Conversation between a Father and His Daughter Looking Forward to Santa’s Visit

PUBLIC_FLAG_#{@journal.pf_int} RSS feed of paco's latest journal entries Dec 18th 2010 22:02 クリスマス Christmas 子ども child

Daughter: (Looking at advertisements inserted in newspaper)
Why are toy stores trying to sell toys just before Christmas?

(タイトル)父親と、サンタさんが来るのを楽しみにしている娘の会話

娘「(新聞の折り込み広告を見ながら)なんでクリスマスの前におもちゃ屋さんはおもちゃを売ろうとしているの。」

Father: (Lowering his voice)
This is secret, so don’t tell others. There are children whom Santa Claus doesn’t give presents, due to their misbehaviors. Their parents feel sorry for them, so they secretly buy presents for them and make their children believe that Santa Claus has visited them.

父親「(声をひそめて)いいかい、これは秘密だから、他の人に言っちゃだめだよ。サンタさんは悪いことをする子にはプレゼントを持ってきてくれないんだ。そういう子のお父さんお母さんは、子どもがかわいそうだと思って、こっそりおもちゃを買ってあげて、サンタさんが来たように思わせているんだよ。」


This is what my husband actually heard from one of his friends some years ago. Every Christmas season, we remember this funny story. ^^

これは夫が友だちから数年前に実際に聞いた話です。毎年クリスマスの時期になると、この滑稽な話を思い出します。^^

Dec 18th 2010 22:12 fossiled_freak

  • Why are toy stores trying to sell toys just before Christmas?
  • Why do toy stores try to sell toys just before Christmas?

 

  • There are children whom Santa Claus doesn’t give presents, due to their misbehaviors.
  • There are children whom Santa Claus doesn’t give presents, due to their misbehavior.

 
lol
Dec 19th 2010 13:30 paco
Hello fossiled_freak,

Nice to meet you!
Thank you for the corrections!
Dec 18th 2010 23:02 tony

  • Daughter: (Looking at advertisements inserted in newspaper)
  • Daughter: (Looking at advertisements inserted in a newspaper) [Alternatives: "(Looking at newspaper advertisements)", "(Looking at advertising inserts in a newspaper)" The word "inserted" is only correct if these are extra pages which would not normally be in the newspaper. If you mean advertisements on the ordinary pages of the newspaper, "newspaper advertisements" is the most natural phrase.]

1 people think this correction is good.  

  • This is secret, so don’t tell others.
  • This is a secret, so don’t tell others. [Alternative: "... don't tell anyone (else)."]

1 people think this correction is good.  

  • There are children whom Santa Claus doesn’t give presents, due to their misbehaviors.
  • There are children to whom Santa Claus doesn’t give presents, due to their misbehaviors. ["To whom" is grammatically correct here, but omitting "to" is extremely common in spoken English. The noun "behavior" can be used both as a count noun and as a non-count noun, but for the meaning you want, it is a non-count noun. "Behaviors" means specific types of actions; "behavior" is overall style or quality of actions. The non-count use is more common.]

 

  • Their parents feel sorry for them, so they secretly buy presents for them and make their children believe that Santa Claus has visited them.
  • Their parents feel sorry for them, so they secretly buy presents for them and make (their children) believe that Santa Claus has visited them. [Alternative: "... and pretend that Santa Claus has visited them." "Their children" can be omitted; "make believe" without an indirect object is a synonym for "pretend." If you want to include the indirect object, you can also say "... and pretend to their children that...", but "to their children" is not necessary.]

 

  • This is what my husband actually heard from one of his friends some years ago.
  • This is what my husband actually heard from one of his friends some years ago. [Alternative: "My husband actually heard this from one of his friends..."]

 
おもしろい話ですね。書き方が相変わらず上手です。
Dec 19th 2010 13:39 paco
tonyさん、添削ありがとうございます。
詳しい説明も付けていただいて、本当に助かります。

newspaper advertisements と advertising inserts in a newspaperの違いもよくわかりました。言いたかったのは advertising inserts in a newspaper の方です。日記にその写真を載せました。トイザらス(Toys "R" Us )のです。
Dec 18th 2010 23:03 Syk3

  • Daughter: (Looking at advertisements inserted in newspaper)
  • Daughter: (Looking at advertisements inserted in the newspaper)

 
That's a cute story. Do you know what kids are told in America about bad children on Christmas? Instead of presents, they get coal! lol
Dec 19th 2010 13:52 paco
Hello Syk3,

Thank you for the correction!
Coal? Interesting! I didn't know that. ^^
I think it is a kind of punishment for the child who gets it, but it must have been necessary and valuable as fuel at home many years ago...
Dec 21st 2010 08:44 paco

To everyone,

I'd like to add that they often offer special discounts before Christmas at toy stores in Japan. The advertisement that the girl mentioned in this posting saw was actually about discout sale. I didn't write about it in the entry, because it might be confusing. I understand that discounts sale usually come after Christmas in Europe and the US.
Dec 21st 2010 12:12 Erika

お父さん、手が込んでます!ざぶとん一枚。
Dec 21st 2010 14:01 paco

To Erikaさん

私からも1枚!(^_~)

とっさにこんな話を思いつくなんて、スゴイ!

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