A Simple White Envelope “For the Man Who Hated Christmas”

耶誕節即將到來，大家要去哪慶祝呢？我們的英文老師撰寫這篇溫馨的文章獻給想學英文的朋友們，雖然文章較長、字彙較困難，不過耐心的看完絕對會收穫很多，在此祝大家聖誕快樂！Merry Xmas，將溫暖與愛心撒播給你所愛的人…

         

 by Nancy W. Gavin
 

 It's just a small white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.


It all began because my husband, Mike, hated Christmas -- oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it -- the overspending, the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma -- the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else.


Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth.  I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.


Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match  against a team sponsored by an inner-city church, mostly black. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together,  presented a sharp contrast to our boys in  their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes.  As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford.  Well, we ended up walloping them.  We took every weight class.  And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat
Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have  a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of  them."


Mike loved kids-all kids-and he knew them, having coached little  league football, baseball and lacrosse.  That's when the idea for his present came.  That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church.  On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years.  For each Christmas, I followed the tradition---one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had  burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.


The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas.  It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring  their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.
 As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure.  The story doesn't end  there.




You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer.  When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the  tree up.  But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more.




Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad.  The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed  anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope. Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.


Vocabularies

inscription (n)   to write
peeked (v)        to glance quickly
frantic (adj)        done quickly with a lot of activity
dusting powder(n) a powder used on the skin esp.
to relieve irritation or absorb moisture

bypass(v)           to avoid; ignore
wrestling (n)      struggling
ragged (adj)     clothed in tattered garment
spiffy (adj)          attractive and fashionable
ragtag (n)           lack of skill
luxury(n)            enjoyment of comfort and pleasure
walloping(v)     to defeat thoroughly as in a game
swaggered(v)  to boast or brag
lacrosse(n)  
a game, originated by Indians of North America, in which two 10-member teams attempt to send a small ball into each other's netted goal, each player being equipped with a crosse or stick at the end of which is a netted pocket for catching, carrying, or throwing the ball.

bravado(n)     false show of bravery
highlight(n)    most interesting; special interest
anticipation(n)  prediction
allure(v)         to attract; entice
dreaded(v)    to fear greatly
unbeknownst(adj)   existing without one’s knowledge; unknown




Comprehension Check

1. Why there was a small white envelope stuck on the branch of their Christmas tree?
what is it for?
2. Why Mike hated Christmas?
3. What sports did the youngsters play?
4. Who sponsored a non-league match?
5. What did the youngsters wear during the game?
6. Who won the game?
7. What was her Christmas gift for her husband?
8. What was the highlight of their Christmas?
9. What was the caused of Mike’s death?