来自中国的雇员Dana跟同事Charlie聊天儿，说自己要去美国朋友家过圣诞节。

Dana: Hey Charlie, you're from Boston right?

C: Yeah, I'm from Newton. It's a suburb of Boston.

D: I'm going to be visiting your hometown for Christmas.

C: Really? Boston is beautiful at Christmas time. Maybe you'll get to experience a real white Christmas! Are you going there for business?

D: Actually, I was invited by an old friend of mine. He was an exchange student in Beijing in the 1980s. We've known each other for over 20 years now.

Dana要到Charlie的hometown家乡，Boston去过圣诞节。波士顿是美国东北部的大城市，冬天经常下大雪，所以Charlie 说，Maybe you'll get to experience a real white Christmas. 没准你能体验一下真正的白色圣诞节呢！Dana说，自己不是去波士顿出差，not for business, 而是去看一个认识很久的老朋友。

C: I see. So you're going to hang out with your friend for the holidays?

D: Yes, but I'm a little nervous.

C: Why would you be nervous?

D: Because I'm going to be staying with his family. I've never experienced an American Christmas. What if I say or do the wrong thing?

C: Oh...there's nothing to worry about. Christmas is a time of goodwill. People are supposed to forget about any differences and be nice to each other. Usually every one is in a really good mood.

跟老朋友hang out一块儿过节，为什么还会紧张呢？原来，Dana担心自己不了解过圣诞节的风俗，会说错话，或是做错事。

Charlie安慰她说，没什么可担心的，因为Christmas is a time of goodwill. 圣诞节是展现友好的时候。大家一般心情都很愉快、平和。Everyone is usually in a really good mood.

D: So give me a basic rundown. What are the Christmas traditions?

C: Each family is different, but basically you just go with the flow. If your friend's family is religious they might go to church on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.

D: I've never attended a church service before...that sounds interesting.

C: The singing and music can be quite beautiful, but many American families just hang around at home on Christmas—talking, watching TV, eating food and opening presents.

Dana让Charlie给她简单讲讲美国人过圣诞节都有哪些传统，a basic rundown of the Christmas traditions. Rundown 每个家庭都不一样，教徒一般圣诞前夜或是圣诞节早上会去教堂，但是很多美国家庭就待在家里，聊天、看电视、吃东西、拆礼物。他建议Dana, Basically you just go with the flow. 客随主便就对了。美国人过圣诞，还有哪些传统呢？我们下星期继续听。