by Eloise Peabody-Rolf
For starters, the reindeer are fast when running; although (‘officially’)
they can’t fly, they can still cover a great distance in a short time, the
reindeer can run up to 50mph, especially when fleeing from predators. In their natural environment reindeer can cover great
distances; when they migrate, they can travel up to 3,000 miles in a year. Even
though this distance is impressive, as Father Christmas’s reindeer, you would
have to go around the world approximately 187 times in one night, and, with the
world being about 25,000 miles in circumference, that’s quite some distance - and
probably why they spend the rest of the year busily munching on moss.
Out of all of the animal kingdom why was the reindeer chosen
by Father Christmas for this momentous annual task? Surely an elephant who can carry much greater
loads would’ve been better? Or, if we’re going on the magical lines, a dragon or
unicorn?
The task needs a creature that can fly quickly across the
night sky, but also is big enough to pull the heavy sleigh overflowing with
gifts, and has plenty of stamina to get around the world in one night!
So why reindeer?
Reindeer (also called caribou) vary in size and weight in
accordance with their gender and age, but generally are around 1.2-1.5m at the
shoulder and weigh anywhere from 100 to 300kg. In the wild, they live an average of 15 years, and love to eat reindeer moss!
There are a number of reasons which could contribute to Father
Christmas’s choice of the now- beloved reindeer, I’m going to give you four …
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| dashing through the snow |
Reindeer have very big feet! Their hooves have a big surface area to
support their body weight on snow, and the underside of the hoof is hollowed
out with a sharp rim which therefore means that when the reindeer land on the
roof they can keep their balance, and not slip while waiting for Father
Christmas to go down the chimney and deliver presents.
The final reason which could contribute to the choice is
that the reindeer is well adapted for cold conditions. Reindeer have thick
winter coats, and even have hair covering their nose which keeps them from
getting frostbite, an important feature when you are one of Father Christmas’
helpers!
So, not only do they create an awesome shadow in the night
sky, Father Christmas chose Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid,
Donner, Blitzen, and of course Rudolph, to help him, for some very practical
reasons too!
As to how they fly … well
that’s all part of the magic and mystery of Christmas, so Believe ….
Have a wonderful Christmas!
References:
Clement C. Moore
A Visit from St.
Nicholas written 1823
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