me down! I missed having a fireplace to hang our stockings on after the US, so I had a stunt fireplace made by a local carpenter when we got back to Singapore. We use it as a bookcase the rest of the year.

Mariah Carey launched her own range of Christmas décor last year with everything from snow globes to festive welcome mats – I have been obsessed with Mariah since 1993, so obviously I’ve got one of everything!

Locally, I love Tangs for Christmas décor – I like that they stock a lot of Christian ornaments. I bought our driftwood Holy Family nativity figures there around 12 years ago and they are so special to me. I also visit the festive pop-up at Paragon’s ground floor every year – I pick up garlands, lights and ornaments every year to refresh our collection!

Christmas trees: are you in the real or fake camp and why?

I have around a dozen fake trees for the entryway and dining room – Texas made me do it! But for me, nothing beats a real tree – we never had a real one growing up. I have five little sisters and I think the falling pine needles in the carpet would have pushed my poor mother over the edge! I always have a 10-foot Nordmann fir – I buy from Candy Floriculture. My rule is it has to touch the ceiling once the angel is on! I want the kids to smell Christmas trees when they’re older and feel a fuzzy warm nostalgia around their childhood Christmases in Singapore. This year, I’ve added a second real tree to the master bedroom because I want the kids to wake up to the smell.

What do you love about Christmas?

I am Christian, and can’t help but reflect on the real meaning of Christmas with a grateful heart – the miracle of Jesus’s birth as the first victory in God’s plan for our salvation. I have a lot of Nativity sets and décor, and we read the Christmas story together to remember the reason for the season! There are some lovely nativity movies we watch every year too – I love The Star.

I saw a cheesy quote on Instagram a few years ago: “As a grown-up, I’ve learned that all the Christmas magic I felt as a kid was really a mom who loved me so very much.” Once we become parents, making it special for the kids is really what it’s all about – I look at my friends and we are all as exhausted as each other with “the elves” and their antics! We build gingerbread houses, decorate ornaments and Christmas cookies, and watch Christmas movies. The kids and I love the Christmas lights at Orchard, MBS’s décor is always brilliant, and we have been regular visitors to the “snow” at Tanglin Mall for years.

I also love that Christmas is another opportunity for me to be completely unhinged for Mariah Carey and her Christmas albums, books, movies and TV specials. It’s the only time my husband allows me to display my life-size Mariah cut-out!

What would be your ideal Christmas?

I lost my Gramps a few years ago, and I learned the painful lesson to make all of the family memories that we can, when we can! My ideal Christmas is all the chaos of grandparents, aunties, uncles and cousins together. If I’m being greedy, I do love our Singapore Christmases, but there is a part of me that would love to experience my first White Christmas – snowflakes falling outside and a big log fire. Unlikely to happen on the equator though…

Do you follow any special Christmas traditions?

We decorate the tree together in matching festive PJs mid-November, watch Christmas movies and have a big Christmas party every year (“The Jo-hohoho-nes’ Christmas Party”) where we invite everyone we know. Santa and Rudolph come out to dance in the “snow” produced by the industrial snow machine I ordered from China! I also like to go to church for advent services (St George’s), and to the Christmas concert for the carolling.

Who do you usually spend Christmas Day with, and where?

In Singapore with my husband’s parents and sister – the kids love their grandparents and aunt so much. Expats can all share how difficult it is being so far from family, especially ageing family, so it’s really a blessing that we all get to spend Christmas together and they’re still able to travel to us.

Favourite thing about living in Singapore?

Taking a boat out to the Southern Islands (Lazarus and St John’s) and anchoring in the bay so the kids can play in the soft sand and swim in the sea – sometimes we see turtles, monkeys and otters; it’s dreamy. On the way back, we sail past the iconic Singapore skyline, and I still pinch myself. I always tell the kids how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful city.

What do you do for fun (that’s printable!)?

I’m having a bit of a midlife crisis at the moment – inspired by my daughter Jolie’s progress in ballet, I have restarted my own ballet journey after 28 years off! I’m having private lessons with an incredible Singaporean ballerina. Jaime is only 20 years old and she dances so beautifully – I’m in awe of how patient she is with me, as I’m quite terrible. But the slow progress I’m making has given me so much joy.

Any trips on your bucket list?

We’ve been building our beach house in Lombok for the last 62 years (not really, but it feels like it!). The construction is due to complete soon, and we’re looking forward to returning there with my sisters’ families so all 11 cousins can be together – we had to design a house with nine bedrooms just to fit everyone in! It’s always been a dream of mine to have a house where I could step straight out onto the sand, and the kids have added a water slide and the husband a Padel court – we really did design our family’s dream home and I’m so excited to see it finished!

Recommendations:

Furniture & Décor

• Originals | originals.com.sg
• Island Living | islandliving.sg
• Curio Home | curiohome.com

Schools

• Stamford American International School | sais.edu.sg
• Rain Trees International Kindergarten | raintreeskindergarten.com
• Tanglin Trust School | tts.edu.sg

Health, Hair & Beauty

• Singapore Aesthetic Centre – Dr Yeak | sgac.com.sg
• The Dental Studio – Dr Lynette Ng | dentalstudio.sg
• Child Smile – Dr Terry Teo | childsmile.sg
• SHS Hair Salon at Forum | shs-studio.com

Fashion

• She Creates Stories | shecreatesstories.com
• Appolonia Online | apolloniaonline.com

Restaurants, Cafés & Bars

• Nobu Singapore | noburestaurants.com/singapore
• Café Beviamo | caffebeviamo.com.sg
• North Miznon | northmiznonsg.com
• Sunday Roasts at Windsor Arms (The British Club) | britishclub.org.sg

Airlines & Hotels

• Singapore Airlines | singaporeair.com
• Villa JOJU Bali | villajoju.com
• JOJU Beach House | IG @jojulombok
• Jo at Alchemist Travel | alchemisttravel.com

This article first appeared in the December 2025 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase the latest issue or subscribe so you never miss a copy!