A blessed Chinese New Year to all of you. Well, very quickly CNY came and will soon end (CNY lasts 15 days). I looked at all that CNY goodies and snacks at all the homes that I went to, including my own, and knew (as I always had) that much of the food will be thrown away. Some will ‘disguise’ the throwing away by giving to others. So, what made us so sure that others want them? They have their own to throw away.

There was a time when we had little and CNY was a time to go around visitation and eating the goodies. Nowadays, there is nothing special about the ‘goodies’ as we have it throughout the year. Also, interaction during visitation was also minimum as many dwells on their favourite small screens. To make matter worse, many of the Chinese younger generation cannot even say a proper CNY greeting in Mandarin. Sigh! CNY may just become another meaningless holiday for many.

When there is too much of a good thing, it becomes nothing special and taken for granted. Remember when ‘Bak Kwa’ was the one snack we aimed for and only more well to do families can afford them. Now, it will sit there hardly touched by anyone. I would like to commend to all of you, my friends, to NOT buy any of these goodies just because it is CNY. We must not be pressured to buy just because it is expected to be seen on the coffee table when people come visiting. You do not need to put on the ritz just because someone is coming to visit. Nobody should come to your house to judge you or your house. And they are not coming to do so. Just keep it nice and clean as per normal, maybe a little decoration for festive feel, would be enough. All that big do is a pure waste of time that is not in tune with the real meaning of CNY.

CNY is about family and relationship. It is a time to put aside work (or phones) to catch up with the people that meant much to you. It is a time to be thankful for every blessing, material or otherwise, that we now enjoy.

Brothers and sisters, be thankful and love one another. It is a more meaningful way of celebrating CNY.

God bless,
In Christ’s service,

Barry Leong

祝贺大家新春蒙恩。农历新年很迅速的来到也很快要过去了（农历新年历时15天）。我看着所有我去探访的家庭所预备的新春美食和小吃，包括我自己的，我知道（我一直都知道）大部份的食物终究会被丢掉。有的人会将剩余的食物送给他人以掩盖丢弃的行为。但是，我们怎么就确定别人要这些食物呢？他们也需要丢弃自己的那份。

我们曾经生活不富裕，而农历新年是我们到处探访及享用美食的时候。但现在，因为我们一年到头都能吃到，美食就显得没有什么特别了。此外，在探访的过程中也极少交流，因为很多人都沉浸在他们的小屏幕里。更糟的是，很多年轻一代的华人都无法好好的以华语说新春祝词。唉！农历新年对许多人来说，可能只是另一个没有意义的假期。

当好的事物增多了，就会变得不特别，也成了理所当然。要记得，“肉干”曾经是我们很在意的美食之一，却是比较宽裕的家庭才能购买得起的。现如今，却被搁在一边无人问津。我的朋友，我在此劝告大家不要因为是农历新年就购买这些美食。我们不应当因为亲友来访时，期待会在茶几上看见这些美食就备感压力。你不需要因为有人来访就装成高贵。没有人可以来到你家评论你或你的家，其实他们也不会这么作。就如往常保持整洁及干净即可，或许加上一些装饰以增添节日气氛就足够了。大肆铺张纯粹是浪费时间，也不符合农历新年的真正意义。

农历新年是关乎家庭和关系。是把工作（或手机）搁置一旁，与你所关怀的人有联系的时候。也是为我们正在享受的祝福、物质或其他事物感恩的时候。

弟兄姐妹，心存感恩并彼此相爱。这是欢庆新春佳节更有意义的方式。

上帝赐福，
在基督里同工的，

Barry Leong