A new year might be a great time for a new you, but it’s also a great time for welcoming brand new people. Capalaba Park is starting off its relationship with those new little people just right with its Welcome to Babies event in a couple weeks.

New families will have a chance to get to know each other, to build a community and discover support. “The ceremony will welcome new babies to the community, connect new parents and provide important information on caring for babies,” said Michael Choi, Capalaba MP. “It will also be a great day of celebration. We’ll put families in touch with a variety of community and government support networks. Sometimes families need a hand when newborns arrive and this event is one way of giving parents information they can use.”

Parents who attend will get something to mark the occasion, too. Infants under 12 months will get a certificate and photo to remember the day by, and a small gift back. The center also hopes to bring together local businesses to put together a prize for one lucky family.

Lunar New Year celebrations are often a celebration of all things surrounding the Lunar New Year itself. Willowbrook Shopping Centre is going a step further with a celebration of all things China.

It’s not that the center is eschewing all the usual trappings — there will still be a lion dance and a lucky envelope giveaway — but it’s also bringing in other Asian-inspired ideas. Throughout January the center is holding a Zen Lounge where shoppers can relax in an eastern-inspired oasis. Over the course of the month, a series of information sessions will be held to cover Asian traditions and tourism, with snacks and drinks.

One of the topics that will be covered is Feng Shui. Shoppers who attend the session will learn more about Classical Feng Shui, harnessing Qi and harmonizing the forces of time and space. It sounds like a lot of fun, and the center is planning four sessions to accommodate the interest. Chinese Astrology will be covered in another heavily-scheduled session.

If shoppers enjoy the Lunar New Year celebrations so much that they want to take the plunge with a trip to China, there will be several sessions to accommodate them. They can learn about cruising the Yangtze & The Mekong, touring Indochina & China and traveling the Heart of Asia.

Now that one New Year has arrived, it’s just about time to celebrate another, the Chinese (or Lunar) New Year. This year it arrives Monday, January 23. In terms of marketing opportunities, we’re entering the big year – the year of the Dragon. Seriously, how much more fun is it to plan an event around the Dragon than the Rat or the Pig?

Scarborough Town Centre is ready with a two-day selection of events, having established a reputation as one of the premiere places to celebrate the Chinese New Year in the Greater Toronto Area.

“Scarborough Town Centre is delighted to host another Chinese New Year event in our dynamic, renovated Centre Court,” says Jai Lee, marketing director, Scarborough Town Centre. “Our celebration incorporates Chinese traditions with colourful, high-energy performances to deliver an experience the whole family can enjoy.”

The event is hosted in both Chinese and English to reach the widest range of shoppers it can. There will be lots to do, with interactive games, the always-crowd pleasing lion dance parade, thunder drums and a traditional eye-dotting ceremony.

Lucky shoppers may also get a visit from the God of Fortune, who will give out Li Si (“lucky money”) envelopes. They might be even more likely to see a little luck if they come out in red, a traditional color for the celebration. Sounds like this will be a celebration to remember.

It’s the start of a new year and the beginning of convention and awards season, so get your new calendars out and add a few dates.

Most urgently, this Friday is the deadline if you want to attend the NRF 101st Annual Convention & Expo and pay a reduced rate. After that you’ll be paying full door prices. These discounts apply to members and non-members alike, so don’t hold off.

Next up is February 17, the closing date for all entries for the BCSC 2012 Purple Apple Marketing Awards. Entries are open and presentations and mentoring opportunities are coming right up, so better get started (and if you feel like you’re experiencing deja vu, it’s because we mentioned this in our last newsletter – but so many of you were swamped with Christmas that we wanted to give you a reminder.)

Rounding out the rest of winter, the ICSC is offering its University of Shopping Centers once again on the campus of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania March 5 to 7. If you’re ready to improve your credentials and pick up some new skills, this is the place to be.

What does the start of a new year bring? New Year’s resolutions. And there’s simply no better way to keep a resolution than to share it with the folks who are willing to keep you accountable.

That’s what Oakbrook Center is doing for this year’s New Year, New You contest. To enter, shoppers can swing by the center’s Facebook page and Like the center. From there, they can choose their resolution of choice. The center offers a list of the usual suspects: stop smoking, lose weight, improve relationships and save money, and also a few that are getting more popular, like crossing items off the bucket list.

Once they pick one, they can share it with all their Facebook friends. The benefits are twofold: committing to a goal in front of one’s friends increases the chance to go through with it – and the post links back to the center, subtly.

With that commitment made, shoppers can enter to win prizes that will start the year off right: a trip for two to Canyon Ranch Hotel and Spa Miami Beach with spa sessions, shopping and plenty of relaxation. Runners up can take home monthly trips to the spa or $250 Shop Etc. gift cards.