對于英国人而言，每年圣诞节都有一个传统，那就是圣诞节当天下午三点的女王圣诞致辞。这是在英国政府不提供意见的情况下由女王亲自撰稿的公开发表个人看法的演讲。 女王的讲话会包含自己对一年世界大事的见解，用最适中的语速、最皇室范的英音对全世界播出。在今年的圣诞致辞里，女王提到了法国的恐怖袭击，提到了二战胜利70周年，提到四世同堂“长寿的乐趣”——夏洛特公主的降生，还提到她对来年的祝福……

我们一起聆听这优美的英音吧。

At this time of year， few sights evoke more feelings of cheer and goodwill than the twinkling lights of a Christmas tree.

The popularity of a tree at Christmas is due in part to my great-great grandparents， Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. After this touching picture was published， many families wanted a Christmas tree of their own， and the custom soon spread.

In 1949， I spent Christmas in Malta as a newly-married naval wife. We have returned to that island over the years， including last month for a meeting of Commonwealth leaders; and this year I met another group of leaders： The Queens Young Leaders， an inspirational group， each of them a symbol of hope in their own Commonwealth communities.

Gathering round the tree gives us a chance to think about the year ahead—I am looking forward to a busy 2016， though I have been warned I may have Happy Birthday sung to me more than once or twice.

It also allows us to reflect on the year that has passed， as we think of those who are far away or no longer with us. Many people say the first Christmas after losing a loved one is particularly hard. But its also a time to remember all that we have to be thankful for.

It is true that the world has had to confront moments of darkness this year， but the Gospel of John contains a verse of great hope， often read at Christmas carol services： “The light shines in the darkness， and the darkness has not overcome it.”

One cause for thankfulness this summer was marking seventy years since the end of the Second World War. On VJ Day， we honored the remaining veterans of that terrible conflict in the Far East， as well as remembering the thousands who never returned.

The procession from Horse Guards Parade to Westminster Abbey must have been one of the slowest ever， because so many people wanted to say ‘thank you to them.

At the end of that War， the people of Oslo began sending an annual gift of a Christmas tree for Trafalgar Square. It has five hundred light bulbs and is enjoyed not just by Christians but by people of all faiths， and of none. At the very top sits a bright star， to represent the Star of Bethlehem.

The custom of topping a tree also goes back to Prince Alberts time. For his familys tree， he chose an angel， helping to remind us that the focus of the Christmas story is on one particular family.

For Joseph and Mary， the circumstances of Jesuss birth—in a stable—were far from ideal， but worse was to come as the family was forced to flee the country. Its no surprise that such a human story still captures our imagination and continues to inspire all of us who are Christians， the world over.

Despite being displaced and persecuted throughout his short life， Christs unchanging message was not one of revenge or violence but simply that we should love one another.

Although it is not an easy message to follow， we shouldnt be discouraged; rather， it inspires us to try harder： to be thankful for the people who bring love and happiness into our own lives， and to look for ways of spreading that love to others， whenever and wherever we can.

One of the joys of living a long life is watching ones children， then grandchildren， then great grandchildren， help decorate the Christmas tree. And this year my family has a new member to join in the fun！

The customary decorations have changed little in the years since that picture of Victoria and Alberts tree first appeared， although of course electric lights have replaced the candles.

Theres an old saying that it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness. There are millions of people lighting candles of hope in our world today.

Christmas is a good time to be thankful for them， and for all that bring light to our lives.

I wish you a very happy Christmas.

每年此時，没有什么情景比圣诞树上闪烁的灯光更让人感到欢乐祥和。

圣诞树的流行部分归功于我的曾曾祖父母——维多利亚女王和阿尔伯特亲王。这张温馨的图片公布后，很多家庭都想要一棵自己的圣诞树，这一习俗也很快普及开来。

1949年，初为海军军嫂的我在马耳他度过圣诞节。多年以来，我们多次回到马耳他岛，上个月还在那里召开英联邦领导人会议。今年我会晤了另一批领导人——“女王青年领袖”，这是一个鼓舞人心的团体，其中的每个人都是各自英联邦社区的希望。

聚在圣诞树旁，我们可以借此机会开始展望来年。我盼望着2016年忙忙碌碌，尽管有人说，我可能会不止一次两次听到别人为我唱生日歌（2016年是伊丽莎白女王九十岁生日，届时会有多场庆祝活动）。

圣诞树也让我们回首过去的一年;我们想到了那些远离我们或者已经永远离开了我们的人。很多人说失去平生所爱后的第一个圣诞节是最艰难的。