第2251期：圣诞老人的鹿
问你个小问题：
圣诞老人乘坐什么交通工具？
雪橇，对吧？
拉雪橇的是几头鹿？
答案是——8头。
而且这八头驯鹿都有名字，分别是：
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen.
谁说的？
美国作家Clement Clarke Moore 1823年发表了一首诗 A Visit from St. Nicholas，诗中对圣诞老人架雪橇送礼物的描写就成了后来圣诞老人形象的标准版本。
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43171/a-visit-from-st-nicholas
下面是诗中描写的圣诞老人主要特征：
Jolly and cheerful: Moore calls him a "jolly old elf," emphasizing his merry demeanor and lively spirit.
Dressed in fur: Santa is described as wearing "a fur dress'd from his head to his foot," with his clothes "tarnish'd with ashes and soot" from chimney travel, suggesting a warm, practical outfit suited for his work.
Bearded and rosy-faced: He has a "white beard" and a face with "cheeks like roses" and a "nose like a cherry," giving him a warm, grandfatherly look.
Small and plump: Santa is depicted as "chubby and plump," with a "little round belly" that "shook when he laugh'd, like a bowlful of jelly," adding to his approachable, non-threatening charm.
Bright eyes and a smile: His eyes "twinkle," and he has a "droll little mouth" drawn up like a bow, conveying friendliness and mischief.
Pipe-smoking: Santa holds "the stump of a pipe" in his teeth, with smoke encircling his head, a detail reflecting the era’s customs but less common in modern depictions.
你脑海中的圣诞老人是不是也这个样子？🎅