DEJA VU: Reindeer Tales

Some of the most often asked questions I receive when I'm out are about the reindeer. The first year I started writing this blog, a little girl at a mall in Springfield, Illionis inspired me to share a little about Rudolph. Well... wouldn't you know it? I had mentioned last week that I might share some of the more popular stories from the previous two seasons of blogging once again this year. And that's when I got an email from that same little girl... although she is now in junior high school and, disappointingly, one of the very few in her class that still believe in Santa... requesting that I once again share the story. If you were one of the original readers, you may recognize much of this story but I hope you'll enjoy it again.

I think most of you know a lot about Rudolph. Surprisingly, the classic TV show "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" is fairly accurate. The producers spent quite a bit of time up here at the North Pole researching the story and seeking direct input from Rudolph, Donder, Mrs. Claus, and others. I wish I could say the same for all the other shows about Rudolph... unfortunately, most of those are just the result of someone's creative imagination.Rudolph is the son of Donder, one of my original reindeer team members. Unlike the TV show and the song, Rudolph never was alienated by the other reindeer. Quite the contrary. Yes, we were surprised by the red nose... but as the one of on of the most respected reindeer on the ranch, Rudolph was clearly destined for greatness from the beginning. The fact that he was also a well-behaved kid and excelled at the reindeer games only made him that much more popular. Of course, there were childhood pranks... and Rudolph was occasionally on the receiving end. In fact, one of the funniest stories I remember about Rudolph was the time Cupid decided to put purple cellophane over his nose. But I will save that for another day when we have more time.

And speaking of time, I don't have much. I am supposed to meet Jingle at the main Production Center in 10 minutes. See you in just a few days!