He did not know what to say. His heart was bursting with love.
"Well. I guess I can go back to sleep," his father said after a moment. "No, come to think of it, son, I've never seen you children when you first saw the Christmas tree. I was always in the barn. Come on!"
He pulled on his clothes again, and they went down to the Christmas tree, and soon the sun was creeping up to where the star had been. Oh, what a Christmas morning, and how his heart had nearly burst again with shyness and pride as his father told his mother about how he, Rob, had got up all by himself.
"The best Christmas gift I ever had, and I'll remember it, son, every year on Christmas morning, as long as I live."
They had both remembered it, and now that his father was dead he remembered it alone: that blessed Christmas dawn when, along with the cows in the barn, he had made his first gift of true love. Outside the window now the stars slowly faded. He got out of bed and put on his slippers and bathrobe and went softly downstairs. He brought in the tree, and carefully began to trim it. It was done very soon. He then went to his library and brought the little box that contained his special gift to his wife, a diamond brooch, not large, but beautiful in design. But he was not satisfied. He wanted to tell her—to tell her how much he loved her.
How fortunate that he had been able to love! Ah, that was the true joy of life, the ability to love! For he was quite sure that some people were genuinely unable to love anyone. But love was alive in him; it still was.
It occurred to him suddenly that it was alive because long ago it had been born in him when he knew his father loved him. That was it: love alone could waken love. And this morning, this blessed Christmas morning, he would give it to his beloved wife. He could write it down in a letter for her to read and keep forever. He went to his desk and began: My dearest love.
When it was finished, he sealed it and tied it on the tree. He put out the light and went tiptoing up the stairs. The stars in the sky were gone, and the first rays of the sun were gleaming in the east, such a happy, happy Christmas!
他不知道說什麼好，心裡滿是愛意。
“恩，我想我可以回去睡覺了，”等了一會兒，父親說，“不，兒子，你想想，我從來沒有看到你第一個來看聖誕樹，我一直在馬棚裡，跟我來！”
他又穿上衣服，他們一起去看聖誕樹，很快，原來有星星的天空，已經升起了太陽。啊，聖誕節的早晨這麼美！父親告訴母親，兒子Rob已經一個人起來了，聽到這裡，他的心裡再次充滿了害羞和驕傲。
“這是我收到的最好的聖誕節禮物，我會記住的，兒子，每年的聖誕節早晨都會記起的，一直到我死。”
他們都記著這件事，現在，父親已經去世，只有他還記得：在那個神聖的聖誕節早晨，馬棚裡母牛的身邊，他奉獻了出自真心的第一個禮物。現在，窗外的星星滿滿消隱，他下了床，穿上拖鞋和睡衣，輕輕地走下樓來。他把聖誕樹拿過來，仔細地修建它，很快就弄完了。然後，進入藏書室，取出那個小盒子，裡面是送給妻子的特殊禮物--一枚鑽石胸針，不大，但設計美觀。他並不滿足於此，他想告訴她，告訴她自己多麼愛她。
自己還有能力去愛，這是多麼寶貴啊！啊，這是生命中真正的樂趣，愛的能力！他相信，一些人已經真的沒有愛任何人的能力了。但他的心中仍有愛意，一直都有。
他突然想起，這種愛意一直在心中，是因為很久以前他就知道父親愛他，那個時候這種愛意就已經在心裡紮根了。就是這樣，愛本身是可以喚醒愛意的。
這是早晨，神聖的聖誕節早晨，他會把這個早晨奉獻給至愛的`妻子。他會給她寫一封信，使她永遠儲存。他走到書桌前，開始寫著：親愛的....寫完了，他封好，把信綁到聖誕樹上。他熄滅燈，踮著腳上樓。天上的星星已經隱去，太陽的第一縷光已經在東方閃現，多麼幸福、快樂的聖誕節！
ping . 爬行(的)
例句：
You did give me a scare, creeping up on me like that!
你那樣悄悄地過來, 真把我嚇了一大跳!
robe n. 睡衣,浴衣
例句：
He threw on his bathrobe.
他匆匆穿上浴袍。
ch n. 胸針,領針
例句：
My aunt give me one of her brooch as a keepsake.
我的姑母把她的一隻胸針送給我作紀念。
n. 印章,封條,海豹 v. 蓋印,封閉,獵海豹
例句：
The envelope was firmly sealed.
這個信封封得很嚴實。
oe n. 踮著腳走 vi. 1 踮著腳走 2 轉彎抹角地談論
例句：
She tiptoed across to the bed where the child was lying asleep.
孩子睡了，她掂著腳走到床前。
occurred to him suddenly that it was alive because long ago it had been born in him when he knew his father loved him.
【參考譯文】他突然想起，這種愛意一直在心中，是因為很久以前他就知道父親愛他，那個時候這種愛意就已經在心裡紮根了。
【結構解析】"it occue to sb."的意思是“某人突然想起”。
