"Rudolph" The Red Nosed Reindeer On a December night in Chicago several years ago, a little girl climbed onto her father's lap, she was so sad because her mother was very sick. Although he did not know it at the time, the answer he gave the tousled haired child on his lap was to bring him to fame and fortune. It was also to bring joy to countless thousands of children like his own daughter. Bob cradled his little girl's head against his shoulder and began to tell a story... Once upon a time there was a reindeer named Rudolph, the only reindeer in the world that had a ... "Big Red Nose" People began to call him Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Rudolph was terribly embarrassed by his unique nose. Other reindeer laughed at him; his mother, father and sister were embarrassed, and Rudolph wallowed in self pity! Then one Christmas Eve Santa Claus got his team of husky reindeer Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and Vixon ready for their yearly trip around the world. The entire reindeer community assembled to cheer these great heroes on their way. BUT A terrible fog covered the earth that evening, and Santa knew that the mist was so thick he wouldn't be able to find any chimneys. Suddenly - Rudolph appeared - his red nose glowing brighter than ever. Santa knew at once that here was the answer to his perplexing problem. He led Rudolph to the front of the sleigh, fastened the harness and climbed in. They were off! Rudolph guided Santa safely to every chimney that night. Rain and fog, snow and sleet! Nothing bothered Rudolph, for his bright nose shone through the mist like a big shiny beacon. And so it was that Rudolph became the most famous and beloved of all the reindeer The huge red nose he once hid in shame was now the envy all the reindeer in the world. Santa Claus told everyone that Rudolph had made it possible for him to visit all the children. From that Christmas onwards, Rudolph has being very, very happy. At Christmas time Bob decided to make the story into a poem like... "The Night Before Christmas" Christmas morning, Bob was asked to an employee's holiday party at a hospital ward. He took with him the poem and read it to the crowd, at first the noisy throng listened in laughter and gaiety. Then they became silent, at the end of the story they clapped and clapped. It was all so exciting! That was in 1938. By Christmas of 1947, about 6,000,000 copies of the booklet had been given away or sold, making Rudolph one of the most widely distributed books in the world. The demand for Rudolph was so huge, he became one of the permanent Christmas Legends.                          To Return to ... Serendipity   Legends Index