As winter rolls around again this year and the days become chillier1, millions of people around the world will break out their winter coats and look forward with anticipation2 to the approaching holiday season. That's right, Christmas is upon us again. For some, that means digging out those old lights and ornaments3 out of the closet to hang on the Christmas tree. For others, it means frantic4 days of gift-shopping at the mall. For many children, Christmas is the season of Santa Claus, that mysterious and jolly invader5 of chimneys, soaring through the sky on his magical sled, bearing gifts for the nice and coal for the naughty.
当冬季的脚步渐行渐近之时，天气也愈加冷，全球各地的数百万人都会将冬衣筹备好并期待假期的到来。没错，圣诞来了！对一些人而言，这意味着要将橱柜里往年的装饰灯具和装装饰品倒腾出来挂在圣诞节树上了。对另外一些人而言，这意味着要在商厦里疯狂地选择和购买礼物了。但对一些孩子来讲，圣诞是那个神秘又高兴、会爬烟囱、在他魔幻般的雪橇上从天空呼啸而过并给乖孩子送礼物物向调皮鬼扔煤球的老人--圣诞节老人的节日。
Most people who celebrate Christmas are familiar with the figure of Santa Claus. However, few know the details of his origins or the fairly complex history of his development.
大部分庆祝圣诞节的人对圣诞节老人都很了解。但，几乎无人了解他的由来及其复杂的进步史。
The figure of Santa Claus actually has many different origins and is derived6 from a variety of traditions. Elements from these different traditions became incorporated together with time and produced the Santa Claus that we know today. The primary inspiration for Santa Claus is the 4th century Christian7 bishop8 Saint Nicholas of Myra. Nicholas resided in the ancient Lycian town of Myra, located in Byzantine Anatolia. Having devoted9 his entire life to Christianity at a young age, Nicholas became known for his generous gifts to the poor. One famous story tells of how he presented three impoverished10 daughters of a faithful Christian with dowries so that they would not have to become prostitutes. Today, we continue to use Saint Nicholas as a pseudonym11 for Santa Claus.
事实上，圣诞节老人这个形象起源多样，来自不一样的传统。而这类来自不同传统的原因伴随时间的流逝渐渐融合，最后形成了大家今天所熟知的圣诞节老人。刚开始的圣诞节老人形象来源于4世纪的迈拉基督主教圣尼克拉斯，他居住在小亚细亚拜占庭的古利西亚小镇迈拉。他在年轻的时候就将我们的一生都献给了基督教并因慷慨地为贫弱之人捐献礼物而闻名。其中一个有名的故事讲述了他是怎么样资助3名真诚而又贫弱无助的基督徒，为她们置办嫁妆而让她们不至于沦落为妓女的事情。今天，大家仍然用圣尼克拉斯（或者圣尼克）作为圣诞节老人的别称。
Elements of Santa Claus folklore12 are also derived from Germanic traditions. In Proto-Germanic mythology14, the god Odin would host a great hunting party for the gods and fallen warriors15 each year at Yule. It was an old tradition for children to fill their boots with carrots, straw, or sugar and place them near the chimney for Odin's flying horse, Sleipnir, to eat. Odin would then replace Sleipnir's food with gifts or candy to reward those children for their kindness. These practices survived after Germany's Christianization and the practice became associated with Saint Nicholas. Today, children continue to place stockings or socks near the chimney for Santa to place gifts in.
圣诞节老人民间传闻的原因还源于德国的传统。在德国古老的神话中，欧丁神会在圣诞那天为众神和过世的勇士举办盛大的打猎狂欢会。所以对于孩子来讲，这是个古老的传统，他们会在我们的靴子里塞满胡萝卜、稻草或者糖块并将靴子放在烟囱的附近，以便让欧丁奔驰的骏马斯雷皮涅来吃。欧丁会把麋鹿的食物换成礼物或者糖果，作为好心孩子的回报。这类习惯在德国（还有比利时和荷兰）被基督化后保留了下来并和圣尼克拉斯联系起来。今天，孩子们仍然将长袜或者短袜放在烟囱的附近，以便圣诞节老人放礼物进来。
In the Netherlands, Saint Nicholas is also known by the shortened form of his name Sinterklass. The popular North American form Santa Claus is actually a mispronunciation of the Dutch form. Parallels in the lore13 of Santa's helpers can also be traced to stories told in the Netherlands about a young Ethiopian slave boy named Peter. According to the story, Saint Nicholas freed Peter from a Myra market, and the boy was so thankful he decided16 to stay with Nicholas as a helper. In Dutch, Nicholas's helper is known as Zwarte Piet . Many have felt the name to contain racial connotations. Today, Zwarte Piet has become a modern servant who has a black face because he climbs through chimneys and gets soot17 all over him.
在荷兰，圣尼克拉斯被简称为圣特克拉斯。北美常见的称呼Santa Claus事实上源于荷兰发错音的Sinterklass。而谈到圣诞节老人的助手，可追溯到荷兰的民间故事，那是有关一个叫做皮特的年少埃塞俄比亚奴隶男生的故事：圣?尼克拉斯在迈拉的市场上给皮特赎身，皮特对此感激涕零，决定成为尼克拉斯的助手。在荷兰，尼克拉斯的助手被叫做Zwarte Piet（黑皮特），不少人觉得这个称呼包括种族方面的言外之意。今天，Zwarte Piet成为了现代的仆人，他因爬烟囱沾得满身烟灰，面色由此变黑。