Set meal sold in Beijing on Chinese New Year's Eve. (People's Daily Online/Xian Jiangnan)

The Spring Festival's footsteps are fast approaching. But for many Chinese who opted not to make their journey home due to the COVID-19 pandemic – whether for the first time or not – the joy of the festival this year might be mingled with a slight poignancy.

Some might breathe a sigh of relief as they don't need to make the annual pilgrimage to see unfamiliar relatives or to be pressured into getting married during the 7-day holiday. But one particular matter could still be a worry for some – namely, how to prep their dinner plans for Chinese New Year's Eve.

Some people have already looked to their partners, friends or roommates to plan something delicious in a shared dinner engagement. For those who can only make "dark cuisine", unappetizing cuisine that fails to live up to the holiday's reputation for sumptuous meals, they might just choose to order takeout dishes online instead and enjoy a stay-at-home feast.

Many Chinese supermarkets and restaurants, as well as e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and JD.com, have rolled out set meals for the New Year's Eve dinner, be it a finished or semi-finished meal, and catered towards any number of diners. With one simple click, people can order a wide range of dishes, skipping all the hassle of going out.

Choices on the menu are varied – there are not only eight traditional Chinese cuisines, but also foreign dishes such as Japanese cuisine, Korean hotpot and American steaks. Had enough of these traditional dishes? Some people are trying something creative this time around, such as river snail and noodle-filled dumplings, the latest trend on the festival menu for Chinese people.

For singles or people less inclined to engage in a social event, a solo New Year's Eve dinner can also become a lavish party of one – other than cooking for themselves, they can also decide to order set meals designed especially for one, or buy ready-made hotpot ingredients or other semi-finished products.

Being alone doesn't mean having to be lonely. Whether you are going to partake in dinner plans on New Year's Eve with others or all by yourself, just be sure to enjoy it, because home, is wherever your heart is.