Girlfriend Chinese birth mother, sending a birthday card and traditional ... what about the map? His parents are from Hong Kong and speak Cantonese and English decent. I bought a traditional Chinese card wishing him a happy birthday and wish him good luck in the year ahead of her.
Are there any gifts that I should consider sending the card? I had planned to write how much I appreciate her and the family.
The daughter (my GF) means the world to me and I also planned to include a wonderful girl and how she raised husdband.
Will I be sensitive? I can not imagine anything I would say would offend her or the family. I met the family several times.
Any ideas or recommendations would be very useful!
Thank you
For the map, a simple blessing of "Happy Birthday" should do, since she speaks English fairly decent and should be westernized.
Stay away from Chinese calligraphy in the map if you're really confident.
Regarding the donation, I would not recommend red packets. Red packets, when given to anniversaries, are given by the elderly to younger, not the reverse. For example, younger people who give birthday gifts for older will receive red packets from them in return. And the old red packets will certainly younger birthdays for them. Do not change the hierarchy based on tradition.
Why not visit your GF that his mother likes. If given in a restaurant, the gift must be quick and easy to carry. It may be cosmetics or beauty products in its preference or simply a bouquet of flowers to his taste. Do not send a fruit basket unless you wear at home. She will not like the idea of holding a basket of fruit outside a posh restaurant!
Regarding the sensitive issue, it is usually that. Do not talk about bad things in the conversation on his Brithday such as accidents and wars from the new, disease etc. ... And of course, be quiet, with exclamations of "God damn it, Sh-T, Jesus, ...... Holly sh-t
The color white is considered a funeral color in Chinese tradition. It is fortunate that as a color of the dress of the bride. So try not to impress with the color white, white flowers is not being critical.
The prounciation for Happy Birthday is
Are Saang Faai Lock
I am a Chinese (Cantonese) in Hong Kong.
Say "Sun Yat Fai Lock", which means happy birthday in Cantonese. Many good points for that. Giving the mother a "Red Packet" which is a red envelope and put a little money in it for that she can get herself a gift. The gift of a red packet is a traditional Chinese gift for all occasions. You can get them from many Chinese shops.
Apart from that the card just write Happy Birthday.
I am from Hong Kong. You can ask your gf for some advice because it is part of the family. But keep it short and simple. The card is his parents. Why you want to say something about their daughter as well? If you are close enough with your GF and appear before the family together, you and your GF is a gift for them. Buy a basket of fruit in their house with decent presentation. It is a very common form of the present when you visit an older generation. They love it. Legacy values that you are on their date of birth and buy dinner or "yum cha" is much more than just a map with lots of good words in. It's about you and see how much you care about them .
Add the Chinese on the map of their surprise.
Because you want your girlfriend happy birthday mom, I would refrain from saying what the mother of a wonderful girl she has raised. Save this for the future if you propose marriage. Posted on March 9, 2010.
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