Each year, it is heartwarming hearing about people who make it a point to rush home to celebrate the Lunar New Year with their loved ones and relatives.

It doesn’t matter whether the train, flight, boat or coach is full. They make their best alternative effort to be HOME.

Then, when we hear about how some cannot make their way home, ”STRANDED” due to bad weather or cancelled transportation or job needs, I can sincerely feel the disappointment in them.

There were a number of years when I had to live in anxiety that Papa Ed might not be able to make it home timely to celebrate the Lunar New Year with us. Be it due to fully booked flights, packed train or unreasonable boss that made him work till the wee hours.

Then I recall 1 year  when we had to spend Lunar New Year miserably without Papa Ed’s presence.

I can truly appreciate the PRESENCE of our loved ones during this important Chinese Festival.  Somehow, the PRESENCE of our loved ones means so much more during the Lunar New Year.

As I have close relatives living overseas like my grandpa in Hong Kong and Mother-in-Law in the States, sometimes being able to celebrate with them means forgoing the opportunity to celebrate with my other loved ones in Singapore.

Like 3 years ago, when I managed to be there in Hong Kong with my grandpa but my parents were not able to come along.

I am sure those with loved ones or family overseas will be able to relate to my feelings…

 Me and Boys taken on Lunar New Year Day 1 (yesterday) while we were visiting

Spending time together as a family and with our loved ones during the Lunar New Year should not be taken for granted. It is an effort that we need to reinforce in  ourselves.

If you are vacationing during the Lunar New Year, bring your close relatives along. There are 15 days for visiting in the Lunar New Year and there should be ample time visiting relatives after that.

 This year, we have decided to do more visiting. Not to collect Hong Baos of course :)

I was discussing with Papa Ed. Lunar New Year is a time when we catch up with our relatives, when our young ones get to know their cousins better and to remind ourselves of the olden traditions.

Our kids will soon forgo the traditions if we don’t practise them, and it is a time to enable them to know our relative network and also I çan’t imagine if one day our kids are in the same school as their cousins/relatives and they are not even aware!

BTW, here is Darren in his rabbit mask at my parents’ house during Lunar New Year Eve Re-union Dinner (he made it himself in school) and he is considering wearing it for his house visiting. He is like a hopping rabbit…hopping from house to house *haha*.

Combined, Papa Ed and I have many cousins, uncles, aunties in Singapore.  With a 4-day long Lunar New year break, we may not have time or opportunity to visit all but I am sure we have all the time to catch up with many in our CLAN :)

We are making an effort this year since Papa Ed is able to commit the time too :)

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