“You are precious. You are loved. You are not alone”: She wants to invite the weary and burdened to have A Different Christmas

Twenty years ago, Christmas Day for Toh Quan Mei arrived not with carols and bells, but with the steady beeping of machines in the ICU ward where her father lay. “Because of the surgeon’s mistake during a mini surgery on my father, which we thought would be a simple and uncomplicated one, he never came […] The post “You are precious. You are loved. You are not alone”: She wants to invite the weary and burdened to have A Different Christmas appeared first on Salt&Light.

Religion Dec 13, 2025 0 6 Add to Reading List

Twenty years ago, Christmas Day for Toh Quan Mei arrived not with carols and bells, but with the steady beeping of machines in the ICU ward where her father lay.

“Because of the surgeon’s mistake during a mini surgery on my father, which we thought would be a simple and uncomplicated one, he never came home. I was 13 back then,” she told Salt&Light.

She remembers the deafening silence of the ICU, broken only by the hum of medical equipment. Her family brought a tiny CD player to play worship and Christmas songs – a small attempt to bring comfort into a room heavy with grief.

That Christmas marked her deeply.

“I was taught that Christmas is a joyous season – celebrating the birth of Christ, our Saviour, from whom we receive hope, peace, and joy. However, at that moment, and many years down the road, I couldn’t bring myself to celebrate Christmas without feeling a tinge of grief and emptiness,” she said.

Yet, in that paradoxical season of grief and hope, she discovered the true significance of Christmas.

“Joy to the world because of the birth of a Saviour – but also grief, knowing that He came to die for us. How powerful to know that the intertwined joy and grief we experience on earth today, Christ knows. And He still came.”

Rest for the weary

Last October, Quan Mei began feeling a stirring to bring comfort to others who, like her, find the festive season lonely and hard.

Unable to sleep one night, the song O Come, All You Unfaithful by Sovereign Grace Music kept playing in her mind – in particular the line: “Come, though you have nothing. Come, He is the offering. Come, know you are not alone.”

“That night, I was reminded that Christmas isn’t about perfection and pretending to be okay, but about coming as we are, empty-handed, weary-hearted, grieving, hurting, healing,” said Quan Mei, 33, a calligrapher and mixed media artist.

Suddenly, Matthew 11:28-30, a verse she had known since she was a child, felt like a comforting invitation: “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

She said: “Even in my worldly pain, Jesus is near. He’s with me. Jesus came especially for the ones who are hurting, who are tired, broken, grieving, hurting, and those who feel like they have nothing left to bring.”

From this encounter with God, the idea for A Different Christmas was birthed – a festive market and concert by Glory Presbyterian Church, which Quan Mei attends.

“We hope to bring a little warmth and comfort to whoever who comes, for them to walk out with peace and joy in their hearts, knowing that they are not alone in their struggles and hurts. Christ is here!”

Booths, craft, a prayer tree

A Different Christmas, which will be held on December 20 at the church’s premises in Bukit Timah, is intentionally crafted for the weary as much as the joyful.

Come To A Different Christmas will be held at Glory Presbyterian Church (9 Pei Wah Avenue), with the nearest MRT station being Beauty World.

Running from 3pm to 9pm, the Christmas market will feature a variety of food, game and Christian retail booths, as well as craft workshops like candle-making, acrylic baubles decorations and preserved flowers candle jars. There will also be a photo booth and some busking performances, including a ukulele ensemble by some domestic helpers from the Toh Yi estate, Quan Mei told Salt&Light.

An example of a craft that will be available during a workshop at the Christmas market.

Families can arrive between 3pm to 5pm, when there will be storytelling, craft opportunities and more game booths that cater to children of all ages.

In hopes to bring warmth and comfort, there will also be a Prayer Christmas Tree, where visitors can leave their prayer requests on a tree and take someone else’s to pray for them.

“We hope that even if people are not in the festive mood to enjoy the market activities, through the busking sessions and craft workshops, they will be able to experience the joy that Christmas brings,” said Quan Mei, who is in charge of the event.

The event mascot is “Boubou”, a Bougainvillea flower. “The bougainvillea flower symbolises endurance, warmth, as they thrive even in the toughest conditions. Boubou represents all of us, and the hope through Christ that sustains us and allows us to thrive and bloom wherever we are,” said Quan Mei.

Proceeds from the coupons sold at the Christmas market will go to Mindfull Community (formerly Caregiver Alliance Limited), which supports caregivers and care recipients living with mental health challenges, as well as Glory Presbyterian Church’s Love and Care Fund, which supports the financially needy.

A concert of refuge

At 7pm, the Christmas market will be paused to allow visitors to enjoy one of two free concerts – one for adults and one for children aged seven to 12.

Run by The Treasure Box Singapore, the children’s concert will feature a musical titled You are Precious. It is an adaptation of the book You are Special by Max Lucado, which tells the story of Punchinello, a wooden Wemmick who believes that he isn’t good enough because of what others say about him – until he meets the carpenter who made him. (Pre-registration is required.)

“We hope that children will know that they are precious and loved by their maker,” said Quan Mei.

Volunteers rehearsing for the concerts.

At the concert for adults, which will be held in Mandarin with English interpretation and subtitles, visitors will enjoy live performances, a sing-along session, personal testimonies and a Christmas message that invites them to come as they are, because Christ has been born for them.

“We hope the concert will provide a space for people to know that it is okay to come and put down their burdens and hurts,” said Quan Mei.

More rehearsals going on inside the church.

“To end off the night, we will have a mass carolling session as a blessing, and we pray that people will leave feeling more hopeful and peaceful, knowing that they are not alone in the midst of their struggles.”

Never alone

More than just an event, Quan Mei hopes that A Different Christmas will be a refuge for anyone who needs it.

“I hope that this Christmas event will provide a warm space where people don’t have to pretend they’re okay, and those who are hurting and not feeling so merry can simply come and experience the love, joy, peace, and hope that Christ brings,” she said.

“Most importantly, we hope to drive home a point that grief and joy can sit together in the same space. Christ experienced it, and will experience it together with us.

“You are precious, you are loved, you are not alone. Because Christ is born, for you.”