WHEN CHRISTMAS COMES

WHEN CHRISTMAS COMES
I don’t want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need
I don’t care about the presents
Underneath¹ the Christmas tree
—“All I Want for Christmas Is You”
My mother added a leaf to her tiny wooden table, making it almost family-sized for theday. With a few simple decorations, the table became the festive² centerpiece, along with aCharlie Brown-ish tree, of an otherwise makeshift furnished living room in the run-downhouse where the two of us lived. Despite our circumstances, my mother wanted us to havea “wonderful life.”
The days leading up to Christmas were an event. My mother always kept an Adventcalendar. We would open a new flap each day. I’d read the portion of a story or a poemprinted there, and she would give me the chocolates hidden inside. The mulled wine shemade camouflaged³ the dankness of the house with a warm spicy⁴ aroma⁵. I was well awarewe didn’t have much money, so while I never really anticipated getting any extravagantpresents or popular toys, I loved that we’d make an effort to get into the spirit and do whatwe could to create an ambiance of joy and jubilance. We’d clean up, we’d decorate, and ofcourse we would sing. Christmas carols sung in my mother’s operatic voice brought afeeling of spaciousness⁶ to our cramped⁷ daily existence.
Mother wasn’t much of a cook, but for Christmas dinner she tried—we both tried. Wetried to put all the trauma⁸ and drama that infected the rest of our lives on hold and justhave a peaceful Christmas meal. Too much to ask? I think not. I was a child craving⁹ achildhood, in a house filled with disappointment and pain.
Throughout the years, my sister and brother would rarely communicate all year, letalone come to visit where my mother and I were living. Christmas was one rare occasionwhen we would all be together under one rickety roof. The four of us would sit around thetable, eyes avoiding eyes, often unable to talk, clogged¹⁰ up by all the things none of us hadlanguage for. I was very young and had not yet accumulated enough of a past to be brokenby it. My siblings¹¹ and my mother wouldn’t communicate for most of the year, so byChristmas dinner my brother and sister would come stuffed with hurt and anger, starvingfor attention. Eventually, inevitably¹², they would all explode in a torrent¹³ of verbal abuse. Iwould sit there in the center of the chaos¹⁴, crying and wishing: wishing they would stopscreaming, wishing my mother could stop them from screaming and cursing. Wishing Icould be somewhere safe and merry—somewhere that felt like Christmas.
My sister and brother clearly couldn’t stand each other, but their deep resentmenttoward me was a constant, silent menace simmering right below the surface. I was thethird and youngest child, and our parents were divorced by the time I was three. I waswhat they considered a golden child: lighter¹⁶ hair, lighter skin, and a lighter spirit. I livedwith our mother, and they were exiled from each other and us. They existed in a differentkind of pain, absorbing whatever hostility¹⁷ under-loved, troubled, mixed kids do in anyneighborhood, Black or white. I believed they believed I was passing. There I was withmy blondish hair, living with our white mother, in what they considered a safe whiteneighborhood. Their resentment¹⁵ toward me was perhaps the one thing they had incommon; they seemed bound in that bitterness. I actually understood why they were angryand hateful toward me, but at the time, I couldn’t fathom¹⁸ why every year, they just had toruin Christmas.
But my wishing was more powerful than their pain. I wished with exuberance¹⁹. I setabout creating my own little magical, merry world of Christmas. I focused on all thethings my mother struggled to create; all I needed was a shower of glitter and a full churchchoir to back me up. My imaginary Christmas was filled with Santa Claus, reindeer,snowmen, and all the bells and trimmings a little girl’s dreams could hold. And I lovedcontemplating a sweet baby Jesus, taking in the powerful joy the true spirit of the seasonbrings.
Not every Christmas was ruined by my family.
My mother was culturally open when I was young and had a diverse group of friends. Iremember I had a friend—let’s call her Ashley—whose mother was gay (Ashley had noclue). My mother was very matter of fact: “Ashley’s mom is gay, and she lives with herpartner.” No big deal. And it really wasn’t. Two of my favorite people were my guncles(gay uncles), Burt and Myron. They were wonderful, and so was their home. It wasn’t agrand spread, but theirs was a charming midsized brick house set back on a sweet piece ofwooded land. Wild raspberries grew in the backyard, and they had a golden Labradornamed Sparkle. When they traveled, my mother and I would house-sit for them. I reveledin the cleanliness and comfort.
