My daughter was born in China. For us, the Chinese New Year is a big deal, one we've celebrated with gusto all of her life. The New Year began this week and, appropriately for us, it is the Year of the Rabbit -- the year she was born. (I still remember buying a stamp, carved in the shape of a rabbit, for my daughter when we were in Hong Kong more than a decade ago. And receiving another as a gift while in mainland China.) We've marked the holiday at huge parties in Philadelphia. At smaller dinners in our dining room. And with thousands in NewYork's Chinatown. We've hosted celebrations for family. And have attended many more festivities with friends over the years. What great memories!

We've also made a big deal out of the celebration at school. In my daughter's early elementary years, for example, we gave gift bags, adorned with Chinese characters, to each one of her classmates. They were filled with coloring papers, trinkets and other items related to the new year. We'd share the traditions through music and lanterns and picture books. We'd bring in treats -- traditional Chinese fare complemented by brownies and fruit-juice boxes. And of course, for years, even when the bags went by the wayside as she grew older, she continued to distribute "hung bao'' or red envelopes to all of her classmates. Tradition calls for lucky money, usually given to Chinese children, to be place inside. Chocolate "gold'' coins seemed more appropriate for school. All of our efforts were a hit with teachers and my daughter's classmates. Most importantly, my daughter could share her heritage in a positive way, and it made her feel proud!

This year, for the first time, my daughter elected to forgo the Chinese celebration at school. I've coaxed, oh-so-gently. But no, Mom, not this year. Not even the hung bao. I'm chalking this up to the fact that she's in sixth grade now and perhaps what she did as a second-grader no longer holds the same appeal. We'll still be celebrating with dear friends on Sunday. The red envelopes are on the kitchen countertop, waiting for me to fill them with lucky money. It is my hope that she has outgrown only the traditions of how we mark the day at school, but not her heritage itself. For all of us, I tell her, the past, traditions, heritage and family hold a special place. I hope it's one we'll still be able to find.