又中又英 | Tis the season to be jolly | 褚简宁

　　It will soon be Christmas. That means ‘tis the season to be jolly. ‘Tis is short for it is. People in the West often say ‘tis the season to be jolly when Christmas and the New Year approach.  To be jolly means to be happy and cheerful. Christmas is the best time of year for me. I have already started my annual ritual of listening to Christmas carols. The word “ritual” used this way means doing something in the same way every time. Drinking English breakfast tea with breakfast is part of my morning ritual. An annual ritual means doing the same thing in the same way every year.

　　I loved the trappings of Christmas when I lived in the US. The word “trappings” means all the things that are part of a particular event or situation. The trappings of Christmas are all the things typical of Christmas. Decorating the Christmas tree, exchanging presents, eating turkey, listening to carols, watching the movie A Christmas Carol based on the novel by Charles Dickens, and hoping for a white Christmas are the trappings of Christmas for me. A white Christmas means snow during Christmas.

　　It is hard to be jolly this Christmas season when the tragic deaths of at least 160 people in the Wang Fuk Court fire are still fresh in the minds of Hong Kong people. As a longtime journalist, I am supposed to be dispassionate (unemotional) when writing about tragic events. But that is impossible for me as a Hong Kong-born. Journalists have feelings too. Experts say it helps to put aside the tragedy without forgetting it and be jolly during Christmas. I think that is good advice.

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　　很快就到圣诞了，意味着这是欢乐的季节（‘tis the season to be jolly）。‘Tis是it is（这是）的简写。当圣诞和新年临近的时候，西方的人就常说‘tis the season to be jolly。To be jolly是指欢乐和愉快。对我来说，圣诞是一年中最美好的时候。我已经开始了我的annual ritual，听听圣诞颂歌。Ritual在这里是指每次都以同样的方式做某事。早餐时喝英式早餐茶，已是我每早的例行公事（ritual）。Annual ritual则是指每年仪式化地用相同的方式做相同的事。

　　当我住在美国的时候，我喜爱the trappings of Christmas－－trappings是指一个特定活动或处境的从属物，the trappings of Christmas就是典型圣诞的标志事物。对我来说，装饰圣诞树、交换礼物、吃火鸡、听圣诞颂歌、观赏由查尔斯．狄更斯小说改编而成的电影《圣诞颂歌》，以及期望有个白色圣诞（white Christmas），全都是the trappings of Christmas。A white Christmas就是圣诞期间下雪。

　　然而，宏福苑大火造成至少160人悲惨离世，这在香港人脑海中记忆犹新，实在很难在这圣诞时节欢乐（jolly）。担任新闻工作者多年，我要写一些惨痛的事件时，理应是冷静、不带情感的（dispassionate），但身为在香港出生的人，这是不可能的。新闻工作者也有感觉。专家们说，可以将惨剧放在一旁而不忘怀，圣诞期间仍要愉悦（jolly）。我认为这是个好提议。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