Nothing quite celebrates the feeling of the Holiday season like an engrossing and wonderful book. Many stories have been written about Christmas and Santa Claus, but very few of those take the theme and make it into something truly special and important. Here are ten of the finest examples. Be sure to post your favorites in the comments.
唯有一本精妙绝伦的好书，方能庆祝假日季的美好心情。描写圣诞节与圣诞老人的书不胜其数，但是其中很少能彰显主题，从而成为一本独具特色、富有深意的好书。下面就有十本绝佳的圣诞之书。在评论里写下你最喜欢的那几本吧。
10. The Greatest Story Ever ToldFulton Oursler
10. 《万世流芳》富尔顿.奥斯勒
In this highly regarded 1949 account about the life of Jesus, Oursler imbued the New Testament gospels with life, embellishing them with descriptive detail, dialog and personality. The compelling fictionalized narrative remains faithful to the scriptures throughout. The author captures the essence of the compassionate, yet forceful Son of God and his mission amidst the political, religious and social turmoil of the early first century. This program’s messages are timeless and ever relevant and will have wide appeal.
《万世流芳》在1949年出版以后广受好评。奥斯勒在这本描述耶稣生平的书中，为新约的四本福音书添加了丰富的情节与对话，并赋予人物以个性，从而让整部福音书鲜活起来。这些引人入胜的故事始终以圣经为范本。作者以深刻的笔触刻画了耶稣——这个慈悲为怀但不屈不挠的上帝之子——和他在政治、宗教、社会都处于一片混乱的世纪之初所承担的历史使命。这本书传达出的讯息意义隽永，将会流芳百世、深入人心。
9. The Polar Express Chris Van Allsburg
9.《极地特快》 克里斯.凡.艾斯伯格
It tells the story of a young boy on Christmas Eve, patiently lying in bed. Suddenly, a magical train called the Polar Express pulls up in front of his house, and the boy is invited to journey to the North Pole. The train is filled with many other children, all dressed in their pajamas. As the train reaches the North Pole, the boy and the other children see thousands of elves gathered at the center of town to send Santa on his way. The boy is handpicked by Santa Claus to receive the first gift of Christmas. Realizing that he could choose anything in the world, the boy asks for one beautiful-sounding silver bell from Santa’s sleigh. The boy places the bell in the pocket of his robe and all the children watch as Santa takes off for his yearly delivery. Later, on the train, the boy discovers that the bell has fallen through a hole in his pocket. On Christmas morning, his sister finds a small present wrapped under the tree, behind all of the other gifts. The boy opens the box and discovers that it is the bell, delivered by Santa, who found it on the seat of his sleigh. When the boy rings the bell, both he and his sister marvel at the beautiful sound. His parents, however, are unable to hear the bell and remark that it must be broken. However, those who believe can hear it.
书中讲了这样一个故事，圣诞节前夕，一个小男孩耐心地躺在床上，突然，一列唤作“极地特快”的魔法列车停在了他的房前，小男孩获邀乘车旅行前往北极。车上还有许许多多穿着睡衣的小孩子。列车载着小男孩和其他孩子们到达了北极，映入眼帘的是，成千上万的小精灵在小镇的中心欢送着圣诞老人。小男孩被圣诞老人选中，来接受今年圣诞节的第一份礼物。小男孩知道自己可以挑选世界上的任何一样东西，但他只要了圣诞老人雪橇上一只悦耳的小银铃儿。他把小银铃放进了睡袍的
口袋里，和其他孩子们一起看着圣诞老人起飞，去派送一年一度的圣诞礼物。但在回家的时候，小男孩发现睡袍的口袋破了个洞，小银铃不见了。圣诞节的早晨，小男孩的姐姐圣诞树下一堆礼物的后面发现了一个精心包装过的小礼物。小男孩打开盒子，小银铃正躺在里面。原来圣诞老人在雪橇的座椅上发现了这只小铃铛。小男孩一吹响小银铃，那动听的声音让他和姐姐惊叹不已。可是，他们的爸爸妈妈却听不到任何声响，说是铃铛坏掉了。然而，只有相信圣诞老人真的存在，才能听到小银铃清脆的响声。
8. The Christmas Tree Judy Salamon
8.《圣诞树》 朱迪.撒拉蒙
The chief gardener at Rockefeller Center dreads Christmas because one of his responsibilities is the selection of the center’s giant Christmas tree, which is not an easy job. Thus, he is thrilled one spring to have found the perfect tree so early, and foresees no problem in persuading the nuns who own the property on which the tree stands to let him have it. Then he meets Sister Anthony, who came to the convent as a young orphan and made a close friend of the Norway Spruce she calls “Tree.”
