[BlueOrchid]

I celebrated this year for the first time with the least amount of guilt!
It was so much fun.

I remember the emptiness and loneliness as a child, waking up alone with everything closed, siblings arguing, etc. Left alone with nothing to do and nothing open. So sad! I was resentful that the training took away family time and it especially hurt at this time of year. Year after year parents sat getting "trained" while their kids were away from them. So sad.
Interesting point about Chinese New Year. I never thought about it that way and you are so right!

~BlueOrchid