Instead of making lanterns out of hong baos — as some of us would during Chinese New Year — arrange the leftover red packets into a wall mural (“I Heart SG”). Or pop your Deepavali tea lights into red glass holders — go the extra mile and paint the oil lamps red.

Red paper napkins and white plates go a long way to getting people in the NDP mood. Make it extra special by decorating the dining table with flowers (red and white, of course!) and even having colour-coordinated nibbles, such as red sambal belachan, unwrapped ketupat or red ang ku kueh. To cool off, make red-and-white ice pops for dessert.

Fun ideas include recreating the Singapore skyline with construction paper, or making your own stars-and-crescent-moon bunting. Get the young ones to write their wishes for Singapore on each star before hanging the finished artwork up to admire.

In a sign of solidarity and resilience, Singaporeans have been displaying the national flag during the COVID-19 pandemic. Continue this act of unity through to National Day and beyond. Better still, fire up your neighbourhood WhatsApp group and get everyone on board to create a block façade with as many flags as possible. Don’t forget to take a snapshot and hashtag #NDP2020 and #TogetherStrongerSG on social media.