圣诞精神：家长作为过来人该怎样向孩子解释圣诞老人的问题？

As kids who believe in Santa grow up, their parents face a couple of difficult questions: Will this be the year they stop believing? And how do I explain Mr. Claus to them without taking away the “magic” of the holiday season?

随着相信圣诞老人存在的孩子长大，家长们面临着许多难题：孩子们会不会今年就不再相信这回事了？该怎么解释圣诞老人才不会破坏圣诞节的魔法气氛？

We asked the HuffPost Parents community if they’ve tackled the “Santa talk” with their children. While some moms and dads who celebrate Christmas said they never told their kids that a man came down the chimney to leave them presents, some parents offered lovely explanations of how they talked to their kids about jolly old St. Nick.

在本报网站的家长社区上，我们发起提问话题：您是否曾和孩子谈到过圣诞老人？某些家长表示，虽然自家会庆祝圣诞节，但是自己却从未告诉孩子会有人从烟囱进屋并留下礼物，有些家长则会向孩子们解释圣诞老人，其中一些方式非常可爱。

Here are 11 ways parents have explained Santa to their kids .

以下11种方式为孩子解释了什么是圣诞老人。

He lives in the thoughts and the hearts of everyone who does something selfless for another person.

圣诞老人活在那些为他人无私奉献之人的思想与心灵中。

“I told my children Santa is real, but not in the way that we think of as real. He lives in the thoughts and the hearts of everyone who does something selfless for another person. With that act, they become the essence of what we know to be Santa. My kids are in their 20s now and if you ask them, they will proudly say they believe in Santa.”─ Angela Robbins

“我告诉孩子们，圣诞老人真实存在，但是他的存在方式却与我们的想象不同。圣诞老人活在那些为他人无私奉献之人的思想与心灵中，这种行为才是大家所知道的圣诞老人的本质。如今我的孩子们都已经是二十多岁的青年了，如果问他们这个问题，他们会非常自豪地告诉你他们相信圣诞老人的存在。”─安吉拉·罗宾斯

Well, it’s a fun magic to add to Christmas.

圣诞老人增添了圣诞节的魔法气氛，这非常有趣。

“My oldest was 8 and got curious so he started to press for information. After telling him it was a choice to believe or not to believe, and asking him, ‘What do you think and feel about it?’ he responded that he thought it was pretend. He said he felt that his dad and I were Santa. My reply was, ‘Well, it’s a fun magic to add to Christmas. And Dad and I love to surprise you on Christmas morning. And your sisters still think Santa’s coming, so help us keep the magic going.’ With that he has been awesome. He still plays along to keep the surprise and magic of Christmas morning.”─ Teresa Ingram

“我的大儿子已经八岁了，对这个问题非常好奇，他迫切地想知道答案。我告诉他，你可以选择相信，也可以选择不相信，然后我问他‘你的想法和感觉是什么？’他回答说他认为圣诞老人是假的，我和他爸爸才是圣诞老人。我的回答则是‘嗯，圣诞老人增添了圣诞节的魔法气氛，这非常有趣。我和爸爸愿意在圣诞节的早上为你带来惊喜。你的妹妹们还是觉得圣诞老人会来，让我们为她们将这种魔法的感觉保持下去吧。’他做得棒极了，一直为妹妹们营造着圣诞节早上这种惊喜与魔法的感觉。”─特丽莎·英格拉姆

He seemed relieved and wanted confirmation of his thoughts.

他似乎松了口气，希望能确认自己的观点。

“My 9-year-old asked, ‘Is Santa real? It’s OK if the answer is no.’ I told him no, that it was Mom and Dad filling the stockings and buying the presents, but he is real in the sense that he is a symbol of Christmas, a symbol of giving. We also tackled the Elf on the Shelf, Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. He seemed relieved and wanted confirmation of his thoughts, but told me that we can still hide the elf and I can still mark some presents from Santa!”─ Jessica Waagner

“我九岁大的儿子问我：‘圣诞老人是真的吗？如果不是的话也没关系。’我告诉他圣诞老人是假的，是爸爸妈妈把买来的礼物塞满了袜子，但是圣诞老人却是圣诞给予精神实实在在的象征。我们还谈到过书架上的精灵、复活节兔子和牙仙。他似乎松了口气，希望能确认自己的观点。但是他告诉我，我们可以继续把精灵藏起来，也可以继续在圣诞老人的某些礼物上做标记！”─杰西卡·瓦格纳。

We do Santa’s job in order to continue to spread his message of hope, spirit and love.

我们做着圣诞老人的工作，继续传播他所带来的希望，圣诞精神和爱。

“My then 10-year-old asked during his younger brother’s karate class. At first, I answered as I had before, ‘What do you think?’ And he said, ‘I don’t know.’

