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Christmas with the England FamilyIt has always been my dream to have a white Christmas. Snowflakes would keep falling around softly. I would build a snowman in front of Little Red Riding Hood's little hut and then lie down beside him singing Mavis' Snowman. Jingle bells would keep ringing around me, far away and close by, reminding me that it is the best time to go sledging. Surely Father Christmas is coming with pretty gifts, fulfilling my wishes with magic... However, as I grew up in the south of China, I've never seen snow at Christmas, let alone Father Christmas. It gave me a glimmer of hope that such a dream would come true when I was invited to spend Christmas with an English family. It was a family with a surname of England in Reading, a big town southwest of London.
It was December 22. I caught the train heading towards Reading. The father, Dyson England, picked me up from the station and took me back home. The mother, Wendy, preparing lunch at that time, came out to the gate and greeted me like an old friend. Soon I was led to a pretty bedroom, with a basket of flowers on a desk and a bookshelf of novels. After supper, Wendy drove me to a church to join a special choir service for Christmas. The church was full of people, yet it was very peaceful. Everyone entering the church was given a white candle. At the beginning of the service, all the candles were lit and the church looked amazingly bright. All the songs were about Christ's birth. The carols were beautiful and easy to learn. So I had no difficulty in singing together with them. When the service was over, the candles were almost burnt out. I stepped out of the church with my mind peaceful and fresh.
On the next day, Edna, the grandmother, came home for the festival. The children, Roger and Carolyn, were also back from school for Christmas. Now the family was really reunited. After supper, Dyson started decorating a Christmas tree. I had seen Christmas trees before, but I had never decorated them. I stood aside watching Dyson winding flashing lights around the tree. It was not difficult, so I joined him. After the flashing lights were in place, we hung sweets on the tree. Some Christmas decorati##被过滤## from the family's collection that they’d had for years were also put on. When the power was switched on, the tree looked lovely with all the different colours and shapes of sweets and decorati##被过滤## on it. With my eyes wide open, I looked at the tree that I had just decorated, struck by its charming beauty.
December 24th is the day before Christmas. It is also a day for shopping. Supermarkets are full of people grabbing food for Christmas. In the early morning, Wendy went shopping. In the afternoon, she was busy preparing Christmas dishes. That night, we had a wonderful feast. Carolyn told me that Father Christmas would only come to obedient children. Though she was not a child any more, she still got presents from Father Christmas every year. "You know, that's because I go to sleep early on every Christmas Eve," she said to me in a low voice, "and he always likes it. It's a secret, but I know it’s true." I went to bed very early that night. So did Carolyn and Roger.
I slept soundly that night till the next morning when I heard footsteps at my bedroom door.
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