I have stopped visiting Chinatown CNY market for years. However, I was back there again, it started last year, when the baby was still in my womb. The urge to go just came naturally. Must be some unexplained maternal instinct again. Anyway, the crowd was mad on an extremely hot Sunday afternoon. Our arms almost broke carrying the baby. No strollers, only the brave ones have the courage to push a stroller in the jam packed market. We warmed up at the shops before heading to the stalls, but gave up after walking less then ten metres. Never mind, I would go again another day, one trip there is not enough. I finally understood why some people keep returning there. When you start your family, those silly festival preparation take on a totally different light.

Having a kid in the family totally change our sentiments towards the Chinese New Year. I love the CNY when I was a kid; red packets, sweets, fire crackers, house visits, love them all. I still love it during my teenage years; red packets, buying flowers, decorating the house in a sea of red, but no more fire crackers and starting to dread going to relatives’ house. I still love CNY when I started working, love the happy and merry atmosphere, but I hated house visits, almost stopped visiting all relatives. The excitement of the festival has diminished, there wasn’t much anticipation. If there was any preparation needed, they were done more of a routine and a tradition.

But I felt my youthful yearning for it again. I am totally preoccupied with it. CNY is different with a kid at home. I want to decorate the house gaudy red to inject some New Year spirit. I am going to buy plants to pretend spring has arrived. I will buy some sweets, cookies and the bah kua to fill up the coffee table. I am getting ready the red packets. I even feel very happy thinking about distributing the red packets. With a kid, there is this urge to bask myself in this unexplainable frenzy of cleaning, shopping, decorating. I know I want the kid to enjoy this big festival as much as I did, just like when I was a child. Children love and look forward to festivals and celebrations. I could have treat CNY as another public holiday, stay at home, chill and watch TV. But wouldn’t it be better if we create some merry atmosphere, make it a special occasion worth waiting for, and make the children enjoy the moments of preparing the CNY as a family, I am sure the children would appreciate this festival better and have a better sense of pride belonging to the Chinese culture.