Christmas is a festive time to relax, spend time with family and friends, and prepare the mesmerizing decorations!
在西方国家，圣诞节是一年一度的喜庆日子。人们休闲放松，与家人好友共度欢乐时光，还会置办绚丽迷人的圣诞装饰！
Christmas Trees
圣诞树
Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition in the 16th century when people brought decorated trees into their homes. It is a widely held belief that Martin Luther, the 16th-century Protestant reformer, first added lighted candles to a tree. Walking toward his home one winter evening, he was awed by the brilliance of stars twinkling amidst evergreens. To recapture the scene for his family, he placed a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles.
据说，圣诞树起源于16世纪的德国，那时候人们把挂着装饰的树放在室内。16世纪新教改革倡导者马丁?路德被认为是在树上挂蜡烛的第一人。在某个冬夜回家的路上，他看到常青树丛和点点繁星交相辉映，甚觉惊艳。为了与家人分享这一场景，他将一棵树搬到客厅，并用金属丝把点燃的蜡烛缠到树枝上。
Tree Lights
圣诞树灯饰
Like so many things electrical, the history of electric Christmas lights begins with Thomas Edison. During the Christmas season of 1880, Edison, who had invented the incandescent bulb the previous year, hung strings of electric lights outside his laboratory. It doesn't appear that Edison intended the lights to be associated with Christmas. Later, Edison’s close friend Edward Johnson transplanted the outdoor lights onto the Christmas tree to replace the dangerous candles. Johnson invited newspapers to report on his new creation. His Christmas tree lights became famous, and soon spread across America as electricity became widely available.
正如许多电气设备一样，圣诞树灯饰也和爱迪生有关。爱迪生在1879年发明了白炽灯泡。在1880年的圣诞季，他将一串串灯泡挂在实验室外。也许他并没有想过把电灯和圣诞节联系在一起，但是他的好友爱德华·约翰逊却把这些灯泡移到了圣诞树上，用来取代危险的蜡烛。约翰逊还请来了新闻记者报道他的创新举动。他的圣诞树灯饰为人所熟知，并随着电力的普及，在美国迅速流行开来。
Christmas Tinsel
圣诞彩条
Around 1610, tinsel was first invented in Germany made from genuine silver. Machines were invented that shredded silver into thin tinsel-sized strips. Silver tinsel tarnishes and loses its shine with time, eventually, artificial replacements were invented. The original inventor of tinsel remains unknown.
在1610年左右，德国人用真银造出了圣诞彩条。他们发明的机器能将银块切割成长条。因为银条会氧化，久而久之失去光泽，所以人造彩条应运而生。然而圣诞彩条的发明者到底是谁，仍然是个迷。
Christmas Sweaters
圣诞毛衣
Knitted sweaters have been around a very long time, however, there is one certain type of sweater that delights the westerners during the holiday season. With lots of red and green colors, and reindeer, Santa, and snowman decorations, the Christmas sweater is both loved and even despised by many. If you happen to be a fan of Harry Potter, you won’t forget the Weasley tradition of giving Ron a new Christmas sweater every year.
针织毛衣并不新奇，但是圣诞毛衣却能在圣诞季让西方人眼前一亮。这种毛衣以红绿色为主，上面常有驯鹿、圣诞老人和雪人的装饰图案，让人又爱又恨。如果你碰巧是哈利·波特的粉丝，那你一定不会忘记韦斯莱家族的传统：罗恩的妈妈每年都会送他一件新的圣诞毛衣。
Candy Canes
拐杖糖
The origin of the candy cane goes back over 350 years when candy-makers both professional and amateur were making hard sugar sticks. The original candy was straight and completely white in color.
拐杖糖的历史可以追溯到350多年前，那时无论是专业的制糖人还是业余爱好者都会把糖做成硬条状。最初的拐杖糖是直的，没有那一“拐”，而且是全白的。
VOCABULARY
mesmerizing: adj. 有吸引力的，迷人的
evergreen: n. 常绿树
incandescent bulb: 白炽灯泡
tarnish: v. 变色；失去光泽