Christmas celebrates a birth and Easter looks back on a death. Between Christmas and Easter lies New Year, a time for us to think about the past while looking to the future. I don't have specific memories of every single New Year's Eve that I have experienced. Many of my memories have blended into each other and are difficult to untangle. But some of them stand out as extraordinary, and the following are a few that I treasure in particular.
聖誕節慶祝誕生而復活節回憶死亡。在聖誕節與復活節之間則是跨年，一個讓我們回顧過去同時放眼未來的時刻。我對於我所經歷過的每個跨年都沒有特別的記憶。我的許多回憶都已經融為一體而且難以分離。但有些回憶卻特別脫穎而出，以下是幾個我特別珍惜的回憶。
December 31, 1965
I crawl around our house getting lots of loving attention, probably because I am less than a year old. My grandparents are there, along with all my aunties and uncles, as well as my older sister. Everyone seems so young and full of life, and my dear old dad even has a full head of hair. I don't remember all this, of course. I'm just looking at my precious old photos again.
1965 年 12 月 31 日
我在家中爬來爬去時吸引了許多關愛的眼神，也許是因為我當時還未滿一歲。我的祖父母都在，還有我的阿姨、叔叔們，以及我的姐姐。每個人看起來都好年輕而且充滿活力，我親愛的老爸甚至還有茂密的頭髮。當然，我都不記得這些回憶了。我只是又在看我珍貴的舊照片而已。
December 31, 1972
Christmas is traditionally for families, while New Year's Eve is for friends. Mom and Dad are enjoying a night in the pub with their mates while we kids are home with Grandma, who allows us to stay up very late. To our amazement, just before midnight she hurries us out the back door, and there we stand, trembling in the darkness of the garden. As the church bells ring for midnight, she rewards our patience by giving each of us a shiny new penny to take indoors, saying that we can look forward to a lucky 1973.
1972 年 12 月 31 日
聖誕節在傳統上是家人團聚的日子，而跨年是朋友相聚的時刻。爸媽在酒吧與朋友們享受這個夜晚，我們小孩子則在家陪奶奶，她允許我們可以熬夜。令我們驚訝的是，接近午夜時分時奶奶催促我們走出後門，我們站著，在黑暗的花園中發抖。當午夜的教堂鐘聲一響，她給我們每人一枚閃亮的新便士帶回屋裡作為耐心等候的獎賞，並說我們可以期待幸運的 1973 年。
December 31, 1980
I'm spending the evening at a cool party in my friend Jonathan's garage. I dance and talk to Sarah, the loveliest girl in the world. In February, sadly, her family will move down south and it's unlikely that I'll ever see her again. At 11 o'clock, as promised, I walk over to my sister's boyfriend's house to join the rest of my family, regretting that I won't be able to share a New Year's kiss with Sarah at midnight.
1980 年 12 月 31 日
我在朋友 Jonathan 很酷的車庫派對中度過那晚。我跟 Sarah 交談共舞，世界上最可愛的女孩。難過的是，二月時她們家就要搬到南部，而我可能再也見不到她了。十一點時，我依照約定走到姐姐的男友家與其他家人相聚，我因為無法在午夜與 Sarah 有個新年之吻而感到遺憾。
December 31, 1984
With friends in my dad's car on the way to a nightclub, I have a narrow escape as I am pulled over by a police officer for exceeding the speed limit. When he asks if I have had a drink like many on New Year's Eve, I reply, "Of course not." I'm young but I'm not that stupid. He tells me to drive carefully and watch my speed, and to my relief he lets me go with a warning. Unsurprisingly, my New Year's resolution is to be a careful driver.
1984 年 12 月 31 日
和朋友開著我爸的車前往夜店的路上時，因超速而被警察攔下後，我僥倖逃過一劫。當他問我是否跟很多人一樣在跨年夜喝酒，我回答：「當然沒有。」雖然我很年輕但我並沒有那麼笨。他警告我要小心駕駛並注意開車速限，而讓我鬆了一口氣的是，他警告完之後就放我走了。可想而知，我的新年願望就是當個謹慎的駕駛。
December 31, 1993
My dad passed away in November after losing a year-long battle against cancer, and my mom and the rest of the family have gathered at my sister's house. It's the usual happy occasion but touched with a hint of sadness. At twelve o'clock we link arms, sing "Auld Lang Syne" and think fondly of absent loved ones.
Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.
I catch my sister's eye and we exchange sad smiles. My New Year's resolution is to think about my dad every day.
1993 年 12 月 31 日
我爸爸在與癌症奮戰一年後不敵病魔，在十一月離開人世，我媽媽與其他家庭成員在姊姊家團聚。那是個一如往常的歡樂時刻，卻點綴著一絲哀傷。在十二點時，我們彼此手挽著手唱著《友誼萬歲》，深深思念著我們深愛卻缺席的家人們。
我們怎能遺忘與往日好友的友誼，怎能不時常緬懷？
我們怎能遺忘與往日好友的友誼，還有過往的美好時光？
為了過往的美好，親愛的，為了過往的美好，我們舉杯共飲，為了過往的美好。
我與姊姊四目相接，對著彼此哀傷地微笑。我的新年願望就是每天都要想到老爸。
December 31, 1999
I watch the biggest party on earth unfold on television. In enormous crowds across the planet, joyful faces are lit up by a million fireworks, and everyone is looking forward in hope and expectation to the new millennium. But the sleepy Japanese city I'm in is quiet. Before going to bed, I look in on my two-year-old daughter. She's sleeping peacefully and I kiss her forehead.
1999 年 12 月 31 日
我在電視上看著全世界最大的派對舉行著。人群在全球大量聚集著，充滿喜悅的臉龐被許多煙火點亮，大家充滿希望與期待地展望新的千禧年。但我所處的寂靜日本城市是安靜的。在上床睡覺之前，我看了一下我兩歲的女兒。她安詳地睡著，而我在她的額頭吻了一下。
December 31, 2016
The family has gathered at my youngest brother's house. His baby boy crawls around the floor getting lots of attention from aunties and uncles and cousins. One day he'll see the photographs and we'll all be looking so young. I wonder what he'll think.
2016 年 12 月 31 日
全家人在我小弟的家裡團聚。他的小兒子在地上爬來爬去，得到阿姨、叔叔與表姊兄弟姊妹的許多關注。有一天，他會看到照片，我們會看起來如此年輕。我想知道他會有什麼想法。
The earth has completed another cycle around the sun, and we continue to mark the passing of time with our traditions, rituals, and numbers. We reflect on the past and look to the future. It's not a complex idea, but one with great significance for us all.
地球又繞了太陽一圈，我們用我們的傳統、儀式典禮以及數字持續記錄時間的逝去。我們反思過去並展望未來。這不複雜，但是一個對我們所有人來說有著重大意義的概念。
