迈克之所以会有这样的想法，是因为他喜欢小孩——所有的小孩他都喜欢——他了解他们，他曾经担任过一些小团队的教练，如：足球队、垒球队和长曲棍球队。一天下午，我去附近的一家体育用品店买了一套摔跤护头和鞋子，并匿名把东西送给市里的教堂。

      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.

      圣诞节前夕，我把信封放在了圣诞树上，信的内容是告诉迈克我所做的事，就是我送给他的礼物。那年和接下来几年的圣诞节，他的笑容是最灿烂的事了。

      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.

      每年圣诞节，我都遵循这样一个传统——有一年是让一些残障少年参加曲棍球比赛，还有一年是看望了两位老年兄弟，他们的房屋在圣诞节前被大火烧为平地，等等。

      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.

      信封成为我们过圣诞节时最重要的事。圣诞节那天早上，信封总是最后一个被拆开 。孩子们也不顾他们的新玩具了，眼睛睁得大大的，站着那里等期待着爸爸把信封从圣诞树上摘下来，把里面的内容读给他们听。

      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.

      孩子们长大后，他们都要有用的礼物而不再要玩具了，不过，信封的吸引力依然没变。故事并没有在此结束，去年迈克患上可怕的癌症离开我们了。圣诞节来临的时候，我们还沉浸在悲伤中，甚至都没有装饰圣诞树。在圣诞前夕，我在树上放了一封信，到了早上，信却变成了三封。

      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.

      我们的每个孩子，都趁大家不注意的时候，在圣诞树上放了一封写给爸爸的信。这个惯例一直延续着，有一天我们的孙子也会站在圣诞树旁，眼睛睁得大大的，望着他们的爸爸取下信封。迈克的灵魂，就像圣诞节的精神一样，永远在我们身边。

      May we all remember the reason for the season, and the true Christmas spirit this year and always. God bless — pass this along to your friends and loved ones.

      愿我们都能牢记过这个节日的原因，永远记住真正的圣诞节精神。愿上帝保佑我们——把这篇文章也送给你的朋友和所爱的人。

      Happy Holidays!

      节日快乐!

      December is one of my favorite months as it’s the month of lights, and the month of giving, and thanking. I received this mail from my friend Debra this evening, and wanted to share it. I really think it touches all of us in many ways. As it is said you can never give or receive too many mizvot (in Jewish it’s the act of giving) Maybe it could be your “WHITE ENVELOPE”.