雙語閱讀：十件小時候討厭長大後喜歡的禮物
摘要： 成年人一定都經歷過對某些東西小時候十分討厭，但成年之後卻十分喜歡：蔬菜、小睡、無糖的玉米片。沒有什麼地方的改變會比聖誕節更明顯
A sure sign of adulthood is loving the things we hated as kids: vegetables, naps, and sugarless corn flakes. And now here is our evolving taste more evident than on Christmas, when we delight in gifts that our childhood selves would have thrown out the window. Here are the top 10 presents everyone hates as kids, but loves as adults:
1. Socks 襪子
When you’re a kid, receiving underwear on Christmas is akin to finding coal in one’s stocking. But as an adult, you can never have too many pairs, especially if they’re cable knit or decorated with fun patterns (and goodness knows we lose too many of them in the wash).
成年人一定都經歷過對某些東西小時候十分討厭，但成年之後卻十分喜歡：蔬菜、小睡、無糖的玉米片。沒有什麼地方的改變會比聖誕節更明顯，當我們還是孩子的時候會把喜歡的禮物拋向窗外。這裏有10種聖誕禮物是我們小的時候會討厭但長大了卻十分喜歡的。
當你是一個孩子的時候, 在聖誕節會尋找襪子在裏面發現內衣之類的禮物，但作爲成年人，你不可能有太多雙，特別是有着編制或者裝飾的樣式。(天之道我們失去了多少清洗它們的樂趣)
2. Board games 棋牌遊戲
十件小時候討厭長大後喜歡的禮物
At the risk of revealing our age, kids these days define board games as the things people played with before iPads were invented. And even when we were children, we’d bust out the special edition Monopoly sets only when it was raining outside and there was nothing showing on TV. But give us our very own Cranium or Settlers today, and you’ll be guaranteed an invite for New Year’s Eve.
在這個日趨透明的時代，孩子們對棋盤遊戲的定義是在平板電腦被髮明之前的事情了，甚至是當我們是孩子的時候，除非外面下雨或是電視當播放了其他的畫面，我們纔會去破解經典版的遊戲。但在我們“拋頭顱灑熱血”的今天，就會想在除夕夜被邀請一起遊戲。
3. Vouchers and gift cards 券、禮品卡
Nothing says FAIL like giving an 8-year-old a $100 voucher to Takashimaya. But we’ll happily accept one during an office-wide Christmas gift exchange, thank you very much.
沒人會說給一個8歲的孩子100元是不對的。但我們更樂意接受一個讓大家在聖誕夜交換禮物的邀請,並且會非常感謝。
4. Clothes 衣服
As children, we were far more likely to get excited over the boxes our clothes came in than in the clothes themselves. But if you know your friend’s taste and size, clothes are a pretty safe bet. Who knows? A slouchy sweater, a soft knit, or an oversized cardigan could become your friend’s next office staple.
當我們還是小孩子的時候,更讓我們興奮的只是禮物的漂亮包裝而非禮物本身。但是如果你知道你朋友的口味和尺寸,衣服是可以肯定的。誰知道呢?或許懶散的毛衣,柔軟的針織,一個超大號的開襟羊毛衫就會成爲你朋友的辦公室主要着裝了。
5. Pajamas 睡衣
Unless those pajamas were patterned with My Little Pony, our 8-year-old selves couldn’t be less thrilled with sleepwear. But as adults, we’re more than ready to upgrade from baggy T-shirts to the desperately cute (and well-crafted) jammies.
在我8歲的時候，睡衣上有小馬駒的圖案是我不得不激動的。但作爲成年人,我們則更喜歡非常可愛寬鬆的T恤和精心設計的優質的睡衣。
6. Food 食物
We will never say no to a gift of food, even if it’s our fifth log of cake in two weeks. Now that home cooking and artisanal desserts are in style, you can release your inner Martha Stewart by baking adorable Christmas treats and gifting them to your entire office. (Bonus points for including handwritten cards.)
我們永遠不會說什麼關於食物的禮物，即使你已經在這兩週內消化了第五塊蛋糕了。以現在家庭烹飪和手工甜點的風格,你可以釋放你內心的瑪莎?斯圖爾特,設計可愛的聖誕宴,贈送你的同事們。(手寫卡更會爲你加分哦)
7. Pillows, blankets, or bedsheets 枕頭、毯子、牀單
Generally, you only give pillows and blankets to babies, but we’ve definitely received boring, non-My Little Pony, non-Star Wars bedsheets as a present… and have been less than impressed. After a couple of decades, though, we’ve concluded that true love is a set of Egyptian Cotton sheets with a thread count of 1000.
