◎張沛元
The recession is downsizing everything - even South Carolina’s Statehouse Christmas tree.
經濟衰退讓一切都縮小減量─連南卡羅萊納州州議會的耶誕樹也難逃變小的命運。
This year’s tree is about 30-feet tall and doesn’t even reach the top of the Confederate soldiers’ monument on the capitol’s front lawn.
今年的耶誕樹約30呎高，甚至比州議會大樓前方草坪上的邦聯戰士紀念碑還低。
"We’re like nonprofits and other groups everywhere. We’ve got to be a little more careful with our money," said Jane Suggs with the Columbia Garden Club, which has been putting up the tree along one of the city’s busiest streets for several years.
「一如各地的非營利與其他團體，我們在金錢方面都得格外留心，」多年來在該市最繁忙街道之一的路旁安置耶誕樹的「哥倫比亞花園俱樂部」的珍．薩格斯說。
The height of the tree also creates a uniquely South Carolina touch. To anyone driving or walking down Main Street a few blocks from the Statehouse, it looks like the tree is topped with the Confederate soldier that sits atop the monument behind it.
這棵樹的高度也創造出一項獨特的南卡風情。對任何從距離州議會大樓數個街口外走路或開車走上「主街」這條路的人來說，那景象就像耶誕樹後方紀念碑最上方的邦聯士兵，就站在耶誕樹的樹頂上。
Most people walking by the tree on a balmy fall afternoon said the Christmas spirit trumps the look of the tree.
大多數在某個宜人秋日午後經過這棵樹的人都說，耶誕精神遠勝於這棵樹的外型。
"The size and shape of the tree didn’t matter to Charlie Brown," Paul McCormick said. "Why should it matter to us?"
「查理．布朗都不在乎耶誕樹的尺寸與外型了，」保羅．麥克康米克說。「我們還有什麼好在乎的？」
新聞辭典
downsize：動詞。縮小規模，裁員。例句：Corporations continued to downsize after the economy recovered.（企業在經濟恢復後仍持續裁員。）
trump：動詞，超越，勝過。
A Charlie Brown Christmas：知名的史努比電視卡通特集「查理．布朗的耶誕節」，主角查理．布朗為追求耶誕節真諦，不介意地挑了一棵小樹當耶誕樹。
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