聚会举办人的心声

又是一年寒假结束时，此刻的你们应该都已经返校或者在公司上班了，度过了一个欢乐祥和的春节，你们是否也和本文主人公一样，带着些许疲惫，带着些许感恩呢？不管怎么样，过好每一天，爱身边的人，像向日葵一样快乐吧。

I believe that if youre the person in your family who arranged for and executed the celebration this past holiday season， well， youre probably still tired. You may be wondering why you spent so much on presents， why you had to have your house just right， why you had friends over for drinks when you were already weary and worn out. You may be thinking that youre getting too old for all of this or you may be thinking youre too young.

在刚刚过去的这个假期季节里，如果你是家里安排和举办假日庆祝活动的那个人，那么，我相信或许现在的你还感觉很疲惫。你或许正疑惑，为什么你要在礼物上花费那么多，为什么你要把家里装扮得有节日气氛，为什么你要在自己已经很疲倦甚至是疲惫不堪的时候还邀请朋友来家里喝一杯。你或许正在想，自己已经太老了，不适合再举办这些活动；又或者你认为自己还太年轻。

If you know what Im talking about， youre probably your familys Designated Celebrator—that is， the one who sees to it that a holiday actually happens in the lives of your loved ones.

After New Years， I was sitting at the breakfast table in a 1）stupor. My husband asked if I was all right.

“Im exhausted，” I answered. “Im totally exhausted.”

He looked puzzled. “Why do you do this to yourself every year？”

I have to admit that part of what I do around the winter holidays seems almost 2）involuntary， innate. Its as if Im driven by the ancient need to mark the darkness of winter with my little bit of light.

My answer to my husbands question is that I believe one of the most important things I can do while Im on this planet is honor those I love through celebrations， and the older I get， the more I believe it.

When my children were small， their father lost his job. It took a decade to recover emotionally and financially. Hot water and electricity were luxuries that werent always available； meals were a challenge. I tried to hide it from them， but I was constantly afraid of losing our home. Those celebrations were so sparse， the future so uncertain， that the ground seemed to be shifting beneath us.

如果你知道我在说什么，你或许就是你家里指定的庆祝活动举办人——也就是那个负责确保让你所爱的人可以实实在在过一个节日的人。

元旦之后那天，我呆坐在餐桌旁。我丈夫问我是否不舒服。

“我好累啊，”我回答道，“我快累死了。”

他看上去很困惑。“你为什么每年都这么折腾自己？”

我不得不承认，冬季假日里我做的事情，几乎是出于本能的、自然而然的。就像是受原始需求的驱使，要以我自己的微光，照亮阴暗的冬日。

我这样回答我的丈夫：我认为我有生之年所能做的最重要的事情之一，就是通过操持这些活动向那些我爱的人表示尊敬和喜爱。年纪越大，我对这一点越深信不疑。

我的孩子还小的时候，他们的父亲失业了。我们花了十年的时间才从经济上和精神上恢复过来。那段时间，有时家里连热水和电都没有，它们成了奢侈品，温饱更是一个挑战。我极力不让他们察觉，但是我总是害怕失去我们的家。庆祝活动在那时候少之又少，未来这么渺茫，脚下地面都似乎在摇晃。

So now， celebrations mean that much more to me. This year， I 3）polished the silver， lit the candles， made sure a sprig of holly was carefully 4）tacked above every window； I served a $12 bottle of wine instead of a $7 one； I bought lamb chops instead of a roast—little things， just so wed remember this day， this night.

I believe that in this world there is and always has been so much sadness and sorrow， so much uncertainty， that if we didnt set aside time for 5）merriment， gifts， music and laughter with family and friends， we might just forget to celebrate all together. Wed just 6）plod along in life.

I believe in the importance of celebrations. As my familys Designated Celebrator， I may be tired and I may not have done all that I set out to do， but I believe that this year， I celebrated the ones I love， and I hope with all my heart that I celebrated them well.

所以现在，庆祝活动对于我来说意义重大。今年，我擦亮所有银器，点亮蜡烛，确保每一扇窗户都钉上了一小枝冬青；我为大家准备12美元而非7美元一瓶的酒；我买了羊排而不是烤肉。虽然这些都是小细节，但正是这么做，我们才会记住这一天，这一晚。

我认为这个世界上，有着也总是会有许多的忧愁和悲伤，许多的未知，如果我们不花点时间和我们的家人和朋友一起嬉戏玩乐、互赠礼物、享受音乐和尽情欢笑，我们或许把聚会这事全忘光了。那样，我们就只是在生命旅途中沉重而无趣地前行。

我确信庆祝活动的重要性。作为家里指定的聚会举办者，我或许会感觉到疲惫，或许会无法完成我计划的所有事情。但是我相信，今年，我和所有我爱的人同欢共乐，我衷心祝愿所有我爱的人。