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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.
聖誕節又要到了，這不禁讓我想起了與外婆度過的最後一個聖誕節。外婆是在零六年二月四日由於卵巢癌迅速擴散而離開我們的。二零零五年的十二月，我們全家人聚在一起和她慶祝了那個難忘的聖誕節。我從小是外婆一手帶大的，可以說她是我生活中十分重要的一部分。在和她一起慶祝最後一個聖誕節的時候，即使是在她告訴我以後再也不能陪我一起過聖誕節的時候，我都不願去相信。
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.
花花綠綠的包裝紙裡裹滿了禮物，聖誕樹依然被裝飾地和兒時的我看到的一樣漂亮。聖誕是一個能夠讓我安下心來去慶祝的節日，因為外面實在太寒冷了，而我又處在一個活蹦亂跳的年齡，平時總是喜歡多一些去親近大自然的。可一到了冬天，糟糕的天氣就成了我的監獄長，把我嚴防死守起來，讓我老老實實地呆在家裡。而聖誕節最讓我開心的就是全家人聚在廚房裡准備聖誕晚宴了，通常之後的兩個星期都不用再做飯了！爐子散發著熱滾滾的氣流，烤箱裡飄出誘人的氣味，大家就在這樣的氣氛裡聊著那些溫馨的、激動的故事。
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.
這一年的聖誕夜，我們依然和往常一樣煮飯、包禮物、講故事，但是這一次，外婆沒有加入我們，她太累了，以致於有很多爸爸小時候的窘事都沒能講給我們聽。
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，大家開始坐在聖誕樹下拆禮物。媽媽在為大家拍照，外婆慈祥地對著我微笑，這是我永遠也無法忘記的畫面。有段時間我甚至迷惘，外婆的笑容是不是在告訴我在今後的日子裡要樂觀地面對一切。
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.
對於我來說，這是一個寒冷孤獨的聖誕節。但卻讓我意識到了生命是多麼的寶貴。一味地被溫暖的春天、綠樹紅花包圍著又怎能體會到真正的人間冷暖？我始終相信外婆會永遠和我在一起。聖誕節讓我明白了珍惜現有。愛、生命、快樂都是需要我們永遠珍惜的，不能忘懷的。它們是上帝賜予我們的禮物，自此，我對聖誕節有了新的理解。
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