A Lunar New Year care package? These days Lunar New Year and Chinese New Year aren't just celebrated by Asian families. Chinese New Year is celebrated in cities around the world, including London, Paris and Sydney. And in schools across the United States, children line up for dragon parades on the playground, lantern-making crafts and all sorts of delicious taste treats. So why not use that delightful theme to add some whimsy to your college kid's day with a Lunar New Year care package?
Fireworks and paper lanterns are not exactly dorm-friendly fare - student housing officials tend to frown on fire hazards and things that, you know, explode. But here are a few fun Lunar New Year ideas for whimsical treats to include in a college care package:
- Dragons: A small paper dragon to adorn the dorm room door adds cheerful color, without violating fire codes.
- Red Envelopes: These bright crimson packets filled with chocolate coins or real money are a much-beloved part of Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year traditions everywhere. College kids will be delighted with chocolate - but they'll be even more delighted if the "coins" are, say, $20 bills.
- Fortune Cookies: Fortune cookies are actually an American, not a Chinese, creation. The famous almond-flavored, fortune-filled sweets are served at the end of the meal in virtually every Chinese restaurant outside China. You can send your college kid store-bought cookies, of course, but it's even more fun to tinker with the fortunes and suggest that, say, Confucius approves of kids who study. There are three ways to do that: you can make your own cookies, order custom-made versions online, or simply slide DIY fortunes into store-bought cookies. Type or write the fortunes onto small slips of paper, fold, and tuck them into the cookie slit for a double-dose of fortune.
- Tangerines: In Chinese tradition, tangerines symbolize good luck and oranges represent wealth, so brightly-hued citrus is always featured during New Year celebrations. They're tasty, Vitamin-C filled additions to any care package too.
- Almond Cookies: Cookies are an always-welcome addition to any care package. Bake traditional almond cookies or use almond flavors as a jumping off point for another type of cookie - Almond Biscotti, with tangerine and Meyer lemon zest, for example, travels well and the crunchy cookies last a long time.
