Music fills the air. Colorful lights shine brightly in windows. Children and adults open gifts from loved ones and friends. These are all Christmas traditions.
音乐充满了空气，彩灯照亮了窗户。大人小孩拆开亲朋送的礼物。这些都是圣诞节的传统。

Another tradition is snow. Christmas in the northern part of the world comes a few days after the start of winter. In many places, a blanket of clean white snow covers the ground on Christmas Day. This is what is meant by a "White Christmas."
另一个传统是大雪。北半球的圣诞节在冬至后数日来临。很多地方在圣诞节时，洁白的雪毯覆盖着大地。这就是所谓的“白色圣诞节”。

Of course, many places do not get snow at Christmas. In fact, they may be very warm this time of year. People who like snow, but live where it is warm, can only dream of having a white Christmas.
当然，很多地方圣诞节不会下雪。事实上，它们在每年这个时候可能会很暖和。喜欢雪但住在暖和地方的人只能梦想拥有一个白色圣诞节。

American songwriter Irving Berlin captured these feelings in his song, "White Christmas." It is one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time.
美国作词家Irving Berlin在他的歌曲“White Christmas”捕捉到了这种感受。这首歌一直是最流行的圣诞歌之一。

The opening words explain why the singer is dreaming of a white Christmas. Most people never hear these words so they never really understand the true meaning of the song. Here’s how it starts:
音乐开始前的独白解释了作者为什么会梦想过一个白色圣诞节。许多人没听过这段独白，所以他们从未真正了解这首歌的确切含义。它的独白是这样的：

The sun is shining.
阳光明媚

The grass is green.
绿草青青

The orange and palm trees sway.
柑橘树和棕榈树随风起舞

I’ve never seen such a day in Beverly Hills, L.A.
我在洛杉矶比佛利山庄就没见过这么好的天气

But it’s December the twenty-fourth
但今天是12月24日

And I’m longing to be up north.
我渴望到北方

Up north, where it is cold and snowy.
北方寒冷多雪

Not south, where it is warm and sunny.
不像南方温暖又阳光充足

Over the years, hundreds of singers and musicians have recorded "White Christmas." But the version most people still know best was sung by Bing Crosby.
长年累月，数百位歌手和音乐家录制了“白色圣诞节”这首歌。但多数人最熟悉的还是Bing Crosby演唱的版本。

Songwriter Irving Berlin was born in Russia in eighteen eighty-eight. He did not celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday. He was Jewish.
作词家Irving Berlin于1888年出生在俄罗斯。他是犹太人，并未把圣诞节当作宗教节日来庆祝。

But his song celebrates an idea of peace and happiness that anyone, anywhere -- snowy or not -- can enjoy.
但他的歌词传颂了一种任何地方、任何人都会喜欢的和平、幸福的理念，不管那地方下不下雪。