Already shopping for CNY decor for the upcoming festive season? There’s a place in Singapore where you can get handmade festive decor and ornaments, but they’re not just handmade, they’re crafted by a group of seniors. You might have seen the viral TikTok videos of these seniors at an elder care centre in Singapore:
@sherlyn_carer Here’s our full set of CNY collectibles for 2026! #cny #chinesenewyear #2026
These lovable seniors are from Carer, an eldercare centre and activity club in Singapore dedicated to “making eldercare fun” by offering more unique activities for seniors to participate in, especially to keep them active and improve dexterity. One such activity is the making of various ornamental handicrafts: like Jellycat-inspired mandarin oranges, pineapples and flower vases for the festive season. The quirky items are made from colourful pipe cleaners, and the seniors are responsible for folding and shaping the pipe cleaners to form the designs.
We paid a visit to the seniors at Carer, and found them all gathered together, hard at work making the ornaments for all their CNY preorders. Their most popular item, and also a hot favourite of all the seniors at the centre, are the Handmade Oranges (from $38/pair), as they represent good luck and auspicious wishes for the festive season. The oranges feature adorable Jellycat-inspired faces and are also wrapped in mesh, just like actual fruits you buy from the market. Another favourite for CNY is the Handmade Pineapple ($98), which of course, symbolises fortune and prosperity.
The handmade items are actually pretty hefty, as the inside is made with clay, so they’re able to stand on their own as a decor piece. Each item is a labour of love, taking nearly an hour to complete from start to finish: from moulding and drying the clay, shaping all the elements from pipe cleaners and hot glueing them together. When we asked if they enjoyed making these crafts from scratch, we were met with a resounding “yes” from all the seniors; “We enjoy making these because they keep us active and improve our creativity.”, says one senior.
Handmade Oranges, $38/pair; $148/carton of 8
Handmade Prosperity Flower Vase, $188
Handmade Pineapple, $98 each
For the upcoming CNY season, they’ve launched a series of 3 festive handmade ornaments:
- Oranges ($38/pair; $148/carton)
- Pineapple ($98 each)
- Prosperity Flower Vase ($188)
What’s coming up next? The seniors at Carer aren’t just stopping at CNY-themed items, we heard that they’ll also be making more unique gifting items for Valentine’s Day and Hari Raya Puasa—like roses and ketupat too. As the centre is fully self-funded, all sales from these handmade crafts go towards sustaining operational costs of the center, and funding more activities for the seniors.
The seniors’ handmade goods can be purchased via their online website here; though we’re told that pre-orders for the CNY collection have just closed. But fret not: you’ll still have one final chance to get these CNY-themed gifts in time for the festive season. The seniors will be hosting a pop-up booth at Raffles Xchange from 9th to 13th February 2026, 11am to 7pm. Otherwise, you can always catch the seniors in action on Instagram and TikTok as well.
Carer Singapore
