Monday, December 22, 2014

31 Things About Christmas-- Part 4: Reginald the Red-Nosed Reindeer

16.  The image of Santa Claus flying in his sled started in 1819 and was drawn up by the same author who created the HEADLESS HORSEMAN.

17.  RUDOLPH THE REINDEER was conceived by the Montgomery Ward's department store as a marketing gimmick to get kids to buy a holiday coloring book.

18.  Rudolph almost didn't have a RED NOSE either.  At the time, a red nose was considered a sign of alcoholism and Montgomery Ward's feared he'd look like a drunkard.

19.  Rudolph was almost named ROLLO or REGINALD.

20.  The poem "A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS" actually named the reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Duner & Blixem.  Donner and Blitzen are words from the German language meaning thunder and lightning.

In case you're wondering, Washington Irving was the guy in #16

--BlixemCooter

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