In modern Singapore, people feel rushed and don’t feel inclined to invest in relationships. Time is our most precious commodity — and to squander it on meeting distant relatives whom we only meet once a year seems such a colossal waste. We prefer to take a short trip out of our densely populated country instead.

I can venture that one thing good about having children is that I will naturally want to pass down aspects of my culture. Even for something as capitalism-centric as Chinese New Year.

It helped that my son was curious about Chinese New Year and its assorted customs. He was already fascinated by the story of the 12 zodiac animals. Yesterday, on the eve of CNY, we spent some time watching a YouTube video from Vooks, which enlightened us on the dos and don’ts of this festival.

Unlike many Chinese families, we didn’t have a reunion dinner on the eve. It was customary for our family to have a reunion lunch on the first day at a family restaurant. And so, we did. Both kids wore traditional Chinese costumes — and my heart made leaps of delight watching how they looked adorable in these mini costumes. This probably gave me the energy to be my most gregarious self during lunch. As can be inferred above, I only meet my brother’s parents-in-law once a year. But instead of feeling awkward about the whole situation, I tried my best to make small talk and ask about their well-being sincerely.

If it weren’t for my kids, I would have found the whole gathering a tad forced. But my kids gave me the motivation to dismiss my cynicism and pump energy into it. Hopefully, they will have good memories of Chinese New Year when they grow up and will want to pass it down.