万花筒2007-12-29:The history of santa圣诞老人传奇

Towards the night before Christmas when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The legend of Santa takes root when we were young.
“Who is that?”
“Santa Claus.”
“He’s coming down the Chimney?”
“Yeah”
Capturing our imagination, just like he’s done for generations, the Santa we know has evolved over the years.
“Hey! You!”
“Santa baby, slip a sable¹ under the tree for me. I’ve been an awful good girl. Santa baby and hurry down the chimney tonight.”
Just had a few embarrassing moments on screen, but who would exactly is he? We know where he lives. “In North pole”. We send him our wish lists, or, if we are lucky, get to tell him ourselves.
“What would you like for Christmas, my dear? ”
“Um…”
“Ho ho ho”
But to really know him, you have to look deep into the past. Some believe all the way back to the Norse God Odin, who rides on his flying horse drop gifts down chimneys to children. Then there’ another bearded fellow named Saint Nicholas who still makes his round in parts of Europe.
“If they’ve been good, they get a gift.”
“Good or bad”
“Good or bad, even the bad ones get the gifts?”
“Yes.”
“Hold on a minute”
He’s actually a bishop², from Turkey, famed for his compassion³ and generosity⁴ who after hundreds of years still brings the magic to children’s lives on the Eve of December Sixth.
In Bavaria, he’s joined by the Germen version of Santa elves. If you have ever seen them, avoid them.
In the Netherlands, Saint Nick is called Sinterklaas, which in the U.S. became Santa Claus. In the Victorian era, Christmas was in decline. But one man is widely credited with reviving it---Charles Dickens, whose story of Christmas Carol brought back the magic and spirit of Christmas. Its message of Charity and forgiveness cut through the materialistic⁵ trappings of the season, something still celebrated⁶ at Dickens world in England and by Saint Nick.
“Can I hear that after you finish with the Children. You get to have a special treat to yourself or schnapps.
“ Yes, one or two.”
Dawna Friesen NBC news, Bavaria.
“So, does this thing really fly?”
“Of course.”

1 sable   

n.黑貂；adj.黑色的

参考例句：

• Artists' brushes are sometimes made of sable.画家的画笔有的是用貂毛制的。
• Down the sable flood they glided.他们在黑黝黝的洪水中随波逐流。

2 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

3 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

4 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。

5 materialistic   

a.唯物主义的，物质享乐主义的

参考例句：

• She made him both soft and materialistic. 她把他变成女性化而又实际化。
• Materialistic dialectics is an important part of constituting Marxism. 唯物辩证法是马克思主义的重要组成部分。

6 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。