January 18th, 2024, Wednesday – Snowy

Today was the first real snow day of the winter break! Waking up to a world painted white was magical. My little sister and I couldn't wait to go outside. We built a lopsided snowman in the backyard. We used a carrot for his nose and two black buttons for his eyes. He looked funny but we loved him. Later, we had a small snowball fight. Mom called us in when our gloves got all wet. The hot chocolate she made tasted like the best thing ever. My fingers are still a bit cold as I write this, but my heart is warm.

今天迎来了寒假里第一个真正的下雪天！醒来看到一个银装素裹的世界，太神奇了。我和妹妹迫不及待地跑了出去。我们在后院堆了一个歪歪扭扭的雪人。用胡萝卜做鼻子，两颗黑纽扣做眼睛。他看起来滑稽极了，但我们很喜欢。后来，我们还打了场小雪仗。手套全湿透的时候，妈妈叫我们进了屋。她煮的热巧克力尝起来简直是天下第一美味。写这篇日记时，我的手指还有点凉，但心里暖暖的。

January 22nd, 2024, Sunday – Sunny but Cold

I finally finished reading that novel for my book report. It took me three afternoons, curled up on the sofa with a thick blanket. The story was set in a place much warmer than here, which felt nice. Dad said my concentration has improved because I didn't check my phone much. After finishing, I helped Grandma prepare dumplings for dinner. I'm not very good at pinching the edges, but Grandma said practice makes perfect. The dumplings I made looked a bit chubby, but they tasted just fine.

我终于读完了要写读书报告的那本小说。花了三个下午，蜷在沙发里，盖着厚毯子。故事发生在一个比这里暖和得多的地方，感觉不错。爸爸说我的专注力提高了，因为我没怎么碰手机。读完书，我帮奶奶准备晚饭的饺子。我不太会捏边，但奶奶说熟能生巧。我包的饺子看起来胖乎乎的，但味道还行。

January 28th, 2024, Saturday – Cloudy

Met up with my high school friends at the new café downtown. We talked for almost three hours! It's funny how we still have so much to say even though we chat online almost every day. Sarah is thinking about studying psychology, and Mike is obsessed with learning guitar. We shared our holiday boredom and our hopes for the coming semester. Time flew by. Before leaving, we promised to have a movie marathon together before school starts. It’s great to have friends like them.

和中学的朋友们在市中心的新咖啡馆聚了聚。我们居然聊了快三个小时！真有趣，即使我们几乎每天都在网上聊天，还是有说不完的话。莎拉在考虑学心理学，迈克则沉迷于学吉他。我们分享了假期的无聊和对新学期的期待。时间过得飞快。分开前，我们约好开学前要一起看次马拉松电影。有这样的朋友真好。

February 3rd, 2024, Friday – Windy

A quiet day at home. Did some review for my English and math. I watched an old movie with Mom in the afternoon. It was in black and white, but the story was really touching. In the evening, I tried a new recipe from a cooking video – it was just fried rice with eggs and peas, but I felt proud of myself. The寒假 is going by faster than I thought. There are still a few books I want to read, and my room needs a good cleaning before the New Year. Better get organized tomorrow.

今天是在家的安静一天。复习了一些英语和数学。下午和妈妈看了一部老电影。是黑白的，但故事真的很感人。晚上，我按照一个烹饪视频尝试做了新菜式——其实只是鸡蛋豌豆炒饭，但我为自己感到骄傲。寒假过得比我想象的要快。还有几本书想读，房间也需要在新年前好好打扫一下。明天最好规划一下。