洛克菲勒中心的首席园丁十分害怕圣诞节的到来，因为他得挑选这儿最大的圣诞树，这可不是一件轻松的活儿。所以，当他早早地在一个春天就发现一棵极好的圣诞树时兴奋坏了，而且猜到了他能不费吹灰之力就让这块地的主人把这棵树让给他。后来他遇到了安东尼小姐，安东尼小姐在很小的时候就成了孤儿并来到了这家修道院，她和这颗挪威云杉成了很好的朋友，亲密地叫它“树”。
7. The Crippled LambMax Lucado
7.《跛脚的小羊》 马克思.陆可铎
Joshua the Lamb is crippled, so the other animals leave him behind in the stable. His tears of loneliness turn to joy, however, when he realizes that because of his difference, he gets to be right there when Jesus is born! From the classic art to the surprise ending, this tender story will help all children see that God has a very special plan for their lives.
小羊约书亚的脚是跛的，所以别的小动物常常撇下他不带他玩儿。但是，当他意识到因为自己的与众不同竟然身处耶稣降生的马棚里时，他破涕为笑了。无论是经典的故事情节还是出人意料的结局，这个温暖的小故事告诉小朋友们，上帝为每个人都做了特别的安排。
6. The Christmas BoxRichard Paul Evans
6.《圣诞礼盒》理查德.保罗.埃文斯
The story relates how a young couple, Richard (who narrates) and Keri, accept a position to care for a lonely widow, Mary Parkin, in her spacious Victorian mansion. As Christmas draws near, Mary becomes anxious about Richard’s obsession with success and his failure to make time for his family. She urges him to reconsider his priorities, but he is always too busy to heed her advice. It is only when Mary is on her deathbed, and her secret sorrow is revealed through the letter-laden Christmas box of the title, that Richard realizes what she has been trying to tell him. The message concerns love, of course, and the strings Evans pulls to vivify it should squeeze sobs from even the stoniest of hearts.
故事讲述了一对夫妇——理查德（故事由他讲述）和凯丽——接受了一个任务：在一幢维多利亚的大宅子里照顾一个孤独的寡妇玛丽.帕金。圣诞节的脚步越来越近了，玛丽开始担心理查德太醉心于获得成功而没有时间陪他的家人。她劝他重新思考一下，对他来说什么才是最重要的，但他总是没有时间听取玛丽的意见。直到玛丽临终之际，理查德在一个圣诞礼盒里发现了一沓厚厚的信，在这些信里他读到了玛丽深藏的悲伤，方才明白玛丽一直想要告诉他的道理，这个道理关乎于爱。当然，读者即使有顽石之心，也会为埃文斯细腻的笔触与生动的描写而动容。
5. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Barbara Robinson
5.《最好的圣诞庆典》芭芭拉.罗宾森
Year after year a small town puts on their re-telling of the Christmas Story from the Bible, and year after year it’s always the same. Alice Wendleken is always Mary while Elmer Hopkins, son of the minister, is always Joseph. But this year that changes. After the usual director, Ms.Helen Armstrong, breaks her leg, housewife Grace Bradley steps up to direct. This is bad news for her children, Beth and Charlie, who are always in the pageant, but never want to be, as well as her husband Bob, who puts his best effort into staying home for the pageant. But things get even worse. The Herdmans (Ralph, Imogene, Leroy, Ollie, Claude and Gladys), who are deemed the worst kids in the world, find out about the pageant after Charlie tells Leroy that it doesn’t matter if he steals his lunch because he can get refreshments at Sunday School. The Herdmans show up and get all the leading roles because no one wants to be anywhere near them. During the weeks leading up to the show all of the rehearsals are a disaster. And just as it looks like the pageant would be terrible as well, the Herdmans seem to pull their act together to turn it into the Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
一年一年又一年，小镇每到圣诞节都会上演圣经上的圣诞故事，但故事的内容始终如一。爱丽丝.文德尔总是扮演玛丽，牧师的儿子埃尔默.霍普金斯总是扮演约瑟夫。但是，这一年情况有所改变。海伦.阿姆斯特朗女士一直是往年的导演，这一年她的腿受伤了，所以就由主妇格蕾丝.布拉德利来担任。这个消息对她的孩子贝思和查理来说，真是糟糕透了。孩子们很不想参加圣诞庆典但又不得不去，格蕾丝的丈夫也是如此感受，圣诞庆典那天他总是想方设法待在家里。但是事情比想象得还要糟糕。小镇上的人把牧娃们（拉尔夫、伊莫金、勒罗伊、奥利、克劳德和格拉蒂丝）视为世界上最坏的孩子，查理告诉勒罗伊因为在主日学校可以得到点心，偷走他的午餐也不碍事，这之后，牧娃们就得知了圣诞庆典的消息。因为没有人愿意与他们为伍，所以牧娃们一出现就抢走了所有的主要角色。临演之前那几周的彩排简直如灾难一般。这场庆典看起来似乎会跟往常一样糟糕，但是后来牧娃们齐心协力让它成为有史以来最好的圣诞庆典。
4. One Wintry NightRuth Bell Graham
4.《冬天里的故事》 露丝.钟路德
In a complex, lengthy picture book for older readers, an injured mountain boy, caughtin a snowstorm at Christmastime, is taken in by a woman who lives in a log home the boy’s grandfather helped build years before. After the snowbound pair become acquainted and the grandfather is notified of the boy’s whereabouts, the woman launches into a telling of the Christmas story–beginning with the Creation and ending with the Resurrection. The setup seems awkward, but once the main story gets under way, things become more believable. Watson’s artwork is unusually arresting, offering plenty of visual subtext to support the ambitious undertaking, which is actually a condensed retelling of the entire Bible. The double-spread Nativity scene truly commands attention, particularly the striking face of the young girl Anna, who has come to see the Christ child.
