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快乐的节日是给有准备的人

天啊!离圣诞节还有几天?不要慌张,其实还有很长时间。

A lot of us seem to lose sight of what the holidays really mean to us.

我们中很多人似乎忘记了节日的真正含义。

To me the holidays are about spending time with family, reflecting on what the past year has brought and what the new year has in store.

对我而言,节日就是和家人一起度过,追忆逝去的时光以及期盼即将到来的日子。

If you haven’t sent out your Christmas cards, made the Christmas pudding or even decorated your house yet (I haven’t), relax, that’s not what this is about.

如果你还没来得及寄圣诞贺卡、做圣诞布丁甚至是装扮你的房屋,冷静下来,这并不是节日的所有。

If you are feeling rather ill prepared for this holiday season there are still things you can do to pull it together and have a happy one.

如果你感觉自己对这个节日准备得不够好,那么你还可以通过一些事情来补救,享受一个欢乐假日。

1. Christmas party. Host an open house instead. Send an email or pick up the phone and call those people you wish to see over the holidays. Invite them to your house one day either this weekend or next and have a bit of a visit. Keep it informal and low key. Set aside a few hours in the afternoon (say 1pm-5pm) and make sure people know they can just come and go according to what time works best for them. Keep it simple. No one will care that you don’t have a 10 cheese platter with 12 types of crackers. Set out some baked goods, appetizers, tea, coffee, juice, water and you’re good to go.

1.圣诞聚会:在一个开阔的房子举办。给那些你想在节日里见到的人发邮件或拿起电话打给他们。邀请他们在哪天来你家,要么定在这个周末或者下个周末,还可以直接拜访。聚会应该是随意、低调的。抽出下午几个小时的时间(比如说从1点到5点),保证他们可以根据自己的情况来安排来去的时间。尽量简单。没有人会在意你是否准备了10份芝士盘和12种不同的饼干。只需摆出一些烘焙的食物、开胃甜点、茶、咖啡、果汁、水就足够了。

  
2. Baking. If you normally bake enough to fill your freezer twice over but have yet to fire up the oven, don’t panic. No one will think any less of you for buying your baked goods this year. As far as I know no one is handing out prizes for being the perfect little baker. If you still want to make a few goodies, try cheating when you can. Buy pre-made tart shells, cake mixes or frozen pastries. If you are still hung up on making things from scratch how about a compromise? Make things from scratch that are quick and easy and buy the rest. A favorite in my family is peanut butter marshmallow cake (minus the walnuts from this recipe). It’s super easy and takes no time at all. I know it’s not real baking but it’s close. 

2.烘焙:如果你通常只是准备能装两个冷冻室那么多的食物而且还需放进烤箱烘焙,那么也别慌张。今年如果只能买烘焙食品来招待客人,也没有人会小瞧你。据我所知,也没有人会因为你是一个完美的小糕点师而给你颁发奖品。如果你还是想做一些食物,那么还是可以偷些懒。比如买些做好的蛋挞壳、调好比例的蛋糕粉或冷冻的馅饼皮。如果你仍旧坚持一切自己做,这样吧,那就做些简单、省时的食物,再买其他的。我们家最喜欢的一道甜点就是花生酱棉花糖蛋糕(我们把做法中要求的核桃省去了),做法非常简单而且不费时。我知道这不算真正的烘焙食品,但也很接近了。

  
3. Christmas cards. By now it may be a little late to mail Christmas cards, unless you really don’t mind people receiving them after Christmas. A better idea is to hand deliver cards to those you’ll see at parties, dinners or other get togethers. If you are hosting an open house in the next weekend or two why not hand them out as your guests leave? If you’re anything like me you’ll agonize over what to write in the cards. You want to write the perfect holiday message. Well, when was the last time you received a card and thought, “hmmm well they could have put in a bit more effort”? Likely never. So don’t get hung up on what to say keep it short, to the point and mean it. The following (and slight variations of it) always works for me:

3.圣诞贺卡:现在买可能寄出去也晚了,除非你不介意他们在节后收到贺卡。更好的办法是在聚会上、晚餐或其他场合当面交给他们。如果你准备在下周末或下下周末举办聚会,那么为什么不在客人离开时把贺卡交给他们呢?你可能也像我一样发愁贺卡里该写些什么。你想下写最好的节日祝福。嗯,记得上一次你收到贺卡时,你是怎么想的:“他们可以再用点心。”当然这不可能。所以不要长篇大论了,内容简洁、中肯、真诚就好。我就按下面(可以有所改动)这么写:

From our family to yours we wish you a very happy holiday and all the best in the new year.

