For English children, Christmas begins in October when most English children write their Christmas lists to Father Christmas. Shops begin selling Christmas items in November or even earlier!

　　对英国的小孩子们来说，圣诞节开始于十月份，那时他们开始写下给圣诞老人的自己想要的礼物清单。商店也在十一月份甚至更早的时候就开始贩卖圣诞商品。

　　English houses are decorated two weeks before Christmas Day. The tree is decorated with tinsel, twinkling fairy lights, tartan ribbons and baubles. The home is usually decorated with statues of Father Christmas, holly wreaths ... etc. at the windows.

　　圣诞节前的两个礼拜，人们开始布置房子，并以金丝、闪亮的彩色小灯、方格花纹缎带和一些小装饰品来装点圣诞树。除了圣诞树外，人们还会用圣诞老人、圣诞花环等饰品装饰屋子的窗户。

　　English families leave a mince pie and some milk for Father Christmas on the table before going to bed.

　　英国的家庭会在睡前在桌上放置肉馅饼和牛奶给圣诞老人。

　　On Christmas Day morning children rush into their parents bedrooms and drag their parents downstairs to the living room where a stack of Christmas paper wrapped presents lie under the tree, in stockings or in sacks.

　　圣诞节当天早上小孩子迫不及待地去父母房间叫醒他们，然后到楼下的客厅打开放在长袜或麻布袋中的圣诞礼物。

　　Relatives arrive around lunchtime and hand out their presents until Christmas dinner begins.

　　亲戚们通常在午餐时间到达并奉上他们的礼物，和父母们聚会直到晚餐开始。

　　For Christmas dinner, prawn cocktail is eaten for starters, then Turkey and cranberry sauce and then for pudding we have Christmas pudding or Christmas cake.

　　圣诞晚餐常以大虾冷盘作为开始， 然后是火鸡搭配蔓越莓酱汁，最后甜点是圣诞布丁或蛋糕。

　　HM Elizabeth II's speech is at 3:00 and then the family, usually, all plays charades or any board game.

　　伊莉莎白女皇二世会在下午三点发表演说，然后全家人通常会聚集在一起玩玩猜字谜游戏和一些棋盘游戏。

　　After Christmas the shops are full of people buying things for next Christmas in the famous JANUARY SALES.

　　圣诞节之后就是著名的一月大拍卖，商店中挤满了购买明年圣诞节商品的人。

　　The tree and decorations are unwillingly taken down two weeks after Christmas Day, as it is considered bad luck if they are up longer.

　　圣诞树和其他的装饰品会在圣诞节的两个星期后被依依不舍地拿下，因为英国人相信如果这些装饰品挂太久会招来不幸。

　　(文/杨晓元；英语辅导报初中教师版04~05学年第26期；版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。)