Happy New Year - again!

Gong Hay Fat Choy!  No, no no.  Nobody is calling you a fat choy (this comes up at least once every year).  It means Happy Chinese New Year!  It's that fantasmic time of year again - Chinese New Year!  or Sheng ri kuai le if you prefer your Happy New Year in Mandarin.

Why do I like Chinese New Year so much?  Other than half my family being Chinese - it's really because usually by now my regular New Year clean slate enjoyment has skedaddled and I get another crack at it.  So here I am again with another New Year and an opportunity to appreciate a fresh, new start... again.  And good food... a lot of really good food which is my favorite holiday tradition.  This holiday has a lot of fun traditions that I can completely keep up with - unlike our standard New Year full of resolutions nobody will keep - we have traditions like:

• Get a hair cut.  You get it shortly before New Years, easy.  
• Don't Bathe.  This is really only for the day - so that you don't wash off any good luck.
• Paint your house.  I like this one a lot - it gives me the motivation to paint a room or two at least each year.
• Giving red envelopes full of cash - this seriously makes kids really happy.  Unlike the standard December 31st New Years tradition of 'the adults have champagne while I go to bed early'. 
• Wear something new.  I have to shop for something to wear?  Awesome.  This?  I can handle!

There are other traditions too, these are just the ones we keep each year.  This upcoming year will be the year of the Dragon!  Dragons are good luck, larger than life, strong and auspicious.  I find that each animal in the Chinese zodiac has positive attributes, but the dragon is mystical which also makes it special.
So cheers to you all - I hope this is a special year for all of you.