Burt was a schoolteacher and photographer, and Myron was, as he put it, a “stay-at-home wife.” Myron was a vision. He wore a perfectly²⁰ coiffed beard and his hair wasalways blown out in cascading²¹ layers, which he would finish off with a shimmeringfrosting spray. He was perpetually tanned and sashayed around the house in spectacularmulticolored silk caftans. Burt would bring me out in their yard to take photos of me (Ijust adored showing off in front of a camera), and he totally encouraged my exaggeratedposes. He fully²² supported and understood my propensity²³ for extraness.
I distinctly remember one Christmas photo session we staged. I was dressed up in agreen dress with flowers, and, as a special Christmas miracle, I had decent-looking bangs.
I pretended to be placing an ornament²⁴ on the tree as I coyly looked back over my shoulderand Burt snapped the picture: fashion-feature festive.
I enjoyed Burt and Myron’s lovely, cozy²⁵ little home year-round, but especially atChristmastime. They put so much care and personality into preparing for the season. Thehouse would be perfectly clean, and there would be pretty decorations, precisely²⁶ placed,and a fire roaring in the fireplace. The house smelled like a new oven with somethingroasting inside; they always had little savory²⁷ morsels²⁸ to nibble²⁹ and served fancy drinkslike brandy Alexanders. I remember being stuck at their house one holiday during an icestorm, which I hoped would never end. Burt and Myron gave me my first taste of what ahomey Christmas really felt like. They provided an example of a homey lifestyle ingeneral.
My guncles supported the showgirl in me. Whenever I wanted to put on my own littleproduction (which was frequently), they would pay full attention to me. They never triedto tame my over-the-top imagination. It was from my little girl’s spirit and those earlyfantasies of family, and friendship, that I wrote “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Thinkof how it begins: ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding?… the delicate chimes arereminiscent of those little wooden toy pianos, like the one Schroeder had on Peanuts.
I actually did bang out most of the song on a cheap little Casio keyboard. But it’s thefeeling I wanted the song to capture. There’s a sweetness, a clarity, and a purity to it. Itdidn’t stem from Christian³⁰ inspiration, although I’ve certainly sung and written from thatsoulful and spiritual perspective. Instead, this song came from a childlike space; when Iwrote it, at twenty-two years old, I wasn’t that far away from being a child. I recorded anentire Christmas album, which was a risk. You just didn’t see Christmas videos on MTVback then. In fact, it was almost unheard of for anyone—let alone such a young singer, soearly in her career—to write and record an original Christmas song that was a legit smashhit.
Though I was accessing the private dream world of my childhood in the song, I wasn’tin the happiest place when I wrote it. My life had changed so quickly, yet I still felt lost,wandering the wild borderlands between childhood and adulthood³¹. My relationship withTommy Mottola, who would eventually become my first husband (and so much more) wasalready getting weird³², and we weren’t even married yet. But to his credit as the head of myrecord label, he encouraged me to make my first Christmas album, Merry Christmas.
I was feeling nostalgic too. I’ve always been a tragically³³ sentimental³⁴ person, andChristmastime embodies³⁵ that sentimentality for me. I wanted to write a song that wouldmake me happy and make me feel like a loved, carefree young girl at Christmas. I alsowanted to deliver it like the greats I grew up idolizing—Nat King Cole and the JacksonFive—who had tremendous Christmas classics of their own. I wanted to sing it in a waythat would capture joy for everyone and crystallize it forever. Yes, I was going for vintageChristmas happiness. I also believe that somewhere inside I knew it was too late to givemy brother and sister peace, and my mother her wonderful life, but I could possibly givethe world a Christmas classic instead.

