THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

圣诞节前夜

In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore, an Episcopal minister, wrote a long Christmas poem for his three daughters entitled “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas.” Moore’s poem is largely responsible for our modern image of Santa Claus as a “right jolly old elf” with a portly figure and the supernatural ability to ascend a chimney with a mere nod of his head! His poem helped popularize the now-familiar image of a Santa Claus who flew from house to house on Christmas Eve–in “a miniature sleigh” led by eight flying reindeer–leaving presents for deserving children. In 1881, political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew on Moore’s poem to create the first likeness that matches our modern image of Santa Claus. His cartoon depicted Santa as a rotund, cheerful man with a full, white beard, holding a sack laden with toys for lucky children.

1822年英国圣公会牧师Clement Clarke Moore为他三个女儿写了一首圣诞长诗“An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas”，这首诗很大程度上决定了现代的圣诞老人形象——胖胖的“快乐老精灵”，微微颔首，有着攀爬烟囱的超能力!他的诗使现在熟知的圣诞老人形象家喻户晓——圣诞节前夜驾着8只会飞的驯鹿拉的小雪橇在房顶上飞来飞去，给该得到礼物的孩子们送礼物。1881年，政治漫画家Thomas Nast针对这首诗画了一幅漫画创作出了第一个和现代圣诞老人形象相似的人物。他把圣诞老人画成了一个长着白色大胡子的矮胖的快乐男人，拿着一个装满送给幸运孩子的玩具的袋子。

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