At this time of year, few sights evoke more feelings of cheer and goodwill than the twinkling lights of a Christmas tree.

每年此時，沒有什么情景比一棵圣誕樹上閃爍的燈光更讓人感到歡樂祥和。

The popularity of a tree at Christmas is due in part to my great-great grandparents, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. After this touching picture was published, many families wanted a Christmas tree of their own, and the custom soon spread.

人們對圣誕樹的喜愛要部分歸功于我的曾曾曾祖父母——維多利亞女王和阿爾伯特親王。這張溫馨的圖片公布后，很多家庭都想要一棵自己的圣誕樹，這一習(xí)俗也很快普及開來。

In 1949, I spent Christmas in Malta as a newly-married naval wife. We have returned to that island over the years, including last month for a meeting of Commonwealth leaders; and this year I met another group of leaders: The Queen's Young Leaders, an inspirational group, each of them a symbol of hope in their own Commonwealth communities.

1949年，初為軍嫂的我在馬耳他度過圣誕節(jié)。多年以來，我們多次回到馬耳他島，上個月還在那里召開英聯(lián)邦領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人會議。今年我會晤了另一批領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人，“女王青年領(lǐng)袖”是一個鼓舞人心的團(tuán)體，每個人都是各自英聯(lián)邦社區(qū)的希望。

Gathering round the tree gives us a chance to think about the year ahead -- I am looking forward to a busy 2016, though I have been warned I may have Happy Birthday sung to me more than once or twice.

聚在圣誕樹旁，我開始展望來年。我盼望著2016年忙忙碌碌，盡管有人說，我可能不止一次甚至兩次聽到生日歌。
[譯者注：2016年是伊麗莎白女王九十歲生日，屆時多場慶祝活動。]

It also allows us to reflect on the year that has passed, as we think of those who are far away or no longer with us. Many people say the first Christmas after losing a loved one is particularly hard. But it’s also a time to remember all that we have to be thankful for.

圣誕樹讓我們回首過去的一年，于是我們想到了那些遠(yuǎn)離我們的人。很多人說失去平生所愛后的第一個圣誕節(jié)是最艱難的，可此時也該想想我們要感恩的人。

It is true that the world has had to confront moments of darkness this year, but the Gospel of John contains a verse of great hope, often read at Christmas carol services: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

今年，世界不得不面對諸多黑暗時刻，這是事實。可《約翰福音》有一句充滿希望的話這樣說，圣誕贊歌中常常朗誦，“光明照亮了黑暗，黑暗卻無法蒙蔽光明。”

One cause for thankfulness this summer was marking seventy years since the end of the Second World War. On VJ Day, we honoured the remaining veterans of that terrible conflict in the Far East, as well as remembering the thousands who never returned.

今年夏天紀(jì)念二戰(zhàn)結(jié)束七十周年是一件值得感恩的事。在對日作戰(zhàn)勝利日，我們給在遠(yuǎn)東作戰(zhàn)的在世老兵們授勛，緬懷數(shù)千名沒有回到祖國的犧牲者。

The procession from Horse Guards Parade to Westminster Abbey must have been one of the slowest ever, because so many people wanted to say 'thank you' to them.

從騎兵衛(wèi)隊場到威斯敏斯特宮的隊伍大抵是行進(jìn)最慢的一次，太多的人想對他們說一聲“謝謝”。

At the end of that War, the people of Oslo began sending an annual gift of a Christmas tree for Trafalgar Square. It has five hundred lightbulbs and is enjoyed not just by Christians but by people of all faiths, and of none. At the very top sits a bright star, to represent the Star of Bethlehem.

戰(zhàn)爭結(jié)束后，奧斯陸人民每年向特拉法加廣場贈送一棵圣誕樹。樹上掛著1500個燈泡，不僅基督徒喜愛它，無論何種信仰或有無信仰的人們都喜愛它。在樹頂有一顆明星，它代表著“伯利恒之星”。
[譯者注：所謂“伯利恒之星”是《圣經(jīng)》中記載的一顆奇特天體。據(jù)說，在耶穌誕生時，有個三個博士在東方觀察到一顆屬于“猶太人之王”的星，前來耶路撒冷拜見，就在博士們前往附近的伯利恒尋找時，先前看見的那顆星，又忽然出現(xiàn)在前方，引領(lǐng)他們來到耶穌降生之處。后世科學(xué)家推測這可能是金星和木星交匯。]

The custom of topping a tree also goes back to Prince Albert's time. For his family's tree, he chose an angel, helping to remind us that the focus of the Christmas story is on one particular family.

這一風(fēng)俗也要追溯到阿爾伯特親王時代。他把一個天使放在家里的圣誕樹頂，提醒我們圣誕節(jié)紀(jì)念了一個家庭的故事。

For Joseph and Mary, the circumstances of Jesus's birth -- in a stable – were far from ideal, but worse was to come as the family was forced to flee the country. It’s no surprise that such a human story still captures our imagination and continues to inspire all of us who are Christians, the world over.

對于約瑟和瑪麗而言，耶穌出生在馬廄，這樣的環(huán)境難堪理想，可更糟糕的是這家人還被迫逃離故土。這個人倫故事依舊捕捉著我們的想象力，繼續(xù)激勵著全世界所有的基督徒，這并不令人驚訝。

Despite being displaced and persecuted throughout his short life, Christ's unchanging message was not one of revenge or violence but simply that we should love one another.

基督短暫的一生中顛沛流離、飽受迫害，可他一如既往倡導(dǎo)的不是復(fù)仇和暴力，而是人人相愛。

Although it is not an easy message to follow, we shouldn't be discouraged; rather, it inspires us to try harder: to be thankful for the people who bring love and happiness into our own lives, and to look for ways of spreading that love to others, whenever and wherever we can.

盡管踐行不易，我們也不要灰心。這鼓勵著我們要加倍努力，感謝那些給我們生命帶來愛和幸福的人，并想方設(shè)法將那份愛傳遞給他人——無論何時，無論何處。

One of the joys of living a long life is watching one’s children, then grandchildren, then great grandchildren, help decorate the Christmas tree. And this year my family has a new member to join in the fun!

長壽的喜悅之一是兒孫繞膝。先是兒女，然后是孫輩，現(xiàn)在有重孫輩幫我裝扮圣誕樹。今年，我家又有一位新成員共享天倫。

The customary decorations have changed little in the years since that picture of Victoria and Albert's tree first appeared, although of course electric lights have replaced the candles.

自維多利亞和阿爾伯特的圣誕樹出現(xiàn)以來，傳統(tǒng)的圣誕裝飾變化甚微，當(dāng)然，電燈取代了蠟燭。

There’s an old saying that "it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness". There are millions of people lighting candles of hope in our world today.

老話說，“點燃燭火勝過咒罵黑暗”。今天，我們的世界，成百上千萬的人點燃希望的燭火。

Christmas is a good time to be thankful for them, and for all that brings light to our lives.

值此圣誕佳節(jié)，向他們表示感謝，對所有給我們生活帶來光明的人表示感謝。

I wish you a very happy Christmas.

愿諸君圣誕快樂。

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