12-13 圣诞节我最想要的

All I Want for Christmas

 

I really like the Christmas season.

 

It is the one time of the year when I tend to put aside all the important things which are really not so important.

 

Yesterday,Judy asked me what I wanted for Christmas more than anything else. I thought for a minute or two but I was really unable to answer her question.

 

There was this elderly¹ gentleman that I met in the Glynn Place Mall last year. He and I sat on a wooden bench outside the KB Toys Store watching the kids as they ran wildly in and out of the store.

 

“Never got to do that kind of a thing when I was a kid. Never even got to pick out one single toy that I ever wanted,” he told me.

 

“How come?” I asked him.

 

“Family was just too poor. Never really even had a Christmas. Of course, that was even way before your time,” he told me, as he laughed.

 

“How come you never celebrated² Christmas?” I asked him.

 

“Oh, we had a small pine tree every year but that was about it. Made our own decorations and all that. But we never had a party or anything,” said the old man.

 

“What are you doing this year?” I asked him.

 

“Nothing special. Just me and my dog left now,” he told me.

 

“You're welcome to come as our guest, to the Christmas party at Sonny's Bar tomorrow night,” I said.

 

“That's awfully³ nice of you fellow. But I really don't want to impose⁴ on¹ anyone. The fact that you offered is more than enough,” he responded⁵.

 

I told him goodbye and I reached out and I shook his shaking old hand. Then I headed off to K-Mart where I picked up some last minute items⁶.

 

The next day it was a little bit cold and it was raining. Judy and I took our umbrellas,our gifts and our granddaughter, Chelsey, and at about 9:30p.m. we headed off to the Christmas party.

 

There were games, gifts, fun and food for all. Kathy, the hostess, always puts on quite a party for her employees⁷ and their families.

 

I sat there watching the children as they ran, and laughed, and clapped their little hands acting⁸ as if they had not a worry in the world.

 

“That's the way it is supposed to be for kids,” I said to myself.

 

As I was looking around the room I saw the same old man that I had met at the mall looking in the rain-soaked window.

 

I waved my hand at him and quickly stood up. Just as I headed towards the front door he disappeared from view. I walked around the waitress station as quickly as I could and then I ran outside into the rain, but he was nowhere to be found.

 

What do I want more than anything else this Christmas?

 

I want that 90-year-old gentleman to come to the Christmas party this year and feel that he is welcomed. I want to sit down and eat dinner with him. I would also like to give him the yo-yo, which I saw him admiring at KB Toys.

 

A gift which I bought for him last year.

 

注释：

1. impose on 打扰，麻烦

 

圣诞节我最想要的

 

我真的很喜欢圣诞节。

　　一年中惟有在这个节日里，我会把所有看似重要其实并不那么重要的事情放置一边。

　　昨天，朱迪问我圣诞节最想要什么。我想了一两分钟，但我真是无法回答她的问题。

　　我去年在格林区购物中心遇见了一位年迈的先生。他和我坐在KB玩具店外面的木长椅上看孩子们异常兴奋地跑进跑出。

　　“我小时候可从没有逛过什么玩具店。从没有选过一件我想要的玩具，”他告诉我。

　　“怎么会呢?”我问他。

　　“家里真是太穷了。从没有过过圣诞节。当然，你们这一代之前的大多数家庭都是那样，”他笑着告诉我。

　　“你们怎么从不庆祝圣诞呢？”我问他。

　　“哦，我们每年倒是有一棵小小的松树，但仅此而已。自己做些装饰物，就这些。我们从没有什么晚会之类的，”老人说。

　　“您今年准备怎么过节？”我问他。

　　“没什么特别的。只剩下我自己和我的狗了，”他告诉我。

　　“欢迎您作为我们的客人，参加明晚在宝贝酒吧举行的圣诞晚会，”我说。

　　“你真是太好心了。但是我真的不愿打扰任何人。有你的邀请就够了，”他答道。

　　我跟他告别，伸出手握住他那苍老的手，感觉他的手在颤抖。后来我又去了凯玛特超市，买最后的几件东西。

　　第二天有点冷，还下起了雨。朱迪和我带上雨伞、礼物，还有我们的孙女切尔西，在大约晚上9点半的时候出门前去参加圣诞晚会。

　　这里给所有来宾准备了游戏、礼物、玩笑和食品。女主人凯西总能为她的雇员及其家人举办不一般的晚会。

　　我坐在那里，望着孩子们又是跑，又是笑，又是拍手，一副在这世界上没有一丝忧愁的样子。

　　“孩子就应该是这样，”我心中暗想。

　　就在我环视房间时，我看见在购物中心遇到的那位老人正透过被雨水打湿的窗户往屋内看。

　　我冲他招招手，然后赶紧起身。就在我朝前门走去时，他却从我的视线中消失了。我尽快绕过服务台，跑出门，站在雨中，但是哪里也没有他的影子。

　　今年的圣诞我最想要什么呢？

　　我最想要那位90岁的老先生过来参加圣诞晚会，让他感受到他是非常受欢迎的。我想要坐下来和他一起共进晚餐。我还想给他那个悠悠球，我看见他在KB玩具店前是那么羡慕地看着孩子们玩着。

　　那是我去年给他买的圣诞礼物。

 

 

1 elderly   

adj.年老的；年龄相当大的

参考例句：

• He is getting elderly.他逐渐变老了。
• The elderly man is quite energetic.这位上了年纪的老人仍精力充沛。

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 awfully   

adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地

参考例句：

• Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。
• I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

4 impose   

vt.把…强加于，加重…负担；征收(税款)

参考例句：

• Don't impose yourself on people who don't like you.不要硬缠着不喜欢你的人。
• I don't want to impose on you.我并不想打扰你。

5 responded   

回答，回报，响应( respond的过去式和过去分词 )； 有反应； 有效果； 有影响

参考例句：

• Most of the staff who responded to the questionnaire were supportive. 回答了问卷的职员大多数表示支持。
• She responded to the news by bursting into tears. 她听到那个消息后眼泪夺眶而出。

6 items   

n.物料项目 （任何一种自制或采购的零部件或组装件，如最终产品、部件、子部件、零件或原材料）；条( item的名词复数 )；一项；一则；一件商品（或物品）

参考例句：

• Bulky items will be collected separately. 大件物品将分开收集。
• Customers with ten items or less can use the express lane. 购买十件商品以内的顾客可使用快速购物通道。

7 employees   

n.雇工，雇员( employee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She is always polite and considerate towards her employees. 她对待雇员总是客客气气，关心体谅。
• The company has a strict dress code—all male employees are expected to wear suits. 公司有严格的着装规定—所有男职员都要穿西服。

8 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。