我们全家送给你们的祝福,希望你们节日快乐,新的一年万事如意。

  
4. Decorations. If you have yet to decorate there is still time for that as well. If you don’t have the time to do everything you usually do each year, rest assured that less is usually more when it comes to decorating for the holidays. Just because you have the decorations doesn’t mean they need to be out. Pick and choose which decorations you love and put them in a place to best show them off. If you’re still looking for a craft to do in time for the holidays, consider doing what we did. Find some glass or plastic balls (enough for everyone in your family). Using a metallic marker write your name across the front and the year on the back. Draw a simple tree or snowflake and you’re done. We’re using these as name tags on our dinner table and afterwards everyone can take theirs home to hang on their tree. Easy!
  

4.装饰:如果你还在进行装饰,那么也是来得及的。如果你没法像往年一样做所有的事情,请放心节假日的装饰少通常就是多。挑选一些你喜欢的装饰品,然后把它们放在一个最显眼的地方。如果你还在忙着找一个能工巧匠来确保节日装饰的按时进行,先想想自己能做些什么。你可以找一些玻璃球或塑料球(够每个家庭成员使用即可),再找一只记号笔把每个人的名字写在球的正面,背面写上年份,然后再画一个简笔树或雪花就完成了。我们把它放在餐桌上作为名字牌,然后每个人可以把自己的名字牌拿回家挂在圣诞树上。简单吧!

  
5. Christmas dinner. Okay this is a biggie for some people. If you cringe at the thought of spending the entire day of Christmas in the kitchen cooking and cleaning I have a few suggestions for you to consider.

5.圣诞聚餐:这对某些人而言是件大事了。如果你对把自己在圣诞节一整天都关在厨房里做饭、打扫的想法感到难办的话,以下是我的建议。

Make ahead. If I’m hosting Christmas dinner I try and get as much of the work done ahead of time. This includes making the mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, preparing the vegetables (wash and cut), and also setting the table and cleaning the house. Doing as much as you can before the actual day, will make for a much more enjoyable 25th.

       提早准备。如果我要举办圣诞晚餐,我就会尽量提前做好大部分的准备工作。这包括做土豆泥、红莓酱,准备好蔬菜(洗干净并切好),摆餐桌还有打扫房子。在日子来临前尽可能多的做好准备工作,这样你就可以更多的享受25日的圣诞节了。

Make it a potluck. If you are running short on time or have a committed yourself to a lot of activities ask others to bring something for the dinner. Coleslaw, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls, salad, pies and whipped cream for dessert. People will be honored to help out and it will lighten your load considerably.

       家常便饭。如果你很难按时准备好,或者有太多的工作要完成,那么就让他们自带些食物。凉拌卷心菜、红薯、红莓酱、小面包、沙拉、派和甜点用的鲜奶油。他们当然乐意帮忙而且这也会大大减轻你的工作。

6. Cleaning. With all the coming and going, dinners and parties I hear you thinking “I’ll never have time to clean the house before everyone gets here”. Again, don’t panic. Focus on one room at a time and do a thorough clean a few days before. Gather up items that don’t belong and return them to where they do. Fill a tub with warm soapy water and use a soft cloth to wipe down surfaces and nick-nacks to remove any of the dust. If you are having people over on short notice focus on areas that they will most likely be looking at. Kitchen, bathroom, living room, dining room, and family room are good places to start. Don’t become obsessed with it though. In the words of Erma Bombeck:
  

6.打扫卫生:人们来来去去,又是晚餐又是聚会,我知道你在想“我没时间在大家来之前打扫好房子。” 还是那句老话,别慌张。一次只打扫一间屋子,然后在几天前来个大扫除。整理好乱扔的东西把它们放回原处。装一桶温肥皂水,拿一块柔软的布彻底擦拭表面和小物件上的灰尘。如果你马上有人来拜访,那么注意他们目光停留最多的地方。可以先从厨房、洗手间、客厅、餐厅、家庭活动室这些地方开始。但别被这件事所困扰。正如爱尔玛-彭蓓克所说:

If I had to life my live over: I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded. – Erma Bombeck

如果我能重新来过,即便地毯上有污渍、沙发褪了色,我也会邀请朋友们来吃晚餐。

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