1 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

2 festive   

adj.欢宴的，节日的

参考例句：

• It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood.当时是圣诞节，每个人都沉浸在节日的欢乐中。
• We all wore festive costumes to the ball.我们都穿着节日的盛装前去参加舞会。

3 camouflaged   

v.隐蔽( camouflage的过去式和过去分词 )；掩盖；伪装，掩饰

参考例句：

• We camouflaged in the bushes and no one saw us. 我们隐藏在灌木丛中没有被人发现。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• They camouflaged in bushes. 他们隐蔽在灌木丛中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 spicy   

adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的

参考例句：

• The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。
• Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。

5 aroma   

n.香气，芬芳，芳香

参考例句：

• The whole house was filled with the aroma of coffee.满屋子都是咖啡的香味。
• The air was heavy with the aroma of the paddy fields.稻花飘香。

6 spaciousness   

n.宽敞

参考例句：

• A high ceiling gives a feeling of airness and spaciousness. 天花板高给人一种通风和宽敞的感觉。
• The tremendous spaciousness of it was glowing with rich gold. 苍茫辽阔的景色染上了一片瑰丽浓艳的金黄色。

7 cramped   

a.狭窄的

参考例句：

• The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤，但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。
• working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作

8 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

9 craving   

n.渴望,热望

参考例句：

• a craving for chocolate 非常想吃巧克力
• She skipped normal meals to satisfy her craving for chocolate and crisps. 她不吃正餐，以便满足自己吃巧克力和炸薯片的渴望。

10 clogged   

（使）阻碍( clog的过去式和过去分词 )； 淤滞

参考例句：

• The narrow streets were clogged with traffic. 狭窄的街道上交通堵塞。
• The intake of gasoline was stopped by a clogged fuel line. 汽油的注入由于管道阻塞而停止了。

11 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

12 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

13 torrent   

n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发

参考例句：

• The torrent scoured a channel down the hillside. 急流沿着山坡冲出了一条沟。
• Her pent-up anger was released in a torrent of words.她压抑的愤怒以滔滔不绝的话爆发了出来。

14 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

15 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

16 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

17 hostility   

n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争

参考例句：

• There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
• His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。

18 fathom   

v.领悟，彻底了解

参考例句：

• I really couldn't fathom what he was talking about.我真搞不懂他在说些什么。
• What these people hoped to achieve is hard to fathom.这些人希望实现些什么目标难以揣测。

19 exuberance   

n.丰富；繁荣

参考例句：

• Her burst of exuberance and her brightness overwhelmed me.她勃发的热情和阳光的性格征服了我。
• The sheer exuberance of the sculpture was exhilarating.那尊雕塑表现出的勃勃生机让人振奋。

20 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

21 cascading   

流注( cascade的现在分词 )； 大量落下； 大量垂悬； 梯流

参考例句：

• First of all, cascading menus are to be avoided at all costs. 首先，无论如何都要避免使用级联菜单。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Her sounds began cascading gently. 他的声音开始缓缓地低落下来。

22 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

23 propensity   

n.倾向；习性

参考例句：

• He has a propensity for drinking too much alcohol.他有酗酒的倾向。
• She hasn't reckoned on his propensity for violence.她不曾料到他有暴力倾向。

24 ornament   

v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物

参考例句：

• The flowers were put on the table for ornament.花放在桌子上做装饰用。
• She wears a crystal ornament on her chest.她的前胸戴了一个水晶饰品。

25 cozy   

adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的

参考例句：

• I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯，因为他们是舒适的。
• We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。

26 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

27 savory   

adj.风味极佳的，可口的，味香的

参考例句：

• She placed a huge dish before him of savory steaming meat.她将一大盘热气腾腾、美味可口的肉放在他面前。
• He doesn't have a very savory reputation.他的名誉不太好。

28 morsels   

n.一口( morsel的名词复数 )；（尤指食物）小块，碎屑

参考例句：

• They are the most delicate morsels. 这些确是最好吃的部分。 来自辞典例句
• Foxes will scratch up grass to find tasty bug and beetle morsels. 狐狸会挖草地，寻找美味的虫子和甲壳虫。 来自互联网

29 nibble   

n.轻咬，啃；v.一点点地咬，慢慢啃，吹毛求疵

参考例句：

• Inflation began to nibble away at their savings.通货膨胀开始蚕食他们的存款。
• The birds cling to the wall and nibble at the brickwork.鸟儿们紧贴在墙上，啄着砖缝。

30 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

31 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。

32 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

33 tragically   

adv. 悲剧地，悲惨地

参考例句：

• Their daughter was tragically killed in a road accident. 他们的女儿不幸死于车祸。
• Her father died tragically in a car crash. 她父亲在一场车祸中惨死。

34 sentimental   

adj.多愁善感的，感伤的

参考例句：

• She's a sentimental woman who believes marriage comes by destiny.她是多愁善感的人，她相信姻缘命中注定。
• We were deeply touched by the sentimental movie.我们深深被那感伤的电影所感动。

35 embodies   

v.表现( embody的第三人称单数 )；象征；包括；包含

参考例句：

• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This document embodies the concern of the government for the deformity. 这个文件体现了政府对残疾人的关怀。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》