神秘圣诞老人：帮穷人付清玩具账单

The US has a new Christmas tradition. Wealthy secret Santas are popping up across the country and paying off toyshop bills to spread festive cheer and help struggling families.

最近美国新增了一项圣诞传统，社会富裕人士正伪装成神秘的圣诞老人，在城市的大街小巷四处游走，为那些生活窘迫的家庭付清玩具店的账单，好让大家都能度过一个快乐的圣诞节。

Mystery donors have called at three branches of Toys R Us in the north-eastern state of Massachusetts to pay off layaway accounts - plans that allow customers to spread the cost of Christmas over several weeks.

这些神秘的慈善家已经要求位于马萨诸塞州东北部的玩具反斗城的三家分店清空所有预付账户，这些都是已经预付定金，但需要在圣诞节前后分期付款才能还清的账户。

In the biggest windfall, a visitor described by staff as a "bubbly older woman" hugged the manager at a store in Bellingham, south-west of Boston, and then went through each layaway account paying them off - at a cost of more than $20,000.

在这笔意外之财席卷全美之际，有一名被店员称为“活泼的老妇人”的老人在波士顿西南部的贝灵汉分店拥抱了店经理，随后花了2万多美元付清了店里所有的预付账单。

"If you have it, give it," said the anonymous woman, according to The Milford Daily News.

“你拥有了就应该付出。”这位未透露姓名的老太太对记者说。

One employee said the woman told her that she would "sleep better at night" knowing all the bills had been settled.

老太太还曾跟一名店员说，知道这些账单都付清了，自己晚上会“睡得更安稳”。

Days later another store reported a similar episode. This time the bill was $19,600 to close 125 accounts.

几天之后类似一幕在另一家商店重演，这次是付清了将近125笔账单，价值19600美元的匿名捐赠。

Shops around the country have reported an increasing number of "layaway angels" in recent years.

近几年来，类似的“圣诞天使”事例在美国的各大商店屡见不鲜，而且越来越多。

A spokeswoman for Toys R Us said: "It's what the holiday are all about."

玩具反斗城的一名女性代言人说：“这才是这个节日存在的意义。”

A customer whose tab was paid this week described her delight to The Daily News when she received a phone call telling her a stranger had paid her bill and she could collect the toys she had chosen for her sons.

一名受赠的顾客对记者说自己接到电话说有陌生人为自己买单，她可以去店里头领取给儿子买的圣诞玩具的时候高兴得不行。

"I almost wanted to cry," she said. "It was only $50, but to me that's a lot of money, and that someone would go and do that gave me chills."

“我都快哭了。”这位顾客说，“虽然这只是50美元，但对我来说是不小的数目，有人就这么帮我付清了账单，我简直太激动了。”

Customers usually have 90 days to pay the bills and then collect the toys. However, Toys R US sets deadlines before Christmas, making the payments particularly timely.

一般来说这些付了定金的顾客要在90天内付清余款，然后才能拿到这些玩具，不过玩具反斗城把付清余款的最后期限定在圣诞节之前，所以这次捐赠活动对于那些经济窘迫的顾客来说非常及时。

And celebrities have also got in on the act, with a string of American Football stars paying off families' holiday bills.

社会名人也纷纷响应了这次活动，美国一些足球明星也陆续出面为这些家庭的节日礼物买单。