12月是一年中最寒冷的月份之一，此时温度陡降，阴晴不定，昼短夜长，极易令人感到忧郁——但因为有了圣诞节的存在，它又成了不少人一年中最期待、最感到温暖的月份。圣诞将至，你有什么想要的礼物，又为亲朋好友准备了什么礼物？今年，福州西湖国际学校的圣诞季便以「礼物」为主题，探索「礼物」这一媒介与「馈赠」这一行为对日常生活的影响。

December is one of the coldest months of the year, when temperatures drop precipitously, clouds and sunshine are erratic, days are short and nights are long, and it's easy to feel blue - but because of Christmas, it's the one month of the year that many people look forward to and feel the warmest. Christmas is approaching, what gifts do you want and what gifts have you prepared for your friends and family? This year, Fuzhou Lakeside International School's Christmas season is themed 'Gifts', exploring the impact of the medium of 'gifts' and the act of 'gifting' on everyday life.

2023 FLIS圣诞季以传统圣诞游戏"Secret Santa（神秘圣诞老人）"拉开序幕！在一场全校性不分年龄、性别的抽签中，每个人都成为了他人的“神秘圣诞老人”，同时也被他人抽中成为“幸运儿”，在节日来临前的时光里，“神秘圣诞老人”要时不时关照自己的“幸运儿”，做些令他/她开心的小事，并最终为他/她准备一份圣诞礼物。以馈赠为纽带，我们希望通过礼物的交换与流动串联起整个FLIS大家庭！

FLIS kicked off the Christmas season with the traditional Christmas activity "Secret Santa"! In a school-wide draw for all ages and genders, everyone becomes someone else's "Secret Santa" and someone else's "Lucky Person," and during the weeks before Christmas, Secret Santa would take care of his or her “Lucky Person" from time to time, do something to make him/her happy, and eventually prepare a Christmas gift for him/her. Through the exchange and flow of gifts, we hope to connect the entire FLIS family!

本周五，FLIS师生与家长们提前庆祝了圣诞节。在圣诞演出这一盛大舞台上，每个班级都贡献了精心排演的节目：舞蹈、乐队演出、合唱、管弦乐演出、戏剧……我们在品味一个个温馨节目的同时，也进一步了解了圣诞的真谛：音乐与舞蹈中欢乐热情的节日活力感染了在场每位观众；通过诸如《偷走圣诞节的绿毛怪》《圣诞颂歌》等经典剧目，观众恍然大悟，圣诞也是一个呼吁大家向世界传递善意并从中汲取力量的节日……演出当天，FLIS邀请了同行三年有余的慈善组织「福州小家」的朋友们来到现场感受节日氛围。小家发起人、来自福建医科大学附属协和医院小儿血液科的郑浩主任向大家介绍了「福州小家」，并分享了他对「礼物」主题的理解。今日FLIS师生与小家的朋友们汇聚一堂共度圣诞，就像一份送给彼此的礼物，通过欢聚与友谊，我们也共同向这个世界传播了爱与善意。

This Friday, FLIS students, teachers and parents celebrated Christmas early. On the grand stage of the Christmas show, each class contributed well-rehearsed programs: dances, band performances, choir, chamber music performances, Christmas plays… We savored each heartwarming program while learning more about the true meaning of Christmas: the joyful and enthusiastic festive energy of the music and dances filled every audience member; through classic plays such as " The Grinch Who Stole Christmas " and "A Christmas Carol", the audience came to realize that Christmas is also a holiday that calls for us to convey goodwill to the world and draw strength from it. On the day of the performance, FLIS invited friends from "Fuzhou Hope Home", a charitable organization that we have been working together with for more than three years, to come to the event to enjoy the festive atmosphere. The initiator of Fuzhou Hope Home, Doctor Zheng from the Pediatric Hematology Department in Fujian Medical University Union Hospital introduced Fuzhou Hope Home and shared his understanding of the theme of "Gifts". Today, FLIS teachers and students gathered with friends of Fuzhou Hope Home to celebrate Christmas, like a gift to each other, and through joyful gathering and friendship, we also spread love and kindness to the world together.

傍晚演出结束，外场的雪花慈善集市再度将活动推向高潮。在纷飞的“雪花”中，我们迎来了圣诞亮灯仪式与神秘圣诞老人揭晓派对！你收到心仪的礼物了吗？雪夜漫步在校园中逛逛集市，伴着乐队歌手连环热唱一首首冬日金曲，这是专属于FLIS学子的别样圣诞浪漫！本次集市所获全部收益都将捐助给小家的孩子们——礼物可以成为群体沟通的桥梁；这是单纯的商品所做不到的。那么，或许此次以「礼物」之名举办的活动，不仅拉近了每个人的距离，也让我们对自己的生活与周围的世界，产生了一点点积极的影响。

After 5 pm, the event culminated with the Snowflake Charity Bazaar outside. In the midst of the "snowflakes", we had the Christmas Lighting Ceremony and Secret Santa Reveal Party! Did you get your favorite gifts? Walking around the campus on a snowy night, browsing the bazaar and singing winter songs with the band singers, this is a special Christmas memory for FLIS students! All proceeds from the bazaar will be donated to the children of the Fuzhou Hope Home - gifts bridge the community in ways that simple products cannot. Then, perhaps this event organized in the name of "gifts" not only brought everyone closer, but also allowed us to have a little bit of a positive impact on our own lives and the world around us.

相信大家都度过了一个美妙的夜晚。最后，别忘了FLIS携手福州荟聚&宜家福州举办的圣诞艺术展仍将继续展出至2024年1月1日，欢迎驻足欣赏！

祝西湖学子假期愉快，我们2024再见！

We hope everyone had a wonderful evening! Last but not least, don't forget that the Christmas Art Exhibition organized by FLIS in collaboration with Fuzhou Livat™ and IKEA Fuzhou store will still be on display until January 1, 2024, so feel free to stop by and enjoy!

We wish you a happy holiday. See you in 2024!