这是一本写给大孩子的漫画书，稍显复杂与冗长。书中，一个受伤的山区小男孩在圣诞节之际，困在了一场暴风雪之中。住在小木屋中的妇人把小男孩带回了家，小木屋的搭建者正是小男孩的爷爷。这对被雪困住的人儿开始熟悉了彼此，小男孩的爷爷也获知了他的行踪。这时候妇人开始给小男孩讲起圣诞故事来——以创世纪为始，以耶稣复活而终。故事的设置似乎不太灵活，但当主要情节上演时，故事就变得更加惟妙惟肖。沃森为这本书所作的插图也精彩极了，极大地增强了整本书的视觉感染力。书中承载了作者远大的理想，也的的确确浓缩了整部圣经的精华。耶稣出生的场景占了两页篇幅，很为吸人眼球，特别是来看圣婴的小女孩安娜的表情尤为光彩夺目。
3. Twas The Night Before ChristmasClement Moore
3.《圣诞节前夜》克莱蒙特.莫尔
The poem, ‘A Visit From St. Nickolas’ (also known as ‘The Night Before Christmas’, and ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas’ (from its first line), first published in 1823, is largely responsible for the contemporary American conception of Santa Claus, including his physical appearance, the night of his visit, his mode of transportation, the number and first-ever printing of the names of his reindeer, and his delivery of toys to children.
《尼古拉的来访》首次发表于1823年，（根据该诗的第一行，又可叫做《圣诞节前夜》）。今天美国人心目中圣诞老人的形象正是来自于这首诗，圣诞老人的外貌、来访之夜、出行方式、驯鹿的数量和首次印刷时的名字，还有派送礼物给孩子们都是深受该诗的影响。
2. How The Grinch Stole ChristmasDr. Seuss
2. 《格林奇如何偷走圣诞节》 苏斯博士
The Grinch, whose heart is two sizes too small, hates Who-ville’s holiday celebrations, and plans to steal all the presents to prevent Christmas from coming. To his amazement, Christmas comes anyway, and the Grinch discovers the true meaning of the holiday.
格林奇的心脏只有正常人的四分之一大，他很讨厌呼威尔镇到处洋溢着的节日气氛，所以计划偷走所有的礼物以阻止圣诞节的到来。出乎意料的是，圣诞节还是如期而至，而格林奇最后也领悟到了节日的真正意义。
1. A Christmas CarolCharles Dickens
1.《圣诞颂歌》 查尔斯.狄更斯
A Christmas Carol is a Victorian morality tale of an old and bitter miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, who undergoes a profound experience of redemption over the course of one evening. Mr Scrooge is a financier/money-changer, who has devoted his life to the accumulation of wealth. He holds anything other than money in contempt, including friendship, love and the Christmas season. In keeping with the musical analogy of the title, A Christmas Carol, Dickens divides his literarywork into five “staves” instead of chapters. This is a little joke Dickens has carried out throughout the story, it adds humour to the story and links in, because a stave is something you will find in a piece of music, and a “carol” is a type of music/song.
《圣诞颂歌》讲的是维多利亚时代的一个道德故事，故事的主人公叫做埃比尼泽.斯克鲁奇，他是一位满头白发、尖酸刻薄的守财奴，后来在一夜之间经历了一次深刻的救赎。斯克鲁奇是个金融家或者说是个货币兑换商，一生都致力于敛财。除了钱，他鄙视世间的一切，包括友情、爱和圣诞节。为了符合题目——《圣诞颂歌》的音乐韵味，狄更斯把这部作品分为五首歌，而不是五个章节。狄更斯用这个小玩笑贯穿了整个故事，这为故事增加了几分幽默，也让故事与标题更加紧密地联系在一起，因为一首歌是一段音乐的一部分，而颂歌就是一种音乐。
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