One of the joys of being bicultural is having double the amount of holidays to celebrate. While the American holiday season is officially over, celebrations for Chinese New Year are just beginning. Like most holidays, there are so many traditions that are practiced to mark the beginning of the Lunar New Year (gifting red envelopes of cash, setting off fireworks, eating whole fish, etc.), but the overarching theme is the sense of togetherness and the importance of gathering with the ones you love.
While we weren’t big into holidays growing up (minus the obligatory Christmas tree and a special meal at Thanksgiving), the importance of family and being together was never lost on me. Holidays happen once a year, but being a family is a 365 day type of thing.
This Lunar New Year feels particularly special since we got engaged and welcomed Sawyer into our lives. We might not legally be a family yet, but I’ve never been much for formality anyways. If you’ve been following my Instagram stories, you know that we’ve been dealing with a laundry list of unexpected home repairs (one that just grew last night when I took a bath and it leaked into our kitchen downstairs). Couple that with a few personal issues that are even too personal for a blog following my life, and it’s times like these where I’m grateful to have Dave by my side. Whenever I’m feeling anxious or frustrated, Dave always tells me that we’ll get through it, together. For whatever reason, the “together” part always gets me, because for the better portion of my twenties, I was doing adulthood without a partner in crime.
SHOP MY LOOK
Lucky Lantern Chinese New Year Earrings
Red A-Line High Waisted Skirt
Pipe-Trim Blouse (this is a similar version to mine with a bow detail!)
So this Chinese New Year, we’re celebrating the notion of togetherness, and the importance of what it means to have people in your life that are with you in good times and in bad. Here’s to the New Year with old friends (and new puppies!)
xx,
Anna
“Happiness is letting go of what you think your life is supposed to look like right now and appreciating it for everything it is.” – Mandy Hale
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