On Keeping the CNY Spirits

A little note from Medie's Mum.

I think my eldest son doesn't see CNY as how he used to when he was 5 years old. Back then he would be jumping up and down, wanting to help out in baking the cookies and decorating the house. So every year it has been him who did all those decorating, hanging up those red lanterns, pasting those festive cards, arranging those mandarin oranges and what nots.

But ever since he got into medical school, he changed. He became very tensed. He became less of a CNY boy. Of course, he'd still be hanging all those lanterns and what nots. But he's just different. As the years went by, he looked at CNY as just another holiday. What more when he's going into his final year now, it seems like he doesn't have any holidays anymore, and to have one week off during CNY, he doesn't see any festive season in this holiday at all.

This year, my youngest son is not around to celebrate this festive season with us. So we're pretty much one member short. My first time to have a CNY without one of my sons around. And it definitely doesn't feel right. I know I'm always teased at, especially as I watched my children grow older and wiser by the days, but I somehow gotten used to them being around. Therefore, the incompleteness is there, no matter what I do.

My eldest son, Medie, finally came back one day before CNY eve, pretty much the latest that I ever recalled since he left home since 5 years ago. So I've been doing all the cleaning myself, amidst all the job that I have to juggle in the day. But having him back for CNY, I know these sacrifices are just too little in comparison to the joy that he had missed for the past 4 years since he entered medical school.

So, my husband and I, we tried to cheer up the house. We got some decoratives and did some decorations ourselves. I bought 2 fake potted plants to give the house some greenish feeling. We hanged some lanterns. We also bought some decorative little lanterns that comes with little LEDs that lit up with electricity. And we looked forward for his return home. We hoped that we could help him recall what CNY used to be. What he himself used to be when he was younger, how he'd be dressed up in red and helping out with the servings all so willingly, rather than staying in his room and have CNY just another rest day.

I mean, it's not that I want him to wear himself out on CNY, but it is after all a traditional festive season. I know, to him, it's not about the festive season per se, it's more of a time for all of us to gather around and spend time together. But I just hope as time goes by, he wouldn't forget that it is still the celebration of a new year in the Chinese tradition. I know, I'm still pretty much a conservative lady. I follow the trend, I keep myself updated, but tradition will always be tradition. Who are we if we don't remember our culture right?

Anyways, when Medie came into the house, his first impression was, "Wah! So many deco already! I thought we're not celebrating?"

See what I mean? I really hope that he's still very much Chinese in himself...

It was only later that I saw tears in his eyes, while he was looking at the flashing little lanterns, which my husband and I hanged around our family portraits.

I've always known he's such a sentimental guy.