英语美文：圣诞老人

Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ, the Nativity of the babe in the manger whom Christians believe was the Son of God. Indeed, the very word Christmas means Christ festival .

圣诞节是庆祝基督 这名被基督徒视为上帝之子的婴儿在马槽里的诞生。的确， 圣诞节 这个词的意思就是 基督的庆典竹。

Yet there can be little doubt that for many it is Santa Claus - not Jesus - who is the human face of Christmas. In fact, it is fair to say that in much of the world, Santa is better known than the Christ who gave his name to the holiday.

然而，可能有许多人会有点疑惑，为什么圣诞节的代表人物是圣诞老人，而不是耶稣呢?事实上，这样说也不为过：在世界上许多地方，圣诞老人要比以其名字来命名该节日的基督还要出名。

But how did the fat man in the Coca-Cola red-and-white suit become the symbol of Christmas? The truth is that like the Christmas story itself, the story of Saint Nicholas is a composite of history, myth, and legend.

但是，那个穿着一套可口可乐红白颜色衣服的胖子是怎么成为圣诞节的'象征的呢?事实上，跟圣诞节本身的故事一样，圣人尼古拉的故事，也是集历史、神话和传说于一身。

According to tradition, he was born in Asia Minor in about A.D. 270. When young, he traveled to Palestine and Egypt. Not long afterward, he became a bishop.