“当时我的大儿子才10岁，他在弟弟的空手道课上问了我这个问题。起初我像往常一样回答他：‘你怎么看？’他说：‘我不知道。’”

“After his brother went to bed, my husband and I talked to him one-on-one. I told him, ‘Yes, we put your gifts in your stocking.’ He started crying. I said, ‘But that does not make Daddy or me Santa. We do Santa’s job in order to continue to spread his message of hope, spirit and love. So yes, we put the presents in your stockings, but we are not Santa.’ We also talked about the history of Santa and he handled it all really well.”─ Meaghan Greenleaf Wildes

“弟弟上床睡觉后，我和丈夫和他单独谈话。我告诉他：‘是的，是妈妈和爸爸在往你的长袜里赛礼物。’然后他开始哭泣。我接着说：‘但是这不会让妈妈和爸爸变成圣诞老人，我们做着圣诞老人的工作，继续传播他所带来的希望、圣诞精神和爱。所以我们往你的长袜里赛礼物，但是我们并不是圣诞老人。’我们还谈到了圣诞老人的历史，而他处理得非常好。”─米根.格林利福·威尔德斯

I was honest with him and his brother, but also made them promise not to ruin it for anyone else.

我对两个儿子说了实话，但是要他们保证不去破坏其他孩子的圣诞节。

“My 8-year-old son was having doubts last year so to test his theory, he hid Santa’s cookies. He said if they weren’t eaten, then he would know Santa wasn’t real. I spent an hour searching in the middle of the night for those darn cookies, but never could find them. I told him that maybe Santa just didn’t want to look for them or thought he didn’t make any.

“我八岁大的儿子去年产生了怀疑，为了验证自己的理论，他把给圣诞老人的曲奇藏了起来。他说如果这些曲奇一块没少，圣诞老人就不是真的。半夜我花了一小时去找这些讨厌的曲奇却没找到，于是我告诉他可能圣诞老人不想找曲奇或者不想吃吧。”

Finally about six months later, he asked me flat-out and I was honest with him and his brother, but also made them promise not to ruin it for anyone else. Then it occurred to them a few weeks ago ─ how in the world did Mom and Dad get all those presents set up and keep all those secrets and pick out such cool presents? I think I impressed them.”─ Teri Davis

“最后，他在六个月后直接来问我，我对两个儿子说了实话，但是要他们保证不去破坏其他孩子的圣诞节。几周前他们又在问爸爸妈妈是怎样准备的礼物，怎样保守的秘密，还能一下子拿出这么酷的礼物？我想他们觉得我很厉害。”─ 泰瑞·戴维斯

It’s something they can say to a friend who might try and spoil Santa for them.

孩子们也可以用这番话来反击自己那些试图破坏圣诞气氛的朋友。

“I’m a parent of four kids, but also a fourth-grade teacher. Every year there are questions at school about Santa. My standard response for these 9- and 10-year-olds is, ‘If you believe in Santa, he believes in you.’ It seems to work. And it’s something they can say to a friend who might try and spoil Santa for them.” ─ Vicki Thompson Paris

“我是四个孩子的家长，也是小学四年级的老师，每年学校的学生都会提有关圣诞老人的问题。我的标准回答是这样的‘如果你相信圣诞老人，他也会相信你。’这种回答似乎行得通，而孩子们也可以用这番话来反击自己那些试图破坏圣诞气氛的朋友。”─ 维奇·汤普森·帕里斯

She’s now Santa and the Tooth Fairy for her sister.

现在她是妹妹的圣诞老人和牙仙。

“I had the talk with my daughter about the spirit of giving and becoming a Santa herself. She was about to be 8, and she was already saying he’s not real and that she knew it already. I figured she heard it from classmates. She had me so convinced telling every member of our family that she knew, that one night, I decided to show her how other countries and cultures view Santa and his origin, before asking her to become a Santa for someone else.

“我和女儿谈过分享礼物的精神，并让她自己变为圣诞老人。她当时快8岁了，说自己已经知道圣诞老人是假的。我觉得她是从同学那里听来的。她告诉每个家庭成员自己知道这件事，这让我确信不疑。于是某天晚上，我决定告诉她其他国家和其他文化对圣诞老人的看法以及圣诞老人的来历，然后再让她成为他人的圣诞老人。”

In the end, I asked her if she enjoyed it while it lasted and if she felt we should continue the tales for her little sister who’s 2. She thought about it for a moment and replied that even though she didn’t like that we lied to her about the Tooth Fairy and Santa, she did like staying up and trying to catch them in their magic, so she’s now Santa and the Tooth Fairy for her sister, as she feels I am not convincing enough. She believes that she can conceal her magical identity better than I did for her.”─ Jenn Aguilar

“最后，我问她是否喜欢圣诞老人，是否愿意为她两岁的妹妹继续保守秘密。她想了一会，回答说尽管我们在牙仙和圣诞老人的事上骗了她，她很不开心，但是她愿意继续营造魔法的感觉。现在她是妹妹的圣诞老人和牙仙，因为她觉得我们不够可信。相比于我，她相信自己在保持神秘感这件事上会做得更好。”─珍·阿圭勒

He wrapped it up with a very gentle, “Thank you for telling me the truth about Santa, Mommy.”

