Just to have some fun here, I have decided to hold another contest. The prize is some of
my my mother's world famous Scottish shortbread. It's wonderful. It's made with 100% fresh butter, and it's light and flaky, and well, wonderful. Okay, here we go ... Santa traditionally has eight reindeer, not including Rudolph, who only came onto the scene in 1939 as a marketing creation for Montgomery Ward. Okay, by now you have guessed what the contest is. What are the names of the original reindeer? Now, if you were to Google the question, that would not be fair, would it? Besides, I have a site meter, so I can tell if you are participating in any jiggery pokery like that, can't I?
*heh* Yes, I can. Not many of us can name all of Santa's reindeer. I can name some, other people can name others, but the person who can fairly name them all will be the recipient of the best shortbread this side of the Scottish Isles. It's okay to ask the person who is in the room with you - sort of like when you do the crossword puzzle.
"Hey, what's a five letter word for dromedary?" But no checking on Google.
Just to have some fun here, I have decided to hold another contest. The prize is some of 
21 comments:
Eeehhhh...... wait.... eeeehhhhh.... I know...... no..... Eish, I have no idea. They normally stop by when I'm asleep. I will definatively check back for the answer later.
Well, it looks like Leslie won!
According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December. Female reindeer, however, retain their antlers until after they give birth in the spring. Therefore, according to every historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, every single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen..... had to be a female. We should have known this.... Only women would be able to drag a fat man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night, and not get lost.
Firefly, you will wake up at 3:00 in the morning, and remember their names.
Bobbie, I love it! Yes! And they do it fast, too! And no, Leslie was close, but she didn't win. But she recused herself... *heh*
Rufus, Dufus, Snidely...are the full time reindeer and those added seasonally, are different every year because of the need for supplies.
As the senior 3 age beyond the point where they can no longer do the daily duties of all 8, they too are sent to the glue factory. This is recognized as good corporate governance in that glue is a much needed product because the elves have stopped using fasteners; gluing things together instead.
This policy may change according to refuse to be named arctic sources. The glue is found to have substantial horn shavings in it, the Chinese are making it (the glue)out to be aphrodisiac in nature, therefor running up the price of the commodity, which is now being traded on the Chicago board.
What was the question again?
I am unsure if these ones are the original names or not but I have been helping my sister with her Christmas end of year concert at her school (she is an infants teacher and has Parkinsons so I help her out from time to time). The children are doing one song about the reindeer and the names they sing (have heard it so many times that I know it by heart now) - Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitsen and then Rudolph the Rednosed reindeer. Whether these are new creations or not Im not sure but thats my entry. And I am not sure if shortbred could come all the way to Oz either - dash. I used to live in Scotland for a while and its a real addiction too! Great idea for a competition.
..."on Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer, and Vixen!" On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner, and Blitzen!" "To the top of the house; to the top of the wall, now dash away, dash way, dash away all!"
"And then in a twinkling I heard on the roof, the prancing and pawing of each little hoof"....
"He was dressed all in fur from his head to his feet....."
"He spoke not a word but went straight to his work, and filled all the stockings then he turned with a jerk, and laying a finger aside of his nose and giving a node up the chimney he rose...."
I remember singing this in the choir when I was 14; then I played the music for another choir that year, and by the time I turned 26 I could hear that song (and poem) over and over as Christmas neared.
I also remember playing the song to Rudolph the Red-nosed reindeer who had a very shiny nose...
Thank goodness for that 'cloudy Christmas eve' when 'Santa came to say, "Rudolph with your nose so bright, won't you guide my sleigh tonight"....
Then how the reindeer loved him as they shouted out with glee, Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, you'll go down in history!
I remember the joke: The Russian man and his wife were walking along the road-way during a cold winter afternoon. Suddenly it began to snow (or so the wife thought), and she said to her husband, 'Look, it's snowing'...
Her husband said he begged to differ with her - that it was raining. After some debate, her husband summed it up by saing: "My dear, it is raining, and Rudolph (the red) knows rain, dear"...
How's that for 'corny'!
Have a good holiday, and if you want to post your mother's recipe for shortbread, I bet we'll all be content with that since I make a darned good one myself.
Diane
Whoops - 'giving a NOD, up the chimney he rose'.
Also, it was a 'foggy' Christmas eve, not cloudy....
Darn, I should 'preview the post', before I post it - but being impatient I just poke the 'comment' tab too quickly....
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. I always remember it by singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" in my head.
Peace - D
"camel" - do I win a prize? I can't compete with all these venison experts so I thought I would go for the consolation prize!
Sleepy (caused a lot of problems)
Dopey (never the lead deer)
Doc (never could be proven)
Grumpy (later name changed to downer)
Bashful (he had to be in the front row it embarrassed him otherwise, not an ass deer)
Happy (he was in charge of the naughty girl list)
Sleezy (because he got around more than the other reindeer)
Fred (remarkably unmemorable)
LGS,
I'd walk a mile for one.
Even to Salem
(I inhale 'em)
are they Alvin, Simon, Theodore....oops, I forgot they were chipmunk. Drat.....and I LOVE Scottish shortbread.
I came up with six and then my poor old mind quit.
Heh, heh. You're all good sports. It was actually sort of a trick question. Because, actually ... you're all wrong. The original names of the reindeer came from the poem 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. However, when the song "Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer" came out, they got the names wrong. Here is part of the poem:
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
Donder and Blitzen means Thunder and Lightning. There is no Donner. There is a Donder.
But, just to be a good sport, if you e-mail me, I will send you some Scottish shortbread. It's very easy and fun to make, but I can't guarantee you will get it before Christmas. Perhaps before New Year's?
Darn, missed one again!
You know, I could have just rattled off the names of the reindeer until your question made me stop and THINK ! Kind of like when someone needs my SS#, then I sound like a dunce trying to recall the automatic response. So...............duh, here is me sounding like a dunce because only 6 of the eight are coming to mind and I am thinking someone more worthy deserves such a delicacy! Happy baking Jo!
oh, NO RUDOLPH ? And Bobbie is very funny.
So uhhhhh...does this mean LGS wins?
Way to go buddy!
I just googled them but I bet your site meter won't show that since I use tabbed browsing...
~In a high pitched voice~
bo bo bo bo!!!!
But you are right; that would not be fair... so I will not name them--except to say that Rudolph is rather PO'd, and has already issued a anti-Josie post on his red-nosed drunk deer blog.
Yep, Rudy has a blog too! Funny, his header shows a deer with a muzzle-loader, shooting a rather portly red suited guy in the posterior as he attempts to go headfirst down a chimney.
And thanks for the advice, I needed to to be reminded why I'm on the path I am.
I need to be thankful for the favors that have been done for me...
Have a great one! And see you soon.
Even if I could have rattled the names of the reindeer off correctly, I'd never ask you to mail anything to Texas, Josie. Except maybe post or email the recipe for the shortbread sometime?
The dromedary question caused a wave of nostalgia - long ago my mom used to buy Dromedary pound cake mix in a darling tin with a camel stamped(?) on it.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
I can't believe that none of you mentioned Olive! You know Olive.. the one in they sing about in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer... she was the nasty one.
Oh come on! I'll sing it for you.. though probably off-key..
Olive the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names.. ;)
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