Merry Christmas Mr. Kelly from Buckingham Palace
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Australian Tim Kelly displays the letters and cards that he received for Christmas in Sydney December 23, 2008. |
Australian Tim Kelly displays the letters and cards that he received for Christmas in Sydney December 23, 2008.
Ever wonder what Britain's royal family write on their Christmas cards? Australian Tim Kelly knows, as he receives one from the Queen every year.
Each Christmas time, Kelly's Sydney mailbox is packed with greeting cards from celebrities and household names including Queen Elizabeth, pop star Kylie Minogue, former South African President Nelson Mandela and U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong.
"The royal family are sensational, they are always very prompt in their Christmas greetings," the 39-year-old Kelly said.
"And the card that comes from No. 10 Downing Street, is a nice card," he said, referring to the residence of the British prime minister. "Tony Blair was always very prompt in his reply. I haven't received one from Gordon Brown yet," he told reporters.
Kelly's Christmas card tradition started when he wrote to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as a 12 year old, and she responded. That set him on a path to sending —— and receiving —— greetings from all over the world.
Over the years he has received cards from former President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy, Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman, singer Elton John, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Britain's Prince William.
"The Queen and Prince Philip would like to thank you Mr. Kelly for your Christmas wishes and trust that you have a lovely Christmas," reads the message in Kelly's Christmas card each year from Buckingham Palace.
Each year Kelly tries to find new people to write to, but admits with tighter privacy laws it's getting tougher to track celebrities down.
"I tried to send a card to Fidel Castro a few years ago, but the Cuban Embassy thought I was mad, and I never got a response from him either," he said, referring to the Cuban leader.
Kelly also treasures cards from those who have passed on, and, despite their potential value, he says he has no plans to sell them.
"A couple of years I moved house and forgot to write to the Queen and I still got a card. I must be on their database," he said with a laugh.
【中文】
想过英国王室会在圣诞贺卡上写些什么祝福语吗？家住澳大利亚悉尼的蒂姆?凯利可以告诉你，因为他每年都会收到女王的圣诞贺卡。
每年圣诞节，凯利家的邮箱总是塞满了社会各界名流寄来的圣诞贺卡，其中包括英国女王伊丽莎白，流行明星凯莉?米洛、南非前总统尼尔森?曼德拉和美国宇航员尼尔?阿姆斯特朗等等。
39岁的凯利说：“英国王室每年都会非常及时地送上圣诞祝福，这令我很感动。”
他在接受记者采访时说：“（英国）唐宁街10号首相府寄来的贺卡也非常漂亮。布莱尔的回复总是很快，但目前我还没有收到过布朗首相的贺卡。”
凯利给名人寄圣诞贺卡的传统从他12岁时就开始了，当时他给英国时任首相撒切尔夫人寄了张圣诞贺卡，并收到了她的回复。从那以后，凯利每年都会向世界各地的名人寄送圣诞祝福，同时也会收到来自世界各地的祝福。
到目前为止，凯利收到过美国前总统罗纳德?里根及其夫人南希、好莱坞著名影星妮可·基德曼、摇滚歌手埃尔顿?约翰、美国前国务卿基辛格和英国威廉王子寄来的圣诞贺卡。
白金汉宫（英国王室）寄给凯利的圣诞贺卡上的祝福语是：“亲爱的凯利先生，女王和菲利普亲王感谢你的圣诞祝福，并祝你度过一个美好的圣诞。”
每年凯利都试图给一些新人寄贺卡，但由于现在的隐私保护法越来越严格，所以想要得到名人的地址越来越困难。
他说：“几年前，我打算给古巴领导人菲德尔·卡斯特罗寄圣诞贺卡，但古巴大使馆竟然认为我疯了，我也从没收到过他本人的回复。”
凯利还十分珍视已逝名人曾给他寄的圣诞贺卡，尽管能值不少钱，但凯利说他不会卖。
他笑着说：“几年前，我搬家了，忘了给女王寄贺卡，但我仍然收到了女王的贺卡。想必我被列入了他们的寄卡名单。”
（摘自外语教育网）
