handsful

Today is Chinese New Year!  In China, they call it the Spring Festival and it is celebrated many ways: families come together, red lanterns and decorations are put up everywhere, red envelopes with money inside are given, houses are freshly cleaned, new clothes are bought, old debts are paid off, and many fireworks are shot off! 

We were in China during the last Chinese New Year, and it was beautiful…the picture above shows one of the many fruit trees adorned with red decorations and envelopes in one of our hotel lobbys.  And, there were fireworks shot off almost every night, especially the last night of CNY – we were fortunate to watch them from our windows (and, fortunate that Lainey slept through them!)  Oh, how I would love to be there now! 

Xin Nian Kuai Le!  (literal translation from Mandarin – Happy New Year!)