Chinese New Year Gifts: Traditional Picks for Prosperity
“Even numbers, red everything, and the kind of gifts your auntie would actually keep.”
Good Energy Only for the New Year
INSIDE THIS GUIDE
Gifting for Lunar New Year has unspoken rules. We know them.
Lunar New Year runs on rules nobody explains out loud. Oranges come in pairs, red envelopes hold even amounts, nothing sharp goes in a gift bag. This guide skips the vague gold-and-red basket for what people who grew up with the holiday actually want.
SECTION 01
Modern Heritage & Stationery
Old materials with a modern twist.
1.1
STEEL HORSE LEATHER
The Hemmingway | Handmade Wood and Brass Fountain Pen
Real pens carry weight. A put-together person always seems to have the best one. This pen is meant to be used for writing cards people actually keep. Everyone can tell when a card was signed with a nice pen.
1.2
OSOLADY
Year of the Goat 2027 Scroll Wall Calendar
Every Chinese restaurant, nail salon, and auntie's kitchen has one of these hanging somewhere. A traditional calendar that shows the entire year, so you don't have to flip through to see what's coming up. This one's stamped with the Goat for the year ahead.
1.3
Paper Source
Red Envelope Set
The cash inside of these always has to be crisp. Like, straight-from-the-bank crisp. And the amount has to land on an even number, never anything with a four. This set from Paper Source gets the color right so you only have to worry about the cash inside.
1.4
Paper Source
Floral Lunar New Year Card
Plum blossoms show up on everything during the Lunar New Year because they bloom in the dead of winter. They're the new growth no one expects. This card keeps the symbolism and has just enough foil that people will actually want to display it.
SECTION 02
Sweets & Auspicious Treats
Lucky flavors to start the new year right.
2.1
Fly By Jing
Fly By Jing Ultimate Hot Pot Set
Everyone loves a hot pot dinner. Having a set at home will just start the new year off right. Hot pot dinners are made so no one is stuck cooking alone and everyone is sharing their meal. Fly By Jing built this kit so that you feel like you're in a restaurant. Broth and all.
2.2
Portland Syrups
Cara Cara Orange Syrup
Oranges are the unofficial mascot of the Lunar New Year, next to the animal of the year. This syrup skips the fruit and gets straight to the sweet, berry-like flavor Cara Caras are known for. Instead of just eating oranges, make a Cara Cara cocktail (or mocktail) too.
2.3
Fly By Jing
Fly By Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp
Sichuan peppercorns catch people off guard with the tingly feeling that comes from eating them but leave people hooked. This is the chili crisp that made Fly By Jing a household name and will spice up any dish you're serving for the Lunar New Year.
2.4
White Rabbit
Traditional White Rabbit Cream Candy 2-Pack
The inner wrapper is edible and that's the party trick with White Rabbit candy that still gets people every time. Every grandparent's candy dish had a pile of these and the milky chew hasn't changed. Holidays just feel wrong without them now.
SECTION 03
Blessings for the Home
Everyday home pieces that double as good fortune.
3.1
Our Place
Our Place Carbon Steel Wok Set
Real wok hei only happens over serious heat, which is why a carbon steel wok beats a nonstick every time. Our Place designed this for actual high-heat cooking. It looks rough before it looks good. That's just the seasoning working.
3.2
Costa Farms
Costa Farms Money Tree
A money tree can be found in just about every dim sum restaurant and even dentist's waiting room. The braided trunk supposedly traps good fortune inside, according to the feng shui logic behind it. It's one of the few plants built to survive neglect.
3.3
Our Place
Our Place Spruce Steamer Components
Dumplings are shaped like ancient Chinese gold ingots on purpose and should be treated as such. Eating them is basically like eating a pile of money, symbolically speaking. This steamer is built for the dumpling-and-bao-making marathon that happens in most kitchens the week of the Lunar New Year.
3.4
YOSHINOYA KYUBEI
Porcelain Lucky Cat
Technically the Porcelain Lucky Cat is Japanese in origin but it seems to have been added into Lunar New Year decor everywhere. Made from real porcelain and the right paw up means it's calling in money. Not a bad thing to add to the Lunar New Year celebrations, right?
SECTION 04
Wearable Luck
Small pieces of luck you can actually wear.
4.1
Monica Vinader
Monica Vinader 18k Gold Vermeil Cord Bracelet
Red string legend says an invisible thread connects two people destined to end up together. Tied around a wrist, it doubles as protection from bad luck. This braided golden bracelet swaps cheap cord for something worth wearing daily.
4.2
Generic
Jade Fortune Circle Necklace
Jade has been the protective stone in Chinese culture for centuries. Worn on the theory that it cracks so you don't have to. The circle shape represents a life with no loose ends and this pendant comes on a chain simple enough for everyday wear.
4.3
Corciova
Satin Scarf
The whole reason everything turns red for Lunar New Year traces back to a monster called Nian, who was supposedly terrified of the color. Tie this scarf over a plain outfit to be Lunar New Year ready.
4.4
HONEYCAT
Zodiac Coin Pendant
Ask anyone who grew up with the zodiac and they'll be able to tell you their animal without hesitating. The Chinese zodiac is similar to typical zodiac signs but has a little more family tradition attached. This pendant resembles a minted old coin and comes with your animal on it in gold, silver and rose gold.
Give Something With A Little More Meaning
The best Lunar New Year gifts have always done double duty. They're pretty enough to display and meaningful enough to actually matter. Grab your favorites before the good ones sell out.