Finding Ways to Celebrate

by · February 12, 2021

I like celebrating things – especially with good company and good food!

With all the crunch-time stress of exams that gets piled on before Reading Break, my “light at the end of the tunnel” is always looking forward to doing some sort of triple-whammy of celebrations with family and friends. This year, I’m not going home for Reading Break so here’s how I’m celebrating Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day and Family Day in 2021:

1. Chinese New Year (Feb. 12, 2021)

I used to love dressing up- I’m wearing blue here as a kid, but red is the luckiest colour!

This year is the year of the Ox. Usually, I’d go home and find some festive red attire to wear, pull out the decorations and look forward to some yummy Chinese food to ring in the new year.

Luckily, I can still do all of those things from Victoria while video calling with family (though I do wish we could share food through the computer screen!).

Special for this year instead of going downtown, I noticed that the Wong Sheung Hung Fut Kung Fu Club of Victoria has created a virtual Lion Dance to watch, so I’m excited to celebrate virtually with them!

A side note: Did you know that the Chinatown in Victoria is Canada’s oldest Chinatown? I was scrolling through UVic’s resources and recently discovered a whole website dedicated to information about it! You can check it out here: https://chinatown.library.uvic.ca/index.html

2. Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14, 2021)

A valentines' day craft called a lovebug due to it's similarity to a bug using a ball of pink yarn with googly eyes for the face and pipe cleaner antennae with hearts at the top of the antennae.

A “Lovebug” craft for Valentine’s Day

Over the years, I’ve had a variety of Valentine’s Day plans but a tradition that has stuck is making handmade Valentine’s Day cards and crafts.

Recently, I’ve enjoyed using wax stamps so I’ll be incorporating those into my handmade cards this year (to be delivered contactlessly or via snail mail) and I’ve been scrolling through Pinterest to try a variety of fun craft ideas.

My favourite Valentines craft I’ve ever received is a “Lovebug” from my best friend – I love the antennae!

Instead of going out to the classic “dinner and a movie”, perhaps I’ll try a new recipe while using Teleparty to do some long-distance movie-watching (who doesn’t love a good rom-com?!)

3. Family Day (Feb. 15, 2021)

Even sitting outside is wonderful

My family has always enjoyed being outside together, trying out hiking trails, especially during holidays. So, along with even more video calls with them, I’ve planned to share this tradition with my “bubble” in Victoria.

While now isn’t the time to venture far, it’ll be fun to stay close to town and go to Centennial Park (sometimes, you share the trail with horses!) or W̱MÍYEŦEṈ / Mt. Work.

I’ve been trying my best to get lots of fresh air and exercise in general, especially this week when I’ve been spending so many hours behind a computer screen studying for exams. While I appreciate the perks of technology, it’s also nice to take some time away from screens and all their distractions to just be outside.

 

All in all, while I’ll miss being at home, I was surprised by how many little traditions I usually do in-person that can still be done in the company of others from a distance, online. Who knows – maybe some new traditions will come out of all of this – will keep you posted!

Happy Reading Break 😊

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