何處節日無燈明？Where are there holidays without bright lights?
上個月我曾發博文《願那燈火的盛宴重新點燃》（https://blog.wenxuecity.com/myblog/80301/202311/22959.html），說的是紐約Bronx區有一戶特別的人家，是遠近聞名的Christmas Family，從1973年開始，他們的聖誕燈飾和人物模型極為絢麗壯觀。然而，由於主人遭遇車禍，燈火於2019年熄滅了，一直沒有亮起來。今年年初，主人在告訴媒體，他們打算在今年給人們一個驚喜。
Last month, I wrote a blog post titled "May the Feast of Lights Reignite" (https://blog.wenxuecity.com/myblog/80301/202311/22959.html), talking about a special family in the Bronx, New York, known as the Christmas Family. Since 1973, their Christmas lights and character models have been extremely splendid. However, due to an accident involving the owner, the lights went out in 2019 and have not been lit since. Earlier this year, the owner told the media that they planned to give people a big surprise this year.
幾天前的一個晚上，我驅車去了那裏。但很遺憾燈沒有亮起來。外麵隻有一些裝飾的遺跡。二層的模型也全都不在了。前院圍欄裏麵，像是一個沒有完工的工程，凸凹不平。離聖誕隻有一周了，這個時候燈應該已經點亮。現在這樣的狀態，聖誕節前幾乎不可能了，雖然我心中還是盼望奇跡的發生。
A few days ago, I drove there in the evening. Unfortunately, the lights were not on. There were only remnants of decorations outside. The second-floor models were all gone. Inside the front yard fence, it looked like an unfinished project, uneven and bumpy. With only a week left until Christmas, the lights should have been on by now. In this state, it's almost impossible before Christmas, although I still hope for a miracle.
當然，觀賞紐約節日燈火和聖誕樹，還有其他好去處。這其中，與觀賞市容、街景融為一體的，首推位於曼哈頓中心地帶的洛克菲勒中心（Rockefeller Center）。洛克菲勒中心每年都裝飾一棵巨型聖誕樹。此前物色聖誕樹也是一個有趣的過程。今年這棵樹是產於上州Vestal，這是一棵80年樹齡的雲杉。它於11月9日上午被砍伐，兩天後運到200英裏以南的目的地。這棵漂亮的聖誕樹重12噸，80尺高的，展開後寬43英尺。
Of course, there are other great places to enjoy holiday lights and Christmas trees in New York. Among them, the Rockefeller Center in the heart of Manhattan stands out. Every year, Rockefeller Center decorates a giant Christmas tree. Finding the Christmas tree is an interesting process. This year's tree is from Vestal, upstate New York, an 80-year-old spruce. It was cut down on the morning of November 9th and transported to its destination 200 miles south two days later. This beautiful Christmas tree weighs 12 tons, is 80 feet tall, and has a width of 43 feet when unfolded.
每年，洛克菲勒中心的聖誕樹點燈儀式是紐約的一個盛大的活動（今年是在11月29號舉行）。典禮時分，這裏熱鬧非凡，有電視直播，數百萬人觀看儀式和現場的演出。今年的聖誕樹上的裝飾有5萬多個LED燈，電線共有8千米長。此外樹頂上還有一顆幾百磅重的星星。聖誕樹下的溜冰場，也是紐約的冬季一景。此外，洛克菲勒中心附近的街道，也都是一派節日的氣氛。
Every year, the lighting ceremony of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is a grand event in New York (this year held on November 29th). During the ceremony, it is lively, with live TV broadcasts and millions of people watching the event and live performances. The decorations on this year's Christmas tree include over 50,000 LED lights, and the wires are 8 kilometers long. In addition, there is a star on top of the tree that weighs several hundred pounds. The ice-skating rink under the Christmas tree is also a winter scene in New York City. Moreover, the streets near Rockefeller Center are filled with a festive atmosphere.
洛克菲勒中心位於於紐約市曼哈頓區第五大道（Fifth Avenue）西側，是一個由數個摩天大樓組成的集合體，由洛克菲勒家族在1939年獨資修建完工。（曼哈頓的街道的稱呼習慣 — 南北走向的稱為“大道”（avenue），東西走向的稱為“街”（street））。第五大道是曼哈頓一條重要的南北向的幹道，位於曼哈頓島的中心地帶。第五大道上景點眾多，比如由南至北有帝國大廈、洛克菲勒中心、St. Patrick大教堂、特朗普大廈、大都會藝術博物館等等。洛克菲勒中心在49街的位置。從此處往北去，在第五大道幾百米的範圍內，聚集了許多著名的品牌商店，是高檔購物區。此外還有一些高檔酒店。這些建築本身就比較有藝術特色，加上節日的燈光，值得一看：
Rockefeller Center is located on the west side of Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York City, and is a complex of several skyscrapers built with sole funding from the Rockefeller family in 1939. The naming convention for Manhattan's streets is that north-south streets are called "avenues," and east-west streets are called "streets." Fifth Avenue is an important north-south thoroughfare in the center of Manhattan Island. There are many attractions on Fifth Avenue, including the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Trump Tower, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and more as you go from south to north. Rockefeller Center is located at 49th Street. Going north from here, within a few hundred meters on Fifth Avenue, there are many famous brand stores, making it a high-end shopping area. In addition, there are some upscale hotels. The decoration of these stores is exquisite, and the buildings themselves have artistic characteristics, especially with the festive lighting, making them worth seeing:
第五大道是一條繁忙的街道，有一年我選了一個寒冷的日子，晚上九、十點才到，這時候商店打烊了，路上人也稀少，這時候是拍攝櫥窗的好時候。
Fifth Avenue is a busy street. One year, I chose a cold day and arrived around 9 or 10 in the evening when the stores were closed, and there were few people on the street. It was a good time to photograph the shop windows.
第五大道上的有些商家的某些窗並不透入室內，而是純粹的櫥窗，內部的裝飾和造型很有味道，有些顯然有我不知道的背景和內涵。下麵是幾個例子：
Some windows of certain businesses on Fifth Avenue do not allow views into the interior but are purely display windows. The interior decorations and designs are tasteful, some obviously having background and meaning unknown to me. Here are a few examples:
上麵這些，算是節日裏“官方”的城市之光。至於“民間”的，還有其他佳處，以後另行介紹。紐約這座城市很難簡單幾句話說清楚。生活一段時間後，據說大多數人開始喜歡（我不是城裏人）。如果隻是短暫的幾撇，我覺得遠景比近景美，夜間比白天漂亮。下麵這幅，應該是兩者兩者都占上了 —
The above can be considered the "official" city lights during the holidays. As for the "folk" aspects, there are other great places, which will be introduced separately later. It's hard to sum up New York City in a few simple sentences. After living here for a while, it is said that most people begin to like it (I don’t live in the city). If only for a short visit, I think the distant view is more beautiful than the close-up, and the night is more beautiful than the day. The following picture should capture both aspects—
【注：除第一張照片外，其他照片均是在過去年份拍攝。】
(Edited from ChatGPT translation. All photos were taken in earlier years except the first one.)
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