MANHOOD, 12. The First Christmas Tree MANHOOD, 12. El primer árbol de Navidad MANHÃ, 12. A primeira árvore de Natal МАНХОД, 12. Первая рождественская елка MANHOOD, 12. Prvo božično drevo 男子气概，12。第一棵圣诞树

Claus had always kept his promise to the Knooks by returning to the Laughing Valley by daybreak, but only the swiftness of his reindeer has enabled him to do this, for he travels over all the world. Claus je vedno držal obljubo, ki jo je dal Knookom, da se bo v Dolino smeha vrnil do zore, vendar mu to omogoča le hitrost njegovih severnih jelenov, saj potuje po vsem svetu. He loved his work and he loved the brisk night ride on his sledge and the gay tinkle of the sleigh-bells. Rad je imel svoje delo in rad je imel živahno nočno vožnjo na saneh in veselo zvonjenje zvoncev na saneh. On that first trip with the ten reindeer only Glossie and Flossie wore bells; but each year thereafter for eight years Claus carried presents to the children of the Gnome King, and that good-natured monarch gave him in return a string of bells at each visit, so that finally every one of the ten deer was supplied, and you may imagine what a merry tune the bells played as the sledge sped over the snow. Na prvem potovanju z desetimi severnimi jeleni sta imela zvončke le Glossie in Flossie, nato pa je Claus osem let vsako leto nosil darila otrokom kralja škratov in ta dobrodušni vladar mu je ob vsakem obisku v zameno podaril niz zvončkov, tako da je bil nazadnje preskrbljen vsak od desetih jelenov in lahko si predstavljate, kako veselo so zvončki igrali, ko so sani drvele po snegu. The children's stockings were so long that it required a great many toys to fill them, and soon Claus found there were other things besides toys that children love. Otroške nogavice so bile tako dolge, da jih je bilo treba napolniti z veliko igračami, in kmalu je Claus ugotovil, da imajo otroci poleg igrač radi tudi druge stvari. So he sent some of the Fairies, who were always his good friends, into the Tropics, from whence they returned with great bags full of oranges and bananas which they had plucked from the trees. Zato je nekaj vil, ki so bile vedno njegove dobre prijateljice, poslal v trope, od koder so se vrnile z velikimi vrečami, polnimi pomaranč in banan, ki so jih utrgale z dreves. And other Fairies flew to the wonderful Valley of Phunnyland, where delicious candies and bonbons grow thickly on the bushes, and returned laden with many boxes of sweetmeats for the little ones. Druge vile so odletele v čudovito dolino Phunnyland, kjer na grmovju gosto rastejo slastni bonboni in sladkarije, in se vrnile obložene s številnimi škatlami sladkarij za najmlajše. These things Santa Claus, on each Christmas Eve, placed in the long stockings, together with his toys, and the children were glad to get them, you may be sure. Te stvari je Božiček na vsak božični večer skupaj z igračami položil v dolge nogavice in otroci so jih z veseljem dobili, o tem ste lahko prepričani. There are also warm countries where there is no snow in winter, but Claus and his reindeer visited them as well as the colder climes, for there were little wheels inside the runners of his sledge which permitted it to run as smoothly over bare ground as on the snow. Obstajajo tudi tople dežele, kjer pozimi ni snega, vendar je Claus s svojimi severnimi jeleni obiskal tako te kot hladnejše kraje, saj so bila v tekačih njegovih sani majhna kolesa, ki so omogočala enako gladko vožnjo po golih tleh kot po snegu. And the children who lived in the warm countries learned to know the name of Santa Claus as well as those who lived nearer to the Laughing Valley. In otroci, ki so živeli v toplih deželah, so se naučili poznati ime Božička tako dobro kot tisti, ki so živeli bližje Dolini smeha. Once, just as the reindeer were ready to start on their yearly trip, a Fairy came to Claus and told him of three little children who lived beneath a rude tent of skins on a broad plain where there were no trees whatever. Nekoč, ko so bili severni jeleni že pripravljeni na vsakoletno potovanje, je k Clausu prišla vila in mu povedala o treh majhnih otrocih, ki so živeli pod grobim šotorom iz kož na širni ravnici, kjer ni bilo nobenega drevesa. These poor babies were miserable and unhappy, for their parents were ignorant people who neglected them sadly. Ti ubogi dojenčki so bili nesrečni, saj so bili njihovi starši nevedni ljudje, ki so jih zelo zanemarjali. Claus resolved to visit these children before he returned home, and during his ride he picked up the bushy top of a pine tree which the wind had broken off and placed it in his sledge. Claus je sklenil, da bo obiskal te otroke, preden se vrne domov, in med vožnjo je pobral košat vrh borovca, ki ga je odlomil veter, ter ga položil na sani. It was nearly morning when the deer stopped before the lonely tent of skins where the poor children lay asleep. Bilo je že skoraj jutro, ko se je jelen ustavil pred osamljenim šotorom iz kož, v katerem so spali ubogi otroci. Claus at once planted the bit of pine tree in the sand and stuck many candles on the branches. Claus je takoj posadil košček borovca v pesek in na veje prilepil veliko svečk. Then he hung some of his prettiest toys on the tree, as well as several bags of candies. Nato je na drevo obesil nekaj svojih najlepših igrač in nekaj vrečk sladkarij. It did not take long to do all this, for Santa Claus works quickly, and when all was ready he lighted the candles and, thrusting his head in at the opening of the tent, he shouted: "Merry