When calling off the name of Santa’s reindeer, don’t you get the impression they are all male? I mean a name like “Rudolph?”
Even in the cartoon RUDOLPH THE RED NOSE REINDEER, he is shown to be a “guy” because he is separated from Clarice during reindeer games.
I heard on Hollywood Confidential with Leeza Gibbons last night, that while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the
summer each year, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December.
Female reindeer 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 girl!
Now who’s idea was it to project to children that the reindeer were all male? Would it have hurt if they told the truth and said they were all female? Why bother lying?
Well if Leeza was right on quoting the Alaskan’s, Rudoplh should be “female” Do you think that the person writing the story just didn’t investigate whether the reindeer should have been male or female?
BTW I forgot about Vixen. I think that sounds female.
…and flightless. An important characteristic of reindeer is their pure and complete flightlessness. So if Santy can make reindeer fly, why can’t he make boy reindeer maintain their antlers until after Christmas?
For that matter, does anyone actually have a photo of Santa’s reindeer showing that they do, in fact, have antlers on their Christmas Eve flight? Hmm? :dubious:
``The largest bulls shed their antlers in late October, but small bulls and non-pregnant cows do not shed their antlers until April. Pregnant females usually retain their antlers until calves are born in late May or early June.’’
I’m in Michael’s boat–never thought about it one way or the other. I have never really assigned genders to Santa’s reindeer; I guess I figured that once one accepts that reindeer can fly, one needn’t worry oneself about gender technicalities.
But then again, I’m Jewish, so make of that what you will.