But do you recall...

The most famous reindeer of all!!

That's right this post is about the amazing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. He is popularly known as      Santa's 9th Reindeer and, when depicted, is the lead reindeer pulling Santa's sleight on Christmas Eve. The luminosity of his nose is so great that it illuminates the team's path through the harsh winter weather.

Rudolph first appeared in 1939 in a booklet written by Robert L. May. The booklet was published by Montgomery Ward. The retailer had been buying and giving away coloring books for Christmas, and decided that they would save money by creating their own book. May had thought about using "Rollo" or "Reginald" before he decided to use "Rudolph" The Story is written as a poem in the meter of "Twas the Night Before Christmas"

There are a few sequels to the book. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Shines Again published by Maxton Books in 1954. Also Robert May wrote, in 1947,  Rudolph's Second Christmas, an unpublished sequel that was finally published in 1991 by Applewood Books.

The actual story is the experiences of Rudolph, a youthful reindeer who had a unusual luminous red nose. He is harassed, and excluded by his peers because of it. Rudolph proves himself one Christmas Eve after Santa catches sight of his nose and asks him to lead his sleight because the weather is so bad. After he is rewarded and social accepted among his fellow reindeer for his heroism.

Johnny Marks, May's brother-in-law, adapted the story into a song. Gene Autry's recording of the song hit No. 1 on the Billboards in 1949. It sold 2.5 million copies in the first year, and remained the second best-selling record of all until the 1980's.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer: The Movies is an animated feature film produced in 1998. It got only limited theatrical release before debuting on home video. The movie amplifies the early back-story of Rudolph's harassment by his schoolmates during his early years.