Image from Lego
Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day fall just two days apart this year — and while celebrating just won’t be the same, both holidays offer an opportunity to cherish friends, family and love.
Here are eight lucky gift ideas for the special people in your life (or yourself!), compiled by the staff of AsAmNews:
The Nian Monster ($16): Introduce your kids to the legendary Nian monster with this fun, modern retelling. Written by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Alina Chau, the fierce and fearless Xingling must outwit the Nian monster before it gobbles up the city of Shanghai.
— Ellen Lee, AsAmNews Senior Editor
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Eyes That Kiss in the Corners ($17) The New York Times bestselling picture book by Joanna Ho and illustrated by Dung Ho features an Asian American girl who learns to recognize her own beauty in her differences. Jammed packed with breathtaking illustrations, this powerful and poetic picture book will be the perfect gift for the young child in your life to build greater confidence and self-love from an early age.
— Barbara Yau, AsAmNews Staff Writer
Image from Socola Chocolatier
A Vietnamese-owned small business based in San Francisco, Sôcôla Chocolatier pays homage to Asian flavors. Its popular Little Saigon Box ($39 for a box of 12) features chocolate truffles in flavors such as phở, Vietnamese coffee, durian and sriracha while its special Lunar New Year collection ($41 for a box of 12) offers chocolate infused with tamarind sesame, preserved kumquat, candied gingered peanut and pandan coconut.
— Loan-Anh Pham, AsAmNews Associate Editor
Image from Ellsk
Lunar New Year Fortune Cards ($10 for 30 cards): Sure, they’re a gimmick, but they’re a fun gimmick. Celebrate the new year by handing out these scratch-off fortune cards, along with some lucky money. Messages include sage advice such as “a good friendship is more important than a passionate romance.”
Lego also introduced a series of special edition Lunar New Year sets to celebrate the Year of the Ox:
Image from Lego
The Spring Lantern Festival ($200 on Amazon; price fluctuates) features a nifty red ox lantern that lights up, as well as a Lego figure who can hold a cup of boba.
The 1,067-piece Story of Nian ($100 on Amazon; price fluctuates) is based on the legend of the Nian monster, so it includes the monster, lanterns and firecrackers to scare away the monster and a Lego figure dressed as an ox.
Image from Lego
For the preschool crowd, there’s the Duplo Town Happy Childhood Moments 10943 Family House Toy Playset ($100 on Amazon; price fluctuates). A multigenerational household, plus a pet panda, it also comes with tiny trays of dim sum.
And if you have friends in Asia who can hook you up…
Image from Hasbro
Monopoly created a special edition of the game for Lunar New Year, with gold game pieces shaped like tangerines and a lion head. Boardwalk and Park Place have been replaced with the Gold Shop and the Temple Market and you pick up Fortune Stick and Pinwheel cards instead of Chance and Community Chest cards. You still go to jail, though.
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