During our company’s Lunar New Year celebration, I filled several red envelopes with candy for my team, feeling nostalgic as traditional music played in the background.

Having grown up in China, I had so many heartwarming memories of celebrating Chinese New Year with my family:

From wearing red from head to toe…

To eating handmade dumplings freshly boiled as the clock strikes 12…

To putting up giant red lanterns with my grandpa…

To writing Chinese calligraphy on red paper to ‘protect’ our house from the evil ‘Nian’ spirit.

Every year, my cousins and I would look forward the eve of Chinese New Year because that’s when my grandpa would hand out a red envelope to each of us!

We’d excitedly open the envelope, knowing there would always be a crisp 100 yuan inside.

To me, the red envelope (紅包) symbolizes the holiday spirit and reminds me of home.

After passing the red envelopes out to my team, I found that I only had one left. I intended to keep it for myself as a tangible reminder of the joyous memories of my childhood.

But then, a quiet nudge within me urged me to share the festivity and Chinese tradition with my director, Peter, whom I didn’t know as well.

“It’s not like he will care or notice,” a voice in my head rationalized.

“He looks busy. Now is probably not a good time,” another voice suggested, offering the perfect excuse to postpone (and realistically, never follow through).

I had every reason to keep it—the nostalgia, the comfort, the personal significance. But the nudge to share my heritage and spread the joy of the day grew louder.

Cautiously, I took a few steps toward where Peter sat and called out, “Peter?”

He looked up, anticipating a work-related question.

“Here’s a red envelope for Chinese New Year with some candies inside,” I blurted out, handing the stuffed red envelope to him.

His eyes lit up in surprise, his posture shifting from focused to delighted. “Well, thank you!!” he said, his voice warm with appreciation.

I smiled back.

The interaction took less than a second. However, I felt a world apart.

Even though I was the one giving a small gift, it felt like I was on the receiving end of something precious.

I was blown away by how good it felt to give, even something as small and simple as a fifty-cent red envelope with three pieces of candy inside.

It felt so good to share and spread a joyous part of my Chinese heritage with others.

And I was beyond grateful that I had risen above my initial selfish desire to keep the red envelope for myself.

Through the simple act of giving, I not only felt a deeper connection with others but also a profound realization—our greatest growth comes not in solitude, but through our interaction with others. It is those shared experiences, big or small, that we uncover who we truly are and who we aspire to be.