一般來說,你只給嬰兒枕頭和毯子,我們也確實收到過無聊的小馬駒,戰爭牀單作爲禮物，還有很多甚至我們都沒什麼印象的。二十年後,我們得出的結論是,真正的愛是線程數爲1000的埃及棉牀單。
8. Bags 包
We’re torn on this one. On the one hand, what 8-year-old girl would say “NO” to a backpack with her favourite Disney characters on it? On the other hand, based on our own memories of childhood, that 8-year-old girl would appreciate an actual toy based on those Disney characters over the more practical knapsack. Nowadays, we’re far easier to please. You don’t even need to get us something with buckles. A simple canvastote bag is enough to make us excited for Monday morning again.
我們現在的揹包。一個8歲女孩會說她不喜歡迪斯尼人物的揹包嗎?另一方面,基於我們自己的童年的回憶,8歲女孩比起迪斯尼人物的玩具更喜歡帶有這些人物的揹包。現在,我們要簡單得多。你甚至不需要給我們一些釦子。一個簡單的帆布大手提袋足以在週一早上讓我們興奮了。
9. Stuffed animals 毛絨玩具
Stuffed animals are a hit or miss with kids. If they love your present, they’ll insist on taking it everywhere, including the toilet. The reality is, though, that they’ll disregard all of their other plush toys, meaning your present has a 99 percent chance of ending up in the bottom of their toy box. But now, queue at McDonald’s for three hours to give us the coveted Happy Meal Hello Kitty du jour, and we’ll immediately make it the queen of all our existing plush toys.
毛絨動物玩具是看你送的禮物成功與否的標誌。如果他們喜歡你的禮物,他們會堅持把它無處不在,包括廁所。但現實是,他們會無視他們所有的其他毛絨玩具,意味着你現在有99%的機會在他們的玩具盒的底部。但是現在,在麥當勞排隊3個小時給我們夢寐以求的開心樂園餐,我們會立關注她所有的玩具。
10. Books 書
In a perfect world, all kids would love to read. But let’s face it, only the most exceptional children would pay more attention to their awesome new books than to their awesome new Batman Lego sets. But with adults, you’ve got options. In addition to buying someone a novel, you can get them a cookbook, a hardcover “behind the scenes” guide to their favourite film, or a book of photography for their living room table. Just don’t buy anyone self-help books. You don’t want them to get the wrong idea.
在完美的世界裏,所有的孩子都愛讀。但是讓我們面對現實吧,只有最傑出的孩子會更加註意他們的新書多過他們的新蝙蝠俠集。但隨着我們的成長,你會有選擇。除了購買一些人的小說,可以送給他們一個食譜、他們最喜歡電影的“幕後花絮”、攝影集等，可放置在客廳桌子上。只是不要購買勵志的書，因爲不一定他們的想法一定是對的。
來自內心的禮物
The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.- Eric Hoffer
According to legend, a young man while roaming the desert came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet, he filled his leather canteen so he could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher.
世界上最難的算術題是如何清點我們的祝福。
據傳說，一個年輕的男子在漫遊沙漠途中看到一泉如水晶般清澈而可口的水。水的味道非常甜美，於是他灌滿了他的皮水壺，這樣就可以帶一些回去，送給曾經是他老師的部落長老。
After a four-day journey he presented the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student lavishly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart.
經過四天的旅程，他把水呈獻給老人。老人深飲一口，和藹地笑了笑，並深切感激學生贈予他甜美的水。年輕人懷着愉快的心情回到了村莊。
Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was awful. It apparently had become stale because of the old leather container.
後來，老師讓他的另一個學生品嚐水。學生吐了出來，說水太難喝了。它顯然已經因爲陳舊的皮革容器而變得不再新鮮。
The student challenged his teacher: "Master, the water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?"
學生質疑他的老師：“師父，水是臭的，你爲什麼要假裝喜歡它?”
The teacher replied, "You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and nothing could be sweeter."
老師回答說，“你只品嚐了水的味道，我卻是在品嚐禮物的味道。水僅僅是裝載善與愛之行爲的容器，而沒有什麼東西比善與愛更甜美了。”
I think we understand this lesson best when we receive innocent gifts of love from young children. Whether it's a ceramic tray or a macaroni bracelet, the natural and proper response is appreciation and expressed thankfulness because we love the idea within the gift.
我認爲當我們從天真的孩子們那裏收到愛的禮物時，能夠最透徹地明白這個道理。無論它是一個陶瓷托盤或通心粉手鐲，我們自然而恰當的反應是欣賞，並表示感激，因爲我們喜歡禮物所包含的心意。
Gratitude doesn't always come naturally. Unfortunately, most children and many adults value only the thing given rather than the feeling embodied in it. We should remind ourselves and teach our children about the beauty and purity of feelings and expressions of gratitude. After all, gifts from the heart are really gifts of the heart.
感恩並不總是自然而來的。不幸的是，大多數兒童和成人只看重被贈予的東西本身，而不是它體現的情誼。我們應該提醒自己，並教導我們的孩子，感情和對感激之情的表達是美麗而純潔的。畢竟，發自內心給與的禮物纔是真正的禮物。
