Santa Claus was born in the United States thanks to an anonymous poem published by a printer in New York in the 19th century. The old man lives at the North Pole. Every year, he climbs into his sleigh on the night of 24 December to bring gifts to well-behaved children. The sleigh is drawn by a team of reindeer.
Did you know that all of the reindeer are females? Male reindeer lose their antlers at this time of year! The ladies are called Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. What about Rudolph, the famous red-nosed reindeer? Rudolph joined Santa Claus’ team thanks to a 1939 story by Robert L.May, which led to the song beloved by children.
The choice of reindeer is appropriate given where Santa Claus lives. This cervid, called caribou in Canada, lives in the extreme north of the planet and is renowned for its toughness. In addition, it can easily be domesticated and used to draw sleighs. So, it makes sense to see reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh.
This year-end provides the perfect opportunity to give top billing to reindeer, which often appear on greeting cards. Reindeer postcards have long been available on Delcampe, featured on Christmas greeting cards and in photos of the animal.
