天??！離圣誕節還有幾天？不要慌張，其實(shí)還有很長(cháng)時(shí)間。
A lot of us seem to lose sight of what the holidays really mean to us.
我們中很多人似乎忘記了節日的真正含義。
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.
對我而言，節日就是和家人一起度過(guò)，追憶逝去的時(shí)光以及期盼即將到來(lái)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.
如果你還沒(méi)來(lái)得及寄圣誕賀卡、做圣誕布丁甚至是裝扮你的房屋，冷靜下來(lái)，這并不是節日的所有。
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.
如果你感覺(jué)自己對這個(gè)節日準備得不夠好，那么你還可以通過(guò)一些事情來(lái)補救，享受一個(gè)歡樂(lè )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.圣誕聚會(huì )：在一個(gè)開(kāi)闊的房子舉辦。給那些你想在節日里見(jiàn)到的人發(fā)郵件或拿起電話(huà)打給他們。邀請他們在哪天來(lái)你家，要么定在這個(gè)周末或者下個(gè)周末，還可以直接拜訪(fǎng)。聚會(huì )應該是隨意、低調的。抽出下午幾個(gè)小時(shí)的時(shí)間（比如說(shuō)從1點(diǎn)到5點(diǎn)），保證他們可以根據自己的情況來(lái)安排來(lái)去的時(shí)間。盡量簡(jiǎn)單。沒(méi)有人會(huì )在意你是否準備了10份芝士盤(pán)和12種不同的餅干。只需擺出一些烘焙的食物、開(kāi)胃甜點(diǎn)、茶、咖啡、果汁、水就足夠了。
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：如果你通常只是準備能裝兩個(gè)冷凍室那么多的食物而且還需放進(jìn)烤箱烘焙，那么也別慌張。今年如果只能買(mǎi)烘焙食品來(lái)招待客人，也沒(méi)有人會(huì )小瞧你。據我所知，也沒(méi)有人會(huì )因為你是一個(gè)完美的小糕點(diǎn)師而給你頒發(fā)獎品。如果你還是想做一些食物，那么還是可以偷些懶。比如買(mǎi)些做好的蛋撻殼、調好比例的蛋糕粉或冷凍的餡餅皮。如果你仍舊堅持一切自己做,這樣吧，那就做些簡(jiǎn)單、省時(shí)的食物，再買(mǎi)其他的。我們家最喜歡的一道甜點(diǎn)就是花生醬棉花糖蛋糕（我們把做法中要求的核桃省去了），做法非常簡(jiǎn)單而且不費時(shí)。我知道這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.圣誕賀卡：現在買(mǎi)可能寄出去也晚了，除非你不介意他們在節后收到賀卡。更好的辦法是在聚會(huì )上、晚餐或其他場(chǎng)合當面交給他們。如果你準備在下周末或下下周末舉辦聚會(huì )，那么為什么不在客人離開(kāi)時(shí)把賀卡交給他們呢？你可能也像我一樣發(fā)愁賀卡里該寫(xiě)些什么。你想下寫(xiě)最好的節日祝福。嗯，記得上一次你收到賀卡時(shí)，你是怎么想的：“他們可以再用點(diǎn)心。”當然這不可能。所以不要長(cháng)篇大論了，內容簡(jiǎn)潔、中肯、真誠就好。我就按下面（可以有所改動(dòng)）這么寫(xiě)：
From our family to yours we wish you a very happy holiday and all the best in the new year.
我們全家送給你們的祝福，希望你們節日快樂(lè )，新的一年萬(wàn)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.裝飾：如果你還在進(jìn)行裝飾，那么也是來(lái)得及的。如果你沒(méi)法像往年一樣做所有的事情，請放心節假日的裝飾少通常就是多。挑選一些你喜歡的裝飾品，然后把它們放在一個(gè)最顯眼的地方。如果你還在忙著(zhù)找一個(gè)能工巧匠來(lái)確保節日裝飾的按時(shí)進(jìn)行，先想想自己能做些什么。你可以找一些玻璃球或塑料球（夠每個(gè)家庭成員使用即可），再找一只記號筆把每個(gè)人的名字寫(xiě)在球的正面，背面寫(xiě)上年份，然后再畫(huà)一個(gè)簡(jiǎn)筆樹(shù)或雪花就完成了。我們把它放在餐桌上作為名字牌，然后每個(gè)人可以把自己的名字牌拿回家掛在圣誕樹(shù)上。簡(jiǎn)單吧！
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.圣誕聚餐：這對某些人而言是件大事了。如果你對把自己在圣誕節一整天都關(guān)在廚房里做飯、打掃的想法感到難辦的話(huà)，以下是我的建議。
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.
提早準備。如果我要舉辦圣誕晚餐，我就會(huì )盡量提前做好大部分的準備工作。這包括做土豆泥、紅莓醬，準備好蔬菜（洗干凈并切好），擺餐桌還有打掃房子。在日子來(lái)臨前盡可能多的做好準備工作，這樣你就可以更多的享受25日的圣誕節了。
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.
家常便飯。如果你很難按時(shí)準備好，或者有太多的工作要完成，那么就讓他們自帶些食物。涼拌卷心菜、紅薯、紅莓醬、小面包、沙拉、派和甜點(diǎn)用的鮮奶油。他們當然樂(lè )意幫忙而且這也會(huì )大大減輕你的工作。
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.打掃衛生：人們來(lái)來(lái)去去，又是晚餐又是聚會(huì )，我知道你在想“我沒(méi)時(shí)間在大家來(lái)之前打掃好房子。” 還是那句老話(huà)，別慌張。一次只打掃一間屋子，然后在幾天前來(lái)個(gè)大掃除。整理好亂扔的東西把它們放回原處。裝一桶溫肥皂水，拿一塊柔軟的布徹底擦拭表面和小物件上的灰塵。如果你馬上有人來(lái)拜訪(fǎng)，那么注意他們目光停留最多的地方?？梢韵葟膹N房、洗手間、客廳、餐廳、家庭活動(dòng)室這些地方開(kāi)始。但別被這件事所困擾。正如愛(ài)爾瑪-彭蓓克所說(shuō)：
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
如果我能重新來(lái)過(guò)，即便地毯上有污漬、沙發(fā)褪了色，我也會(huì )邀請朋友們來(lái)吃晚餐。
聯(lián)系客服
