商務禮節美語第205期:Christmas in America美國聖誕節(上)

來自中國的僱員Dana跟同事Charlie聊天兒，說自己要去美國朋友家過聖誕節。
Dana: Hey Charlie, you're from Boston right?
C: Yeah, I'm from Newton. It's a suburb of Boston.
D: I'm going to be visiting your hometown for Christmas.
C: Really? Boston is beautiful at Christmas time. Maybe you'll get to experience a real white Christmas! Are you going there for business?
D: Actually, I was invited by an old friend of mine. He was an exchange student in Beijing in the 1980s. We've known each other for over 20 years now.
Dana要到Charlie的hometown家鄉，Boston去過聖誕節。波士頓是美國東北部的大城市，冬天經常下大雪，所以Charlie 說，Maybe you'll get to experience a real white Christmas. 沒準你能體驗一下真正的白色聖誕節呢！ Dana說，自己不是去波士頓出差，not for business, 而是去看一個認識很久的老朋友。
C: I see. So you're going to hang out with your friend for the holidays?
D: Yes, but I'm a little nervous.
C: Why would you be nervous?
D: Because I'm going to be staying with his family. I've never experienced an American Christmas. What if I say or do the wrong thing?
C: e's nothing to worry about. Christmas is a time of goodwill. People are supposed to forget about any differences and be nice to each other. Usually every one is in a really good mood.
跟老朋友hang out一塊兒過節，爲什麼還會緊張呢？原來，Dana擔心自己不瞭解過聖誕節的風俗，會說錯話，或是做錯事。
Charlie安慰她說，沒什麼可擔心的，因爲Christmas is a time of goodwill. 聖誕節是展現友好的時候。大家一般心情都很愉快、平和。Everyone is usually in a really good mood.
D: So give me a basic rundown. What are the Christmas traditions?
C: Each family is different, but basically you just go with the flow. If your friend's family is religious they might go to church on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.
D: I've never attended a church service sounds interesting.
C: The singing and music can be quite beautiful, but many American families just hang around at home on Christmas - talking, watching TV, eating food and opening presents.
Dana讓Charlie給她簡單講講美國人過聖誕節都有哪些傳統，a basic rundown of the Christmas traditions. Rundown 每個家庭都不一樣，教徒一般聖誕前夜或是聖誕節早上會去教堂，但是很多美國家庭就待在家裏，聊天、看電視、吃東西、拆禮物。他建議Dana, Basically you just go with the flow. 客隨主便就對了。美國人過聖誕，還有哪些傳統呢？我們下星期繼續聽。