New Clothes for the New Year

One of the traditions that my mother has always kept is getting us new clothes for the New Year. Her tales of how as a child she used to get new clothes only once a year during the New Year still remain etched in my mind.

Of course we are more fortunate these days and get new clothes as and when we want. Still, I try to make it a point to get something new for the New Year. (Ok, so I don't really need an excuse to shop.)

This year I was determined to put Noey in a ching-chong outfit just for the occasion. Finding this outfit however proved much tougher than I'd expected. As usual, there were plenty of nice options for little girls, but for boys, they were few and far between. I was about to give up hope when trusty OG saved the day. The best part is that it's made of cotton and not that sticky and hot satin material. Noey looked quite the part!

My little Chinese boy, all dressed for the Lunar New Year festivities! The hat is from his GuMa, who bought it from Chinatown.

And he was a hit with the relatives, especially with his gong-xi hand gestures which he generously and obligingly dished out.

It's been a hectic couple of days and I'm glad to say: we survived!

Hope everyone had a good start to the new year and best wishes for the Tiger Year ahead.

"Ang Pow!"
The latest phrase in Noey's vocabulary. We didn't even try to teach him this one -- he just repeated after my Sister and that was it. He really knows which words to pick up! (And of course he got loads of them red packets!)