2006年VOA标准英语-First International Convention of Santas

By Zulima Palacio
Branson, Missouri
18 July 2006
 
watch Christmas in July report

Santas everywhere  
  
Five hundred forty seven Santa Clauses, Mrs. Santas, elves and helpers recently staged what they called theFirst International Convention of Santas.  It was held in the tiny town of Branson, Missouri -- a tourist attraction known for its many theaters and shows.  Convention participants held their first Santa Parade, with their red suits, bells and hats -- all of it in the middle of summer.    Jim Bertel narrates¹ this report.

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For four days in July, there were Santas everywhere in Branson: in conferences, workshops and seminars, in the theaters of Branson, in sleighs, and in the largest Santa Claus parade ever.

There were nearly 300 of them fully² dressed, with more than 200 Mrs. Santas and some elves and helpers.  Their average age is 60 years old, their average height 1.92 meters and their weight over 100 kilos.  They all have natural beards, and most are snow white. 

 
Timothy Connagham
  
Timothy Connagham, better known as Santa Tim, was the Convention Director.  "There is a lot more than just sitting on a chair and we hope that with the parade and the publicity³, people will know how much we do."

Indeed, the Santas were quite busy in July.  Over 30 different seminars were offered at the convention, including a variety of issues from how to deal with children suffering from post traumatic stress, to painting faces for the kids, to the care and feeding of Santa's beard.

"Being able to maintain the stuff is foreign to most of you guys; you all want to wash it, put a hat on it and go.  And it doesn't work," said one instructor⁴.

"If you have more shampoo and hair care products in your home than your wife does," says Santa Tim, "you're probably a Santa."

There were also many sponsors and sales.  From the most mundane⁵, such as underwear… to the most expensive Santa suits.

But apart from all the jolly men who laugh and sing Christmas carols all year long, there are great stories of joy and generosity⁶.

Santa Tim told this story:  "Would you believe my first job as Santa was for some fellow solders⁷?  I was in Vietnam with my buddies⁸ and somebody mailed us a Santa hat made out of paper, so I put the hat on, put shaving cream on, dressed as Santa and hand delivered the mail to our friends. And they could come up and sit on our lap to take a picture and send the picture to mom and dad. And it was a lot of fun."

Many Santas started their careers just for fun, to amuse their grandchildren or other youngsters.  But soon they realized how much they enjoyed it.

"Once they have had the children sitting on their knee, those children are so loving and adoring and wonderful, they are so much here in the heart, that the person now wants to be Santa all the time," said Santa Tim.  "I just did a survey and the average number of children that a Santa may have in a year on his knee is around 13.000." 

Ed Butchart   
  
Many Santas here are very involved with charities.  After 30 years with the Marine⁹ Corps¹⁰ and a successful career as a medical diagnostic salesman, Ed Butchart dedicated¹¹ his life to two things: his foundation for people with disabilities and being Santa Claus.

 "Now we have given away 16,000 wheelchairs, we've given away thousands of other devices, we've given away almost $60 million worth of stuff and we are still doing it every day," said Butchart.

Santa Ed's foundation in Atlanta has donated wheelchairs in 42 states and 65 countries.  He has also been successful with his book "Red Suit Diaries", a story of love and giving.

"I truly do believe in the magic of Christmas," said Santa, "because I truly believe in the source of the love that Christmas is all about.  When you give that love and spread it around it comes back exponentially, more and more."

Whether Christmas is celebrated¹² in July or December, for these Santas Christmas is about the joy of giving.  That may be the reason why Santa is so popular.

And we heard that the real one is one is at the convention somewhere...

1 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

2 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

3 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

4 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

5 mundane   

adj.平凡的；尘世的；宇宙的

参考例句：

• I hope I can get an interesting job and not something mundane.我希望我可以得到的是一份有趣的工作，而不是一份平凡无奇的。
• I find it humorous sometimes that even the most mundane occurrences can have an impact on our awareness.我发现生活有时挺诙谐的，即使是最平凡的事情也能影响我们的感知。

6 generosity   

n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为

参考例句：

• We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
• We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

7 solders   

n.焊料，焊锡( solder的名词复数 )v.（使）焊接，焊合( solder的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• We fused the pipes with solders. 我们用焊锡熔接管子。 来自辞典例句
• Solders ate a great number of potatoes during World War II. 第二次世界大战期间的士兵吃了很多的土豆。 来自互联网

8 buddies   

n.密友( buddy的名词复数 )；同伴；弟兄；（用于称呼男子，常带怒气）家伙v.（如密友、战友、伙伴、弟兄般）交往( buddy的第三人称单数 )；做朋友；亲近（…）；伴护艾滋病人

参考例句：

• We became great buddies. 我们成了非常好的朋友。 来自辞典例句
• The two of them have become great buddies. 他们俩成了要好的朋友。 来自辞典例句

9 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

10 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

11 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

12 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。