【导语】本文《小学生关于圣诞节英语作文：SantaClaus》由
TheoriginalSantaClaus,St.Nicholas,wasbornintheancientsoutheasternTurkishtownofLyciaearlyinthefourthcentury.Hisgenerositywaslegend,andhewasparticularlyfondofchildren.WeknowthisprimarilythroughRomanaccountsofhispatronageofyouth,whicheventuallyledtohisbecomingthepatronsaintofchildren.ThroughouttheMiddleAges,andwellbeyond,hewasreferredtobymanynamesnoneofthemSantaClaus.
ChildrentodaywouldnotatallrecognizetheSt.NickwhobroughtgiftstoEuropeanchildrenhundredsofyearsagoexceptperhapsforhiscascadingwhitebeard.Hemadehisroundsinfullred-and-whitebishop'srobes,completewithtwinpeakedmiterandcrookedcrozier.Hewaspulledbynofleetfootedreindeer,butcoaxedinindolentdonkey.AndhearrivednotlateonChristmasEve,butonhisChristianfeastday,December6.Thegiftsheleftbesidethehearthwereusuallysmall:fruit,nuts,hardcandies,woodandclayfigurines.
DuringtheProtestantReformationofthesixteenthcentury,St.NicholaswasbanishedfrommostEuropeancountries.Replacinghimweremoresecularfigures,whoingeneralwerenotatcenterstageatthatpointinhistory..TheDutchkepttheSt.Nicholastraditionalive.Asthe"protectorofsailors,"St.NicholasgracedtheprowofthefirstDutchshipthatarrivedinAmerica.AndthefirstchurchbuiltinNewYorkCitywasnamedafterhim.TheDutchbroughtwiththemtotheNewWorldtwoChristmasitemsthatwerequicklyAmericanized.
InsixteenthcenturyHolland,childrenplacedwoodenshoesbythehearththenightofSt.Nicholas'sarrival.Theshoeswerefilledwithstraw,amealforthesaint'sgiftladendonkey.Inreturn,Nicholaswouldinsertasmalltreatintoeachclog.InAmerica,theshoewasreplacedwiththestocking,hungbythechimney.
TheDutchspelledSt.Nicholas"SaintNikolass,"whichintheNewWorldbecame"Sinterklass".laterchangedto"SantaClaus".
MuchofmoderndaySantaClauslore,includingthereindeerdrawnsleigh,originatedinAmerica.Dr.ClementClarkeMoorecomposed"TheNightBeforeChristmas"in1822,toreadtohischildrenonChristmasEve.ThepoemmighthaveremainedprivatelyintheMoorefamilyifafriendhadnotmailedacopyofit(withoutauthorialattribution)toanewspaperandbecamepartoftheSantalegend.
ItwasinAmericathatSantaputonweight.Therosy-cheeked,roly-polySantaiscreditedtotheinfluentialnineteenth-centurycartoonistThomasNast.From1863until1886,NastcreatedaseriesofChristmasdrawingsforHarper'sWeekly.Thesedrawings,executedovertwentyyears,exhibitagradualevolutioninSantafromthepudgy,diminutive,elf-likecreatureofDr.Moore'simmortalpoemtothebearded,potbellied,life-sizebellringerfamiliaronstreetcornersacrossAmericatoday.Nast'scartoonsalsoshowedtheworldhowSantaspenthisentireyearconstructingtoys,checkingonchildren'sbehavior,readingtheirrequestsforspecialgifts.HisimageswereincorporatedintotheSantalore.
Santaisknownthroughouttheworldinmanydifferentnames,suchas:
SaintNikolaas(SinterKlaas),fromtheDutchFatherChristmas,fromtheEnglishKrisKringle,fromtheGermansBefana,fromtheItaliansBobouschka,fromtheRussians(agrandmotherlyfigureinsteadofamale)