A Chicago Christmas-- Part 2: About Rudolph the You-Know What

These are Christmas stories connected to Chicago.

Robert L. May wanted to be a novelist but worked as a catalog writer at Montgomery Ward in Chicago.  Staring out his office window at downtown Chicago on a foggy day, May experienced his own lightbulb moment.

"Suddenly I had it!  A nose!  A bright red nose that would shine through the fog like a spotlight."

May considered naming the tiny reindeer with the red nose "Rollo" or "Reginald" but eventually settled on "Rudolph."

The Chicago-based department store printed more than two million copies of May's book "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" in 1939.

The ninth and youngest of Santa's reindeer flew straight into the hearts of children across America using his luminous red nose to light the way.

--CootDeer

10 Wild Facts About Reindeer-- Part 2: The Invasive Reindeer of South Georgia

5.  Ancient Artwork--  The first-known prehistoric art is of a horse on an antler.

4.  Transforming Eyes--  only known animal whose eyes change color.

3.  Invasive Reindeer of South Georgia--  British island in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South America.  Introduced by Norwegian whalers around 1900.  Originally 22, today 5,000.

2.  Quebec's Mass Drowning--  They migrate thousands of miles each year.  In 1984, up to 10,000 drowned when Hydro Quebec let water out from a dam.

1.  Reindeer Racing--  Can run up to 50 miles per hour.  They pull humans on skis in Finland.

Rudolph's Buddies.  --CootDeer

10 Wild Facts About Reindeer-- Part 1: Reaindeer Battalions

From the December 23, 2013, Listverse by Alan Boyle.

10.  Castrate by Biting--  The Sami people in Scandinavia and Russia.

9.  Radioactive Reindeer--  The ones in the Chernobyl area which have up to 97% radioactivity in their meat.

8.  Reindeer Meat Storage--  The meat is very popular in Europe

7.  Reindeer Battalions--  Used by the Soviet Union in World War II

6.  Flying Reindeer--  The idea originated in 1822 with Clement Clarke Moore's "The Night Before Christmas."  But actually had been depicted as long ago as 4,000 years.

--CooterDeer