有聲版 BY Patx：

Dear Father Christmas,
親愛的圣誕老人：

So my friend has asked me to write to you... I have to confess it's been hard to know what to say. Mainly because like most adults I feel preposterous asking anything of you because our time with you is surely done. Now we get our own presents, control our own fates, take responsibility for our own actions, and live in the world we have created... so it's not for us to turn around and plead for your help with the environment, the migrant crisis, the NHS, education, food banks, human rights, fundamentalism and wars. Though God knows we need all the help we can get with all these man-made problems and more.
我的朋友叫我寫信給你……我真的不知道該對你說什么。主要因?yàn)楦蟛糠殖赡耆艘粯?，我覺得跟你要東西似乎很荒謬，因?yàn)槲覀兒湍阋呀?jīng)沒有交集了。如今我們自己給自己買禮物，掌控自己的命運(yùn)，為自己的行為負(fù)責(zé)，并且生活在我們自己創(chuàng)造的世界里……所以我們沒有理由找你幫忙解決這些問題，比如環(huán)境問題、移民危機(jī)、NHS醫(yī)保系統(tǒng)、教育、食物銀行、人權(quán)、原教旨主義和戰(zhàn)爭。盡管上帝知道，我們需要各種援助去解決這些人為的危機(jī)和麻煩。

And it's not that you aren't compassionate and full of joy. You're great. In spite of you being changed into different colours for corporations and being bastardised to represent materialism gone mad - despite probably originating in some season based pagan druid ritual a million thought miles from requests for spontaneously combusting hoverboards... Kidadults cynically pointing this out after having their moment of belief in you are wasting everyone's precious time. Because you are not for them. You are for the children. Children who need some magic in a world where the borders between innocence and responsibility, playful imagination and cold, adult obstacles are continually shrinking.
我并不是說你沒有同情心或不樂觀。你很偉大。盡管你被各種大公司篡改的面貌全非；被妖魔化以代表那瘋狂的拜金主義——簡直像異教徒的儀式那樣，每到這個季節(jié)就要用禮物填滿欲望，比如那種可能會自燃的懸滑板。那些童心未泯的成年人竟然生氣地認(rèn)為你是在浪費(fèi)每個人的寶貴時間，卻忘了他們自己也曾相信你。因?yàn)槟悴粚儆诔赡耆?，而是屬于孩子們的。孩子們需要一些魔力，因?yàn)檫@個世界上，天真與責(zé)任、歡樂的想象力與冷漠以及成人障礙之間的界限正在不斷的縮小。

This is what I'd like to ask you to help with. A little more time for children to be children. Stretch the moment of magic and playfulness. Distract them from the realities of a world gone mad so that they can laugh with their breath rather than sob with their tears. Especially those caring for family members, or suffering illness, hunger or poverty. Especially those hiding in buildings as bombs rain down, or being handed shaking with fear or cold into a boat to escape environmental disaster or war. Please help to light up their worlds with a moment of joy and hope.
這才是我想求你援助的。讓孩子們的童年更長久些吧。延長那充滿魔力與樂趣的時刻。讓孩童們忽略這瘋狂又現(xiàn)實(shí)的世界，讓他們擁有歡笑而非流淚。尤其是那些過早需要承擔(dān)家庭責(zé)任或身患疾病的孩子們，又或者是那些遭受饑餓與貧窮的孩子們。尤其是那些躲在位于槍林彈雨的建筑中、或者是那些懷著恐懼與寒冷不斷顫抖、被塞進(jìn)船里以逃離災(zāi)難和戰(zhàn)爭的孩子們。請你用希望和歡樂照亮他們的世界。

When I think about it you've got it tough this year... And when I really think about it I'm not sure that asking you for a lightsaber and getting one (not that I ever did by the way) is equatable with controlling the space time continuum and making the good of childhood last a little longer.
當(dāng)我想到今年你處境艱難時……當(dāng)我仔細(xì)思考，我不確定這樣是否合理：即找你要一把光劍（雖然我并不曾得到過）來控制時空介質(zhì)，從而使得美好的童年時光再久一點(diǎn)。

But you do inspire wonder and awe amongst those that write you letters and go to sleep hoping there might be a new object in their possession come dawn. You inspire good behaviour and, at least in my memory, some desperate last minute attempts to redeem bad behaviour so as not to be overlooked. Spare a thought too for those millions who want to write to you but through illiteracy can't. Hear their words and help to give them the time and chance to learn how to read and write so they can better their lives and escape their impoverished beginnings.
但對于那些給你寫信、期待著你會在天明前送給他們禮物而入睡的孩子們，你帶給他們好奇和敬畏。你激發(fā)了善行，至少在我的記憶中，一些孩子在最后一刻試圖彌補(bǔ)過錯，以避免因此受罰。還希望你體諒一下數(shù)百萬想跟你寫信卻不會寫字的人。請你傾聽他們的聲音，給他們時間和機(jī)會去學(xué)習(xí)讀書和寫字，這樣他們就可以過上更好的生活，逃離貧困的處境。

I feel a little sorry for you. And I guess I've done exactly what I said I wouldn't... Asked you to help with adult problems and solve some of the greatest worries we have for our children. I promise to leave some extra port and mince pies for you!
我對你感到一絲歉意。我好像做了我明明說自己不會做的事……我希望你能幫忙解決成年人造成的麻煩，緩解我們對孩子的某些擔(dān)憂。我保證，我會給你留超多肉餡餅的??！

Lots of love
滿滿的愛

Benedict x
本尼親親

Benedict
本尼迪克特

P.S. Please could I have that lightsaber now?
P.S. 現(xiàn)在我能拿到那把光劍了嗎？

注：本尼親親的手寫信其實(shí)是長這樣的——

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