Christmas, little ones!" Vse to ni trajalo dolgo, saj Božiček dela hitro, in ko je bilo vse pripravljeno, je prižgal sveče, potisnil glavo v odprtino šotora in zakričal: "Vesel božič, malčki!" With that he leaped into his sledge and was out of sight before the children, rubbing the sleep from their eyes, could come out to see who had called them. S tem je skočil na sani in izginil, še preden so otroci, ki so si brisali spanec z oči, prišli pogledat, kdo jih je poklical. You can imagine the wonder and joy of those little ones, who had never in their lives known a real pleasure before, when they saw the tree, sparkling with lights that shone brilliant in the gray dawn and hung with toys enough to make them happy for years to come! Lahko si predstavljate čudenje in veselje teh malčkov, ki še nikoli v življenju niso poznali pravega veselja, ko so zagledali drevo, bleščeče z lučkami, ki so se bleščale v sivi zori, in obešeno z dovolj igračami, da jih bodo razveseljevale še dolga leta! They joined hands and danced around the tree, shouting and laughing, until they were obliged to pause for breath. Vzeli so se za roke in plesali okoli drevesa, kričali in se smejali, dokler se niso morali ustaviti, da bi si oddahnili. And their parents, also, came out to look and wonder, and thereafter had more respect and consideration for their children, since Santa Claus had honored them with such beautiful gifts. Tudi njihovi starši so jih prišli pogledat in se čudili, potem pa so svoje otroke bolj spoštovali in upoštevali, saj jih je Božiček počastil s tako lepimi darili. The idea of the Christmas tree pleased Claus, and so the following year he carried many of them in his sledge and set them up in the homes of poor people who seldom saw trees, and placed candles and toys on the branches. Zamisel o božičnem drevesu je bila Clausu všeč, zato jih je naslednje leto veliko prevažal na saneh in jih postavil v domove revnih ljudi, ki so redko videli drevesa, na veje pa je postavil sveče in igrače. Of course he could not carry enough trees in one load of all who wanted them, but in some homes the fathers were able to get trees and have them all ready for Santa Claus when he arrived; and these the good Claus always decorated as prettily as possible and hung with toys enough for all the children who came to see the tree lighted. Seveda ni mogel z enim tovorjenjem prenesti dovolj dreves za vse, ki so jih želeli, vendar so v nekaterih domovih očetje lahko dobili drevesa in jih pripravili za Božička, ko je prišel; ta jih je vedno okrasil kar se da lepo in obesil dovolj igrač za vse otroke, ki so si prišli ogledat prižgano drevo. These novel ideas and the generous manner in which they were carried out made the children long for that one night in the year when their friend Santa Claus should visit them, and as such anticipation is very pleasant and comforting the little ones gleaned much happiness by wondering what would happen when Santa Claus next arrived. Zaradi teh novih idej in velikodušnega načina, na katerega so bile izvedene, so otroci hrepeneli po tisti noči v letu, ko jih bo obiskal njihov prijatelj Božiček, in ker je takšno pričakovanje zelo prijetno in pomirjujoče, so se otroci veselili, ko so se spraševali, kaj se bo zgodilo, ko bo Božiček prišel naslednjič. Perhaps you remember that stern Baron Braun who once drove Claus from his castle and forbade him to visit his children? Morda se spomnite strogega barona Brauna, ki je nekoč Clausa pregnal iz svojega gradu in mu prepovedal, da bi obiskal njegove otroke? Well, many years afterward, when the old Baron was dead and his son ruled in his place, the new Baron Braun came to the house of Claus with his train of knights and pages and henchmen and, dismounting from his charger, bared his head humbly before the friend of children. Mnogo let pozneje, ko je stari baron umrl in je namesto njega vladal njegov sin, je novi baron Braun s svojo druščino vitezov, panojev in pribočnikov prišel v Clausovo hišo in se ponižno sklonil pred otroškim prijateljem, ko je sestopil s svojega konja. "My father did not know your goodness and worth," he said, "and therefore threatened to hang you from the castle walls. "Moj oče ni poznal tvoje dobrote in vrednosti," je rekel, "zato ti je grozil, da te bo obesil z grajskega obzidja. But I have children of my own, who long for a visit from Santa Claus, and I have come to beg that you will favor them hereafter as you do other children." Imam pa svoje otroke, ki si želijo, da bi jih obiskal Božiček, zato sem prišel prosit, da bi jim bil v prihodnje naklonjen tako kot drugim otrokom." Claus was pleased with this speech, for Castle Braun was the only place he had never visited, and he gladly promised to bring presents to the Baron's children the next Christmas Eve. Claus je bil tega govora vesel, saj je bil grad Braun edini kraj, ki ga še ni obiskal, in z veseljem je obljubil, da bo na naslednji božični večer baronovim otrokom prinesel darila. The Baron went away contented, and Claus kept his promise faithfully. Baron je odšel zadovoljen, Claus pa je zvesto izpolnil svojo obljubo. Thus did this man, through very goodness, conquer the hearts of all; and it is no wonder he was ever merry and gay, for there was no home in the wide world where he was not welcomed more royally than any king. Tako je ta človek zaradi svoje dobrote osvojil srca vseh in nič čudnega ni, da je bil vedno vesel in veder, saj ni bilo doma na širnem svetu, kjer ga ne bi sprejeli bolj kraljevsko kot kateregakoli kralja.