美国圣诞老人高兴不起来

当然，圣诞老人并不是准确的经济指标。近期公布的政府数据显示，今年11月的零售额比10月略有上升。而且，并不是每一位圣诞老人都称孩子们今年的要求有所不同。本文作者采访的40多位圣诞老人中，许多人都说，他们遇到的那些家境富裕的孩子提出的要求和往年一样大胆。
Santas aren't precise economic indicators, of course. Government data out Friday showed that retail sales inched up in November from October. And not every Kringle is reporting a difference in what children are requesting this year. Many of the 40-some Santas interviewed for this article say they work with affluent children whose requests are as bold as ever.
　　
凯利．克赖斯在新奥尔良地区当圣诞老人，他说，他在一些派对上见到的孩子仍然索要起价299美元的PlayStation 3，而其他孩子要的也是让荷包大出血的高价礼物。但是，他在当地的哈拉斯赌场酒店遇见的孩子的礼物要求却比往年降低了。最近，一个7岁大的男孩向他要鞋子。克赖斯问，你是想要飞人乔丹(耐克公司出品的一款运动鞋)吗？。
Kelly Crais, who plays Santa in the New Orleans area, says the children he sees at some parties still ask for a PlayStation 3, which starts at $299, and other wallet-busting gifts. But the children he sees for free at his local Harrah's Hotel & Casino have downgraded their lists from previous years. One 7-year-old boy recently asked for shoes. 'Do you want Air Jordans?' Mr. Crais asked.
　　
那个男孩答道，不，是校鞋。我的鞋子破了。
The boy responded, 'No, school shoes. My shoes have holes in them.'
　　
67岁的克赖斯是一位退休的商业艺术家，他打电话给他的摄影师，摄影师告诉男孩的母亲关于当地慈善机构可提供圣诞礼物的信息。
Mr. Crais, a 67-year-old retired commercial artist, called over his photographer, who told the boy's mother about local charities.
　　
一些大点的孩子说，他们已经降低了对礼物的要求。克里斯蒂安．波蒂略是旧金山一所社区学院的学生，今年17岁，他最近到一家购物商城去找圣诞老人，想照一些家庭照。他说，他通常会要Xbox 360的电子游戏作为圣诞礼物。但是他的父亲西泽是遭遇资金短缺的加州大学伯克利分校的信息技术人员，今年的薪水锐减了约10%。
Some older children say they have scaled back their gift requests. Christian Portillo, a 17-year-old community-college student in San Francisco, recently went to a mall to visit Santa for some family photos. He says he typically would have asked for Xbox 360 videogames for Christmas. But his father, Cesar, an information-technology staff member at the cash-strapped University of California at Berkeley, had his salary slashed about 10% this year.
　　
因此，年轻的波蒂略说，现在我想要一个自行车架。他的父母在分类网站Craigslist上为他买了一个自行车架，他们说，今年他们想从那里淘到些二手礼物。
So, the younger Mr. Portillo says, 'Now all I want is a bike rack.' His parents got one for him on Craigslist, where they say they are scrounging for secondhand gifts this year.
　　
甚至有些父母也开始向圣诞老人倾诉他们的苦恼。56岁的人才中介师洛伦．史密斯在圣迭戈的海洋世界扮演圣诞老人。他说，他经常倾听母亲们的诉说，并对她们说，你已经有太长时间没和圣诞老人谈心了。你想要什么圣诞礼物？
Even some parents are sharing their worries with Santa. Loren Smith, a 56-year-old talent agent who works as Santa at Sea World in San Diego, says he often leans over to mothers and says, 'You haven't talked to Santa for a good long time. What do you want for Christmas?'
　　
“我想要回我的工作，”上周，一位女士答道。这位女士说她丢掉了她的航空管理工作，于是两个人谈了几分钟关于经济的话题。史密斯说，我脱离了自己所扮演的角色，不过我并不经常这样做。
'I'd just like to get my job back,' responded one woman last week. The woman said she lost her airline management job, and the two talked about the economy for a few minutes. 'I stepped out of character,' Mr. Smith says. 'I don't do that very often.'
　
但就算是今年，也仍然有欢乐的时刻。最近，里默施马就在芝加哥市郊遇到了一次，当时几个孩子带着他们88岁的祖母来见他。
Yet even this year, there are still jolly moments. One occurred for Mr. Riemersma in suburban Chicago recently, when some children brought their 88-year-old grandmother to see him.
　　
这位女士说，哦，不，我已经有好多年没坐到男人腿上了。她犹豫了一下才坐上去。但是过了一会儿，她笑着对他说，但你猜怎么着，圣诞老人？我仍然喜欢这么做。
'Oh, no, I haven't sat on a man's lap in years,' the woman said, before she reluctantly climbed on. But after a moment, she grinned at him and said, 'But guess what, Santa? I still like it.'