Preparation for the Year of the Rabbit

I've never spent Chinese New Year in any Chinese country, so I didn't truly appreciate the extent of the preparation that goes into the holiday. It is the year of the rabbit, so there are rabbits displayed everywhere, in malls, on top of buildings, in store windows, and they are being sold in stores in all shapes and sizes. A couple samples below:



Kumquats symbolize prosperity, so almost every business has two or more kumquat trees in the lobby or entrance of the store. Kumquat trees are sold on the streets in Hong Kong like Christmas trees are sold during Christmas in New York:



And of course, red and gold symbolize good luck, so there are many stands selling red and gold decorations and red envelopes (this picture was actually taken in Guangzhou, which we visited this past weekend):


YEAR OF THE RABBIT, here we come!