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Editor: Kathryne Ogrod & Elsa Zhang
When I think about Christmas I remember the last Christmas I spent with my Grandmother. My Grandmother died February 4, 2006. On December 2005, my family got together to celebrate Christmas with her for the last time. My Grandmother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and it spread through her body so fast there was nothing anyone could do. My Grandmother raised me when I was younger and she has always been a very important part of my life. During that Christmas, even though she told me it was the last Christmas we would celebrate together, I did not want to believe her.
圣诞节又要到了，这不禁让我想起了与外婆度过的最后一个圣诞节。外婆是在零六年二月四日由于卵巢癌迅速扩散而离开我们的。二零零五年的十二月，我们全家人聚在一起和她庆祝了那个难忘的圣诞节。我从小是外婆一手带大的，可以说她是我生活中十分重要的一部分。在和她一起庆祝最后一个圣诞节的时候，即使是在她告诉我以后再也不能陪我一起过圣诞节的时候，我都不愿去相信。
Presents were wrapped in bright colored paper and a tree was decorated just as it had been decorated when I was a child. I have never enjoyed Christmas as much as other holidays because it is during a time when it is too cold to go outside. You should understand that I am a child of spring; I love to be out in nature surrounded by life and beauty with the warm sun softly kissing my skin. During the winter I am a prisoner with the harsh weather as my warden. The one part of Christmas I always enjoyed was when my family would get together in the kitchen and cook so much food the refrigerator would be full for the next two weeks! The kitchen would be alive with the heat of the stove, wonderful smells drifting from the oven, and everyone chattering about warm memories or exciting stories.
花花绿绿的包装纸里裹满了礼物，圣诞树依然被装饰地和儿时的我看到的一样漂亮。圣诞是一个能够让我安下心来去庆祝的节日，因为外面实在太寒冷了，而我又处在一个活蹦乱跳的年龄，平时总是喜欢多一些去亲近大自然的。可一到了冬天，糟糕的天气就成了我的监狱长，把我严防死守起来，让我老老实实地呆在家里。而圣诞节最让我开心的就是全家人聚在厨房里准备圣诞晚宴了，通常之后的两个星期都不用再做饭了！炉子散发着热滚滚的气流，烤箱里飘出诱人的气味，大家就在这样的气氛里聊着那些温馨的、激动的故事。
During this particular Christmas, we celebrated in the traditional way my family always celebrated Christmas. Cooking good food, wrapping beautiful presents, and telling stories of what we had been up to. But this time someone was missing. My Grandmother was too tired to get out of bed to help us cook or tell us stories about the trouble my father had gotten himself into as a child.
这一年的圣诞夜，我们依然和往常一样煮饭、包礼物、讲故事，但是这一次，外婆没有加入我们，她太累了，以致于有很多爸爸小时候的窘事都没能讲给我们听。
On Christmas morning, we all gathered in the living room to sit by the Christmas tree and open presents. My mother took pictures and my Grandmother smiled at me. I will never forget that moment. During a time when I was lost and confused, all it took was for my Grandmother to smile at me in order for me to remember that everything was going to be alright.
清晨，大家开始坐在圣诞树下拆礼物。妈妈在为大家拍照，外婆慈祥地对着我微笑，这是我永远也无法忘记的画面。有段时间我甚至迷惘，外婆的笑容是不是在告诉我在今后的日子里要乐观地面对一切。
For me, Christmas is a time of cold and isolation; however, this is not a bad thing. Sometimes it is necessary for us to go without for a little while in order to remind us how precious life is. If I was always surrounded by the warm spring weather, green trees, and beautiful flowers - how would I know how sacred these things really are? I know, even though she is not with me in this physical world she is still with me in spirit. Christmas is here to remind us all to treasure what we have while we still have it. Love, life, and happiness are all gifts that should be cherished and never forgotten. This is after all, the true meaning of Christmas.
对于我来说，这是一个寒冷孤独的圣诞节。但却让我意识到了生命是多么的宝贵。一味地被温暖的春天、绿树红花包围着又怎能体会到真正的人间冷暖？我始终相信外婆会永远和我在一起。圣诞节让我明白了珍惜现有。爱、生命、快乐都是需要我们永远珍惜的，不能忘怀的。它们是上帝赐予我们的礼物，自此，我对圣诞节有了新的理解。
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