2005年NPR美国国家公共电台十二月-Dreaming of a Black Christmas

Gordon: This time of year it's hard to avoid the figure of old Saint Nick, he seems to be everywhere, from ringing a Salvation¹ Army bell to posing for pictures at the local mall. Commentator² Carole Boston Weatherford says she'd like to see a little more color in the Kris Cringle ranks.

Carole Boston Weatherford: By now, every child who believes that a bearded man in a sleigh delivers toys yearns³ to share a wish list with Santa Claus or one of his local bearded clones. Visiting with Santa is one of the few Christmas rituals that's free. Granted a brief chat with Santa does raise expectations for material reward. But there is still no charge to perch⁴ on the jolly old man's lap. So why are some African-American parents reluctant to serve as Santa's helpers? Could it be that we can't bear spending our hard-earned money so some white man in a red velvet⁵ suit can take credit for putting toys under the Christmas Tree? Perhaps a black Santa would make the whole affair a bit more palatable⁶. Finding a black Santa, however, is easier said than done. Apparantly, they are even rarer than the Xbox 360, this season's hottest toy. I can still remember my first glimpse of an African-American Santa. 30 some years ago, my father's fraternity hosted a Christmas party for members' children. The highlight was a black Santa bearing gifts and candy canes⁷. I had never encountered a black Santa, but given his generosity⁸, I was willing to believe that he was the real thing. Today, black Santas are still more likely to appear at festivities hosted by black organizations. Even in predominantly black urban areas, African-American Saint Nicks are hard to come by. In Baltimore, my home town, the city's sole black Santa resides at a mall in a black neighbourhood. My own son and daughter, now teenagers, only once sat on a black Santa's lap. This year, SOHO Santa is making several appearances in my area, but my children have outgrown⁹ him. As Cliff Hucksterbile on a 1980's Cosby show, Bill Cosby diplomatically theorized that Santa changes his ethnicity from house to house to match that of the child. Santa as camellia, interesting notion, but it doesn't hold water. When it comes to Santa, there are no grey areas, kids had either been naughty or nice and Santa is either black or white. So which is it? He is clearly African-American and Melodye Rosales' retelling of Clement¹⁰ Moore's classic poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas". Using Southern dialect, Rosales' "Twas the Night Before Christmas" portrays¹¹ Santa in living color. And, I quote, "Eyes like coals, cotton-white hair and skin black molasses," end quote. Now that's a face even African-American parents can love. In the spirit of the season, I'm dreaming of a black Christmas. If a black Santa is too much to ask, can't toy stores at least stock enough African-American dolls to meet the demand? If I could find a black Santa, I'd take it up with him in person. In the meantime, I put a brown angel atop my tree and pray for snow.
(Soundbite of "Up on a Rooftop")

Gordon: Carole Boston Weatherford teaches creative writing at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina. She is also the author of several books, including "A Negro League Scrapbook".

1 salvation   

n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困

参考例句：

• Salvation lay in political reform.解救办法在于政治改革。
• Christians hope and pray for salvation.基督教徒希望并祈祷灵魂得救。

2 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

3 yearns   

渴望，切盼，向往( yearn的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Every man yearns for sympathy in sorrow. 每个遇到不幸的人都渴望得到同情。
• What I dread is to get into a rut. One yearns for freshness of thought and ideas. 我害怕的就是墨守成规。人总是向往新思想和新观念的。

4 perch   

n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于

参考例句：

• The bird took its perch.鸟停歇在栖木上。
• Little birds perch themselves on the branches.小鸟儿栖歇在树枝上。

5 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

6 palatable   

adj.可口的，美味的；惬意的

参考例句：

• The truth is not always very palatable.事实真相并非尽如人意。
• This wine is palatable and not very expensive.这种酒味道不错，价钱也不算贵。

7 canes   

n.（某些植物，如竹或甘蔗的）茎( cane的名词复数 )；（用于制作家具等的）竹竿；竹杖

参考例句：

• Sugar canes eat sweet. 甘蔗吃起来很甜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I saw several sugar canes, but wild, and for cultivation, imperfect. 我还看到一些甘蔗，因为是野生的，未经人工栽培，所以不太好吃。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学

8 generosity   

n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为

参考例句：

• We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
• We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

9 outgrown   

长[发展] 得超过（某物）的范围( outgrow的过去分词 )； 长[发展]得不能再要（某物）； 长得比…快； 生长速度超过

参考例句：

• She's already outgrown her school uniform. 她已经长得连校服都不能穿了。
• The boy has outgrown his clothes. 这男孩已长得穿不下他的衣服了。

10 clement   

adj.仁慈的；温和的

参考例句：

• A clement judge reduced his sentence.一位仁慈的法官为他减了刑。
• The planet's history contains many less stable and clement eras than the holocene.地球的历史包含着许多不如全新世稳定与温和的地质时期。

11 portrays   

v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of canals. 博物馆的藏品让运河200 年的历史再现眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The film portrays Gandhi as a kind of superman. 这部电影把甘地描绘成一个超人。 来自《简明英汉词典》