the legendary patron saint of children

a little known fact is that santa claus does not live at the north pole, but in the lapland region of finland.

一个罕为人知的事实是圣诞老人并非住在北极，而是住在芬兰的拉普兰一带。

yet there can be little doubt that for many it is santa claus — not jesus — who is the human face of christmas.

然而，可能有许多人会有点疑惑，圣诞节的代表人物竟是圣诞老人，而不是耶稣。

in reality, though, that 「handsome prince」 we seem to be promising is in good company with santa claus and the easter bunny—nary a one of them seems to exist.

然而在现实中,我们似乎一直在期待的那位「英俊的王子」和圣诞老人、复活节小兔子是一类人——没有哪一个是真实存在的。

regardless of which version of santa claus you believe in, however, there is only one thing you need to know – that santa claus lives in greenland.

不过无论你相信的是那一个版本的圣诞老人你只需要知道一件事-圣诞老人居住在格陵兰。

to me, that would have been crucial; after all, i wouldn’t tell a child there is no santa claus or why i am an atheist without a parent’s permission.

而对我来说这却很重要，毕竟，如果没有孩子父母的同意，我绝不会告诉一个孩子，没有圣诞老人，或者向他解释为什么我是一个无神论者。

but the ultimate indignity would have to be a holiday card showing santa claus in a convertible racing car running over a horrified snowman, who is screaming for dear life.

最让人难堪的是，在一张节日贺卡上，圣诞老人开着一部敞篷跑车追赶一只吓坏了的雪人。雪人正在尖叫，只想保住自己的小命。

the concept of the american santa claus originated with st. nicholas, who was born in asia minor in 280 a.d. he was known as a kind, benevolent man; indeed made a saint because of his generosity.

美国人关于圣诞老人的概念源于圣-尼古拉斯，他生于公元280年的小亚细亚。众所周知，他是个和蔼、慈善的人；确实，由于他的慷慨宽大而成为一位圣徒。

but he was also known for telling an ottawa home-and-school association in 1945: 「any child who believes in santa claus has had his ability to think permanently destroyed.

但是同时他也因为1945年在渥太华的家庭和学校协会宣称：任何相信圣诞老人存在的孩子都有能力思考圣诞老人是不存在的。

here he is in a festive scene at a park, gamely wearing a red fleece and a santa claus hat.

这里，他大胆地穿一件红色的羊毛衫和一顶圣诞老人帽子在公园里面参加派对。

so go ahead, wear your imaginary santa claus costume, and organize an additional christmas season for your friend only!

所以放手去做，去穿上你虚幻的圣诞老人装束，为你的朋友专门準备一个额外的圣诞节。

when american kids get into their teens, they begin to find out that santa claus doesn’t really exist.

当美国小孩子进入十几岁以后，他们开始得知圣诞老人并不是真正地存在。

“there will be toys under the christmas tree this year,」 says alan hassenfeld, as confidently as if he were santa claus himself.

「今年的圣诞树下会有玩具的，」艾伦?哈森菲尔德说，说得那么自信，好像他自己就是圣诞老人。