他心情好转，非常温和地说：“谢谢妈妈告诉我圣诞老人的真相。”

“One night, as I was tucking in my sweet little one, he asked, ‘Is Santa real?’ I stopped for a second, then asked what he believed. ‘Some people say he’s not, but I’ve seen him. But I think you, me, Buela (my mom), and my cousins are the only ones left who believe.’

“一天晚上我正给我家小宝贝塞被子，他突然问我：‘圣诞老人是真的吗？’我停顿了几秒，问他是怎样想的‘有些人说他不是真的，但是我看到过他。但是我觉得妈妈你，我，布艾拉外婆（我母亲）还有我的几个表兄弟应该仍然相信有圣诞老人。’”

I then started telling him that a long time ago, there was a man who would give gifts to children, and his spirit lives on in each of us to this day . After a few blinks, he just started crying. ‘You mean Santa is dead?!’ he said.

“我开始告诉他很久以前，有个人会送孩子们礼物，他的精神一直流传到今天，每个人身上都具备这种精神。他眨了眨眼，然后开始哭着说：‘你是说圣诞老人死了吗？！’”

Ugh. I had one chance, and I blew it. We talked for a bit, and he calmed down. He wrapped it up with a very gentle, ‘Thank you for telling me the truth about Santa, Mommy. I love you.’ Whew.”─ Selma Altas

“呃，我把这次机会毁掉了。我们又聊了一会，儿子的情绪也稳定下来。他心情好转，非常温和地对我说：‘谢谢妈妈告诉我圣诞老人的真相，我爱你。’喔”─塞尔玛·阿尔塔斯

This makes them a part of the magic and fun because what is better than getting to be Santa?

他们成为了圣诞魔法和乐趣的一部分，还有什么能比成为圣诞老人更棒？

“We transition from belief in Santa to becoming an elf, helping to instill the spirit of giving, love, and Christmas by becoming part of the magic. Once one of our children had expressed they were no longer a believer in Santa, they were let in on the secret in order to help keep the magic alive for the next sibling. We emphasize how important it is to not deflate the younger sibling’s belief, and allow the older child to participate in hiding the mischievous elf or filling stockings. This makes them a part of the magic and fun because what is better than getting to be Santa? It has worked well so far. I’ve got one kiddo to go!” ─ Kendra Votava

“我们这些家长原本相信圣诞老人，后来则化身为精灵，成为圣诞魔法的一部分，慢慢向孩子们灌输奉献精神、爱和圣诞精神的理念。曾经我的一个孩子表示他们不再相信圣诞老人了，但是他们还是会守住秘密，继续为弟弟妹妹营造魔法的感觉。我们强调不去破坏弟弟妹妹的信仰是多么重要，让年长的孩子一起帮忙保持捣蛋精灵的秘密，并往长袜里塞礼物。这样他们成为了圣诞魔法和乐趣的一部分，还有什么能比成为圣诞老人更棒？这招非常管用，现在只要再用在最小的孩子身上就好啦！”─肯黛拉·沃塔娃

It’s up to you to believe in magic and in the spirit of giving, no matter what that looks like on the TV screen or in the stores.

不管电视上的圣诞老人和商店里的圣诞老人是什么样的，是否相信奉献精神和爱取决于你自己

“When my daughter was very young, she asked me to confirm if some of her friends were right about Santa not being real. I asked her back, ‘Should we stop giving and being kind to people if we find out Santa’s just a marketing trick?’ She said, ‘No.’ Well, that’s your answer right there. It’s up to you to believe in magic and in the spirit of giving, no matter what that looks like on the TV screen or in the stores.─ Ana Nita

“我女儿非常小的时候，她的一些朋友说圣诞老人是假的，她问我他们的说法是真是假。我反问她：‘如果我们发现圣诞老人只是一种营销手段，我们应该停止奉献，不再对人友善吗？’她回答说：‘不’好了，这个问题需要你自己做出回答。不管电视上的圣诞老人和商店里的圣诞老人是什么样的，是否相信奉献精神和爱取决于你自己。”─安娜·尼塔

They know he doesn’t exist as a person.

他们明白圣诞老人不是真人。

“We’ve told them that we are all Santa when we give our time, money or gifts to others. They know he doesn’t exist as a person, but that he is the spirit of Christmas.”─ Mirna Sierra-Duchemin

“我告诉孩子们当我们付出时间、金钱为他人服务，或送人礼物时我们都是圣诞老人。他们知道圣诞老人不是真人，而是圣诞精神的象征。”─米尔娜·希艾拉-杜彻敏