Santa's Reindeer: A Personal Opinion

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Let me be honest with you. I don’t believe in Santa Claus.

In fact, I never did. My folks never dressed up as him. Stockings were used to keep warm, not decorate fireplaces (not like we had a fireplace to start with). And the idea of sitting on a grown man’s lap – Fevicol-plastered fake beard and all – while asking him for stuff was all kinds of disturbing.

But I’ve always believed in the idea of a good story. Stories of courage, of compassion, of kindness. Stories like these are all that stand between an impressionable kid and the big, bad world around him.

As stories go, the one about Santa’s reindeer is quite a comforting one.
 

Let’s take the most recent story for instance. Rudolph is cursed with having an extraordinarily red nose. All the other reindeers torment him mercilessly, until, as the song tells us: “..one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say…”.

Long story short, Santa is all impressed with Rudolph’s shiny nose and decides to use him as his lead reindeer. Rudolph’s nose serves as a headlamp to clear the fog and Santa’s reindeer proceed with their annual present delivery service just fine.

What you probably didn’t know was that reindeer have originated from a region in the Arctic Circle known as the Lapland. The Lapland traverses parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland…and Russia.

Now, you could either spend this Christmas watching yet another outdated HBO special at home, or you could bring in the festivities with style…in Russia.
 

Things To Do In Russia

Most of Russia celebrates Christmas on 7^th January, because the Orthodox Church says so.  Here’s what you can do in the Motherland:

Chill at the Winter Festival: Magnificent ice theatre, music performances, sleigh rides, ice-skating. From December 25^th till January 5^th, Russia revels in the snow.

Catch the Fireworks Display Over Red Square: Moscow is the place to be on New Year’s. A magnificent fireworks display is the highlight of the carnival that celebrates the turn of the year.
 

See Some Reindeer: Learn about the nomadic reindeer herders who travel with their four-legged companions across the expanses of Siberia.

Get Into A Snowball Fight: Because it’s Russia. Locals usually have vodka beforehand to take the hits better.

How To Get To Russia

A number of flights operate to get you there. This should help.

Quirky Facts

• The story about Santa’s reindeers is a relatively new Christmas tradition. Its origin lies in the poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (1823) by C.C. Moore.
• Rudolph was first mentioned in a 1939 booklet written by Robert L. May. The popular song we’ve all heard was sung in 1949 by Gene Autry.
• Rudolph is actually the 9^th reindeer in Santa’s herd. The other eight are: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder and Blitzen.
• The idea for Santa’s reindeer is supposed to have originated from the legend of Thor. According to the legend, Thor had a bunch of flying goats to help him get to places. Picture Chris Hemsworth in that scenario for a bit. Not pretty, is it?