來自中國的雇員Dana跟同事Charlie聊天兒，說自己要去美國朋友家過圣誕節。

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家鄉，Boston去過圣誕節。波士頓是美國東北部的大城市，冬天經常下大雪，所以Charlie 說，Maybe you'll get to experience a real white Christmas. 沒準你能體驗一下真正的白色圣誕節呢！Dana說，自己不是去波士頓出差，not for business, 而是去看一個認識很久的老朋友。

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一塊兒過節，為什么還會緊張呢？原來，Dana擔心自己不了解過圣誕節的風俗，會說錯話，或是做錯事。

Charlie安慰她說，沒什么可擔心的，因為Christmas is a time of goodwill. 圣誕節是展現友好的時候。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讓Charlie給她簡單講講美國人過圣誕節都有哪些傳統，a basic rundown of the Christmas traditions. Rundown 每個家庭都不一樣，教徒一般圣誕前夜或是圣誕節早上會去教堂，但是很多美國家庭就待在家里，聊天、看電視、吃東西、拆禮物。他建議Dana, Basically you just go with the flow. 客隨主便就對了。美國人過圣誕，還有哪些傳統呢？我們下星期繼續聽。