China Daily just published my latest column titled Learning to celebrate cultural differences in birthdays. Here’s an excerpt:
With the arrival of July, the month I was born, conversations at my home have invariably shifted to discussing potential “birthday programs”, as my husband Jun likes to say. ….
This year, he has already begun sketching out details for a birthday trip to the Chengde Mountain Resort, where we can walk together hand in hand in the splendor of the former imperial summer palace and grounds, and hopefully take in some of the picturesque mountain views I’ve glimpsed in photographs online.
But while Jun has approached my birthday like a production, he has often seen his own birthday as just an afterthought.
Read the full piece here — and if you like it, share it!
My late husband always said he looked at his birthday as a day to thank his parents for giving birth to him not as a day for him to celebrate.
That’s a fascinating perspective Nicki — thanks for sharing!