Saturday, December 16, 2006

Do Reindeer Really Know How to Fly?


Yes they do...I know they do.
You see, I'm a believer: reindeer and Santa and cookies by the tree.
Caroling and good will towards man,
All are things so special to me.

The children awaken to find their gifts.
Yes, Santa was here for all to see: yes we believe.
The happy little faces - the joy down deep in those little hearts.
Thank you reindeer for flying to our house this christmas eve.

The special dinners, time out from our hectic lives:
christmas cards and phone calls and a special batch of fudge, we
pause, we stop...and spread a little love and cheer.
Thank you reindeer,
For making this the best time of the year.

The music, the songs with words of warmth and hope.
Sing to me, oh yes sing to me: how I love your happy tune, for your
song I'll keep with me all year long.
Thank you again reindeer,
For my heart, my soul... me: somehow I'm better now, filled with the
ole familiar songs.

So, fly reindeer fly.
Do your thing on christmas eve.
Thanks to you, my life is better.
Oh yes, I believe.



a poem by Ric Justiss
Do Reindeer Really Know How to Fly



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More stuff about Santa's Reindeer


What Are The Names of The Reindeer That Pull Santa's Sleigh?

Rudolph,

Dasher, Dancer,

Prancer, Vixen,

Cupid and Comet.

Donner and Blitzen


Are Santa's Reindeer Male or Female?

Male reindeer generally shed their antlers long before December 25, whereas the females retain theirs until at least January. The reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh are always show as having antlers, so Santa's reindeer must all be females.

Do Santa's Reindeer Live At The North Pole?

Only part of the year does Santa Claus live at the North Pole. In 1925 it was discovered that there are no reindeer in the North Pole. But there are
lots in Lapland, Finland. So today we know that the
reindeer live around the secret village of Santa Claus
and the elves (their summer home) somewhere on the Korvatunturi mountain in the Savukoski county of Lapland, Finland, which is on the Finnish-Russian border.


What Makes Santa's Reindeer Fly?

Long ago, Santa Claus and the elves discovered the special formula of Magical Reindeer Dust which make them fly. This dust is sprinkled on each of the reindeer shortly before they leave on Christmas eve. It gives them enough magic to fly right around the world. They can fly very fast: at about the speed of a Christmas
light.

The Reindeer driven by Santa Claus are the only known flying Reindeer in existence. Besides the Magic Dust, Santa's reindeer are fed a "special" diet throughout the year which helps give them the power of flight.

This magic corn is given to Santa Claus by a great and
wonderful unknown wizard. Through this magic corn, the strength of the Reindeer is increased threefold, their stamina increased to infinity and their hooves can manipulate the air as though it were solid ground.


Are Reindeer Really Deer?

Yes they are. Reindeer are a species of deer located in the Arctic regions of the world.

The largest Reindeer can reach up to four feet high at the shoulder and weigh as much as 250 pounds. It is believed that there are no longer any wild Reindeer, the entire species seeming to have been domesticated. Each Reindeer can pull up to twice its own weight, making it an ideal animal for pulling a sleigh loaded down with any amount of cargo.

Thus, nine Reindeer would be able to pull a sleigh with 13,500 pounds of toys for an unlimited amount of time.


How Can Santa Deliver Presents to Everybody In One Night

With the reindeer traveling at the speed of Christmas Light, Santa can come and go in the "twinkling of an eye." He doesn't need to fill his sleigh with toys for every single boy and girl in the world all at once, it's really easy for him to make several trips back to his Toyshop to pick up as many loads as necessary.

The Elves have his toy sacks sorted and ready to pack onto the sleigh when it arrives back, so the exchange happens within seconds to get Santa back on his way.

New information recently revealed, leads us to believe that Santa has "secret" hiding places located at strategic places around the world, so he can instantly pick up a new load of toys easily and quickly.

Perhaps one of those "secret" hiding places is located very close to your house?


History of the names of the Reindeer


The first record of santa's reindeer having any names is from "A Visit from Saint Nicholas", an anonymously submitted poem in the December 23, 1823 edition of Troy Sentinel newspaper, New York. The poem was widely spread and very popular, you know it today as "The Night Before Christmas".

Eventually, the anonymous poem was attributed to a professor of New York's General Theological Seminary, a professor by the name of Clement Clarke Moore. While Moore is now generally accepted as it's author, much debate has arrisen over who the real author is, with many accrediting Henry Livingston, a New Yorker of Dutch decent. Donald W. Foster, a text analyst expert, is the current voice for Livingstons defense, as written in his book*

An original excerpt from the poem would name Santas reindeer:

"Now! Dasher, now! Dancer, now!
Prancer, and Vixen,
On! Comet, on! Cupid, on!
Dunder and Blixem;

Dunder and Blixem? Sure, it's not Donner and Blitzen, it's a Dutch expression (literally "thunder and lightning") meaning "hurry, faster". So santa wasn't calling out eight reindeer, he was telling his six to get their rear in gear. :)

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, and Cupid were Santa's original six reindeer.

Now comes 1837, a publisher by the name of Charles Fenno Hoffman reproduces "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" and alters this to read "Donder and Blixen" for the sake of making it better rhyme and making it easier to pronounce in English. The final change came in 1844 when Clement Moore, who was familier with German, but not Dutch, changed it to "Donner and Blitzen" (which is german for "thunder and lightning") and giving birth to the final two reindeer.

Finally, there comes Rudolph.

Rudolph was the creation of Robert L. May, in a 1938 promotional booklet, for use in their Montgomery Ward department stores. He penned a story of an underdog reindeer, taunted for a his abnormal nose, which glows bright red. Original name ideas, Rollo and Reginald, were rejected for being too chearful and too British, respectively.

Originally dubious (with "red nose" being a referance to a drunkard), his department store is finally convinced when they see the animations of the lovable character. Mongomery Ward begins giving away the lyrical booklets for their christmas promotion to roaring success Over the course of the next 9 years, Mongomary Ward would distribute over 6 million copies of the story.

Come 1947, May pleads with Mongomary Ward's coperate president Sewell Avery for distribution rights to his story, to help pay the debt dug by his wife's terminal illness. Thus begins the commercial distribution of "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" across America. It even makes it's way to theatres as a 9 minute animation. Rudolph, however, has only seen his first taste of stardom, before May's brother-in-law Johnny Marks pens a song for the misfit reindeer.
Originally recorded in 1949 by Gene Audrey, the song is a smashing succress, overshadowing the success of it's literary companion. This song is soon to be known by just about everyone in the country, and finally solidified the names of Santas, now nine, reindeer as: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen... and Rudolph

How the reindeer were named is, as you can see, a long story, but the final answer is that most of us learnt the reindeer from "Rudolph the red nose Reindeer", performed by Gene Audrey, Written by Johnny Marks, adapted from a book by Robert Mays, based on a story by Clement Moore revised on a poem by Henry Livingston, based on a legend of Santa Clause.


Thanks greatly to Snopes.com for information! ..........Ric

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