Decorating for Chinese New Year

While my mom was here, we visited Chinatown and saw a shop filled with Chinese decorations. Normally we would pass right by, but with Chinese New Year just around the corner, we went inside and picked out a couple items for the house. Elizabeth claimed a red floral decoration for her bedroom and I bought two paper pineapples. I hung them outside our front door today and then decided I should figure out exactly what these pineapples were supposed to offer our house. If they promised fertility, those fruits would have been promptly removed! After a little research, I found that pineapples symbolize "fortune coming." I suppose it can't hurt to keep them hanging for awhile and see how the Year of the Tiger goes for the Deans.