There are a lot of stories about Santa's reindeer.
The Wizard of Oz author, L. Frank Baum, named 10 reindeer of his own in his 1902 children's book, "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus." Their names: Flossie and Glossie, Racer and Pacer, Fearless and Peerless, Ready and Steady, Feckless and Speckless.
Here at the North Pole, we much prefer the classic names.
These popular names are, of course, those of the "Eight Tiny Reindeer..." : Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. The famous eight were created way back in 1823 by poet Clement Clarke Moore, who wrote the beloved "Night Before Christmas".
Yes, Santa and I like those traditional names the best. (The elves are more partial to nicknames that are often rather silly. We let them have their fun.)
And we mustn't forget Rudolph with his bright shiny nose! Where did he come from?
The "official" story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created by Robert May in 1939 for department store Montgomery Wards who wanted a cheery coloring book Christmas story to give away to their shoppers.
Robert May's storybook was a hit with shoppers - that year they gave out 2.4 million copies! We love Robert May's delightful addition to our team. He's certainly saved us on a few foggy nights!
When you leave cookies and milk out for Santa on Christmas Eve, why don't you leave a few carrot sticks for the reindeer as well? It's their favorite snack!