The charm of Spring Festival

Even though I belong to the post-1980 generation and work in a big city, I value Spring Festival very much because it's the time of the year when I can stay home and enjoy a family union. I wish I could stay longer with my family. And I wish my and all parents good health and happiness in the Year of the Dragon.

Chris Wang, via e-mail

Vital to take care of family

China's gift-giving culture, especially during Spring Festival, is boon for the market. But taking better care of our families and friends is more important than giving gifts to them.

Zhu Zhu, via e-mail

It remains important

Ten years ago while traveling back home by a train for Spring Festival for the first time, I was so homesick that I burst into tears thinking of my parents and grandma. I was a freshman then and determined to establish myself in Beijing. After spending years in the familiar but at the same time strange metropolis, I am still struggling for success, not necessarily on the economic front, and the thought of returning home is still strong before Spring Festival.

Xiao Chen, via e-mail

Be eco-friendly with gifts

One of the punishment during Spring Festival is unwrap gifts, especially if they are over-packaged with decorative layers. One has to peel off layer after layer, if not layers, of silk flowers, ribbon bows, wrapping paper, gift bags and other unnecessary vanity items. This is a punishment for those who wrap the gifts, too.

Needless to say, the decorative wrappings are an unnecessary waste. So instead of just throwing them away, we should reuse them to wrap other gifts or redesign them for other use to help protect the environment. But we would be really eco-friendly if we used minimum gift-wraps in the first place. After all, more is not necessarily better, and less can be more.

Lao Banniang, via e-mail

(China Daily 01/20/2012 page9)