Chinese New Year is here again, which means time for celebration, feasting and the inevitable small talk with visiting relatives! While gatherings can be fun, things could get awkward when well-meaning aunties and uncles inevitably ask questions such as “When are you getting married?” or “When are you getting a child?”
Fortunately, there’s a way to avoid being put on the spot! Here are some things to talk about during CNY that will be sure to put a smile on everyone’s face.
Conversation starter #1: Share your holiday experience
If you’ve travelled overseas for the holiday in the past year, CNY is the best time to talk about it because you’ll have a big audience!
Your relatives, especially those aunties and uncles who are already kicking back in retirement, tend to be super excited when it comes to travel and seeing the world. At the same time, your peers and the younger ones who love seeing beautiful vacations photos on Instagram and Facebook feeds will want to hear all about your holiday stories.
Earn brownie points: Prepare a slideshow of your travel photos/videos and narrate your travels using the living room TV!
Conversation starter #2: Be a drama king/mama
No, we don’t mean making a scene when someone’s polished off your favourite pineapple tarts. What we mean is if you’ve recently come across a must-watch drama on Netflix or some other channel or streaming service, now’s the time to get your friends and relatives addicted!
Earn brownie points: Um.. just avoid giving away spoilers, please.
Conversation starter #3: Get all feng shui-y
Nothing distracts older relatives from asking prying questions like a good dose of fortune telling. This is because superstitious folks, typically the older generation, flock to these feng shui predictions that go according to their Chinese zodiac.
To tell feng shui like a pro, simply grab any reputable almanac available at a bookstore near you and arm yourself with that when you go visiting. Expect an eager audience!
Earn brownie points: Be tactful. If you read that your aunt of has bad health luck in the Year of the Rat for her zodiac, be careful of what you say to her. “Eat more fruits this year to improve your immunity” is far better than “You’ll fall sick easily”!
Conversation starter #4: Show off your best shopping finds
Chances are, you’ve have done some shopping over the past year, especially with the super deals that are available during events like Black Friday. If you’ve managed to snag a deep discount and save a significant sum of money on a coveted item such as the latest tech gadget, you’d naturally want to spread the good news (i.e. show off) to your friends and relatives!
If they’re coming over to your place to visit, you can even do a showcase or demonstration of your new purchases.
Earn brownie points: Share your online shopping tips and tricks!
Conversation starter #5: “Wanna save money?”
With your relatives feeling the pinch after giving out tons of angbaos (red packets) during CNY, now’s the best time to tell them about Geneco’s affordable electricty plans.
What’s Geneco, you may ask? Well, they are an energy provider that’s responsible for bringing clean and affordable electricity to households in Singapore, with many attractive price plans to suit every household.
During this CNY period, not only can you get into the good books of your friends and relatives by introducing them to cheaper electricity, you can be part of a limited time ‘CNY Special Referral Bonus Programme’ that can earn you up to $2,020 in rebates!
Earn brownie points: This is all yours to gain. Find out more about the Geneco referral programme now!
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