不管白天陽光多麽溫暖，南加的冬夜總是帶著幾分料峭。裹了一身厚衣服出門，夜風吹來還是會打寒顫。
兩人最近球打的少，時間總是湊不到一起，有時兩人的會議時間不同， 等到下午天色又漸漸暗淡了。所以每天晚飯後兩人會在小區走一圈。
小區很大，每天走不同的片，看不同的街景。夜晚的小區幽靜暗淡，行人很少，偶爾見人牽著狗狗迎麵走來。小區的中央是社區中心，各種設施，公園、遊泳池、空蕩蕩，冷清清。不過，冬夜的冷寂不時也被遠處網球場傳來的咚咚有節奏的擊球聲劃破。當我們走過高大鐵絲網圍著的球場時，發現一側的網球場什麽時候已經改成了pickleball球場。一個網球場一分為四，倒是利用了空間，散步經過時，常常能聽到裏麵老中說話的聲音。
十二月是一年中最有節日氣氛的一月。感恩節剛剛拉下帷幕，小區裏的很多家門前就開始張燈結彩地掛上了聖誕燈。當最後的一縷晚霞退去，當夜色降臨，小區的燈火就一盞盞亮起 -- 流瀉變換的燈光與不變交織，銀色金色與紅色綠色的光源相輝映，處處流光溢彩，燈火輝煌。高高的棕櫚樹被裝飾了，有棱有型的屋簷被掛彩了，聖誕老人、鬆樹、飛鹿、雪橇、雪花狀等裝飾品，大小不一，卻都以燈的形式一一閃爍在星空下，伴著隱隱約約的聖誕樂曲，組成了冬夜的一道道風景。它們像夜的精靈跳動在黑夜的大幕上，自由，歡快，肆意。
我們置身其中，看著，點評著，也被感染著。。。
Taking a stroll in the community after dinner is our recent night pastime. When the streets are alight with glistening Christmas lights here and there, that pastime becomes a joyful one. This year, our community seems to have put on more lights than last year, possibly for a contest that is going on communitywide.
Every night, when we step out the door, we are embraced with the chilly air but warm lights. In front of many homes, small lights strung evenly on wires are spread out to be hung over trees, rooftops or porches, lining along the edges, among the bushes, between trees or upon the flower beds. They could cascade down around neatly manicured palm trees like spiraling silvers, crisscrossed by the same breadth of shining scarlets. They could be a light tunnel arched and canopied by myriads of multi-colored lights. Lights could shine inside a man-sized snowman, or sprinkle onto the walls from an oscillating projector, in the shapes of snowflakes, snowmen or stars. The colors of lights, big or small, dim or bright, are a confluence of red, silver, green, golden or blue. They are like the spirits in colorful dresses, dancing freely against the night skies.
Glamorous the light shows are, the community is quiet, disrupted only by the rhythmic hitting sounds of tennis balls in the distance. Enveloped in the festive air of the season and walking by, we feel imbued with the colors and the delight.
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