The story of Santa's eight reindeer... and that other one
by Allen Shaw
There's Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen... Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen... and they were been doing the work for generations before Rudolph began hogging all the glory. The first eight original reindeer have been with old Kris Kringle for more than 1500 years. Taking him on his once yearly journey around the world to take all the toys to the good boys and girls. So why does Rudolph get all the glory? Easy... it's timing.
After centuries of doing all the work, the original eight reindeer were pushed to the background when a sales clerk for Montgomery Wards wrote a Christmas story for his daughter. In 1939, Santa's at Montgomery Wards handed out 2.5 million booklets entitled "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." The story was written by Robert May, a man who worked in the advertising department. And the rest, as they say - is history.
According to the story, Rudolph is the loneliest reindeer of them all, except on Christmas Eve. Rudolph was born with a red nose that glows. On Christmas Eve 1939, the world saw the biggest snowstorm in history. Santa Claus almost cancelled his yearly delivery because the snow was so thick he wouldn't be able to navigate. Then Rudolph stepped in to save the day.
Taking the lead, Rudolph led the way with his glowing nose lighting up the sky. The children of the world rejoiced because Christmas was not cancelled. Then the media frenzy began.
Gene Autry recorded a Christmas classic aptly titled, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." An animated yearly Christmas special runs every year on TV telling the story of the loneliest reindeer of all. There have been cartoons, movies, toys and games. Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, even told the story of Olive, the Other Reindeer. And according to the BBC, Rudolph even had a son, Robbie.
For decades, Rudolph was the most popular Christmas story of all time. Children identified with him. Rudolph was what every kid wanted, to become a hero. So I decided to go to the source to get the true story.
When I arrived at the North Pole I was ushered to the barn. There I found all nine reindeer eating dinner. Rudolph wasn't at the head of the table, as you'd expect. He saw me come in and walked over.
"So you want to know about reindeer and Christmas huh? That's simple; you should be talking to these guys." Rudolph turned his head to the other reindeer. "They're the real heroes of Santa's story. They were carrying Mr. Kringle around the world for centuries before I showed up. I just happened to show up at the same time as another 20th century marvel - advertising."
And that's the way the rest of the interview went. Rudolph told me stories about every one of his mentors and rarely spoke about himself. Rudolph may the loneliest reindeer of them all... but he's also the most humble. Merry Christmas.
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About the Author
Allen Shaw is a successful author who provides tips and information for http://www.christmas-town.net. "I am the news director at USA News Network and have been working as freelance writer for 2 years. I've been published in a few magazines, newspapers and websites and my specialty up to this point has been movie and music reviews. My freelance website is www.catskilleagle.com."
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