又中又英｜At lightning speed

It’s almost Christmas, my favourite time of year. I love the Christmas feel, listening to Christmas carols, and eating a turkey dinner. This year has gone by at lightning speed for me. The idiom “at lightning speed” means extremely fast. I still clearly remember last Christmas. I was in Taipei for an extended stay. Taiwan doesn’t have a Christmas feel. Some shopping malls and hotels have Christmas trees and play carols, but Christmas is not a holiday. I loved the Christmas feel when I lived in the US, especially when it snowed. A Christmas with snow is called a White Christmas.

I loved looking at houses lit up with Christmas lights, listening to Christmas carols, decorating the Christmas tree with family members, and eating turkey. Hong Kong, where I grew up, also has a good Christmas feel, but I avoid going there now. It is too crowded with tourists, especially from the mainland. I am in Taipei again this Christmas. Like last year, I will create my own Christmas feel with carols and a simple Christmas dinner with sliced turkey meat. My Hong Kong friends in Taipei, who own small businesses or have jobs, must work on Christmas Day.

I don’t mind being alone during festivals because I am a loner. A loner is a person who likes to be alone or do things without other people. I arrived in Taipei from the US a day before Thanksgiving and spent it alone. I will do the same for Christmas and New Year. I will likely spend Chinese New Year with Taipei friends before returning to Hong Kong. I like being with people, but also enjoy being a loner.

差不多到聖誕節了，我一年中最喜愛的時節。我喜愛聖誕的氣氛、聆聽聖誕頌歌，以及吃一頓火雞晚餐。對我來說這一年的過去是像閃電般飛快（at lightning speed）。成語“at lightning speed”是指極其快速。上一年的聖誕記憶猶新，當時我在台北，延長了逗留。台灣並沒有甚麼聖誕的感覺。一些商場和酒店會有聖誕樹和播聖誕歌，但聖誕並非法定假期。我喜愛我在美國居住時的聖誕氣氛，尤其是在它下雪的時候。有雪的聖誕就會叫做White Christmas ——白色聖誕。

我愛看那些亮着聖誕燈飾的房子，聆聽聖誕頌歌，與家人佈置聖誕樹，以及吃火雞。我成長的香港，同樣有不錯的聖誕氣氛，但我現在都避免去那兒了。它擠滿了遊客，尤其是從內地來的。今年的聖誕我又在台北度過了。像往年一樣，我會自己營造聖誕的氛圍，播些聖誕歌，及吃一頓有火雞肉片的簡單聖誕餐。我在台北那些經營小生意或有工作的香港朋友們，都需要在聖誕節當日工作。

我不介意大時大節自己一個，因為我是 a loner。A loner是獨來獨往的人，喜歡獨立做事或自己一個的人。我在感恩節之前一天從美國飛抵台北，也是一個人過感恩節。聖誕和新年我都會這樣做。我很可能跟台北的友人一起過農曆新年，然後才回香港吧。我喜愛與人共處，也享受孤身一人（a loner）。

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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