How Rudolph Prevailed

Most people in the western world know the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, mostly thanks the the animated TV show that featured the music of Johnny Marks and sung by Gene Autry.

But Rudolph wasn’t always the famous reindeer who guides Santa’s sleigh that we know today. In fact, Rudolph has a sad backstory marked by tragedy and discouragement. It all started during the holiday season of 1938 in Chicago, IL with a 34-year-old ad writer for the Montgomery Ward catalog named Robert May. (For those who don’t remember, Montgomery Ward was a precursor to Sears and other big department stores that started out as a category store). Anyway, in 1938, Bob’s wife Evelyn was dying of cancer and that meant Bob had to care for their four-year-old daughter Barbara on his own.

The story goes that one night Barbara asked her father why her mommy was sick while other mommies were healthy. Bob, like any adult, had a tough time answering his daughter and the question brought up trauma from his own childhood. He’d been a sickly boy who was bullied throughout his childhood. But instead of dwelling on the past, he told her that being “different” was nothing to be ashamed of. Of course, as a precocious four-year-old, she didn’t believe him. So he made up a story about a reindeer who had a shiny red nose and didn’t fit in. Yet, in spite of his difference, he became one of the most important reindeer on Santa’s sleigh team.

This story enchanted the little girl and she insisted he tell her the story every night. As Bob continued to tell the story, it filled out with other characters and side stories. That Christmas in 1938, because he couldn’t afford to buy his daughter a present (ad copy writers made no money!), he began to turn the story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer into a homemade picture book.

Then, in early December, Bob’s wife died. Although devastated, Bob continued working on the book for his daughter’s present. When he attended the Montgomery Ward Christmas party, his co-workers asked him to read aloud the story he was writing for his daughter. Of course the room loved the story and he received a standing ovation. Soon after, Montgomery Ward bought the rights to the story, saving Bob from bankruptcy. Starting in 1939, and for the next six years during the holidays, Montgomery Ward gave away over 6 million copies of the story, in the form of a coloring book, to shoppers. Then the big NY publishers offered to buy the rights. For some reason, Montgomery Ward reverted the rights to the story back to Bob and he sold the story to a major publisher. Four years later, Bob was a millionaire.

Bob eventually remarried and had more children. But he never forgot to thank God for his blessings. At the same time his new brother-in-law was becoming a famous songwriter. His name was Johnny Marks and he set the story of Rudolph to music. Although the story and song was pitched to several famous singers, including Bing Crosby, Gene Autry’s wife insisted that her husband sing the song. Gene Autry had already sung “Here Comes Santa Claus”, making it one of the most famous Christmas songs at the time and wasn’t that impressed with the Rudolph song. But Gene Autry’s wife loved the story of the sad reindeer and nagged Gene until he agreed to record it.

A few years later, it became the second best-selling Christmas song behind “White Christmas”, and the story has been transformed into movies, games, greeting cards, toys, etc. In 2014, the U.S. Postal Service even designed a series of postage stamps in honor of Rudolph. But it was in 1964 that the story of Rudolph became enshrined in a famous stop-action animated TV show that has been shown annually ever since. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has become one of the most beloved Christmas stories of all time. The red-nosed reindeer who prevailed despite being different, is now one of the most powerful symbols of the holiday season. It’s a story of acceptance, love, and forgiveness. It’s a timeless classic. And the last line of the song was so much more prescient than anyone could have guessed. Because Rudolph, indeed, will “go down in history”.

As the season begins, let’s toast to the indomitable red-nosed reindeer with a Rudolph Spritz cocktail!

Sharon Wray

Yields 4 servings

The Hungry {Romance} Writer: Rudolph Spritz

I received this recipe from a hostess at a Christmas party in Charleston, SC many years ago. I have since lowered the amount of vodka and added more Prosecco. But this cocktail is easy to adjust depending on your taste. And don't forget the sugared cranberries! They add flavor and help keep the cocktail cold after the ice melts.

5 minPrep Time

5 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

3/4 cup cranberries, frozen1 Tablespoon sugarCrushed ice2 cups cranberry juice1 cup freshly-squeezed orange juice1 cup vodka1 cup Prosecco

Instructions

In a small glass bowl, stir together the frozen cranberries and sugar. Set aside.Fill four glasses with crushed ice.In a large measuring cup, mix together the cranberry juice, orange juice, and vodka.Divide the cranberry juice mixture evenly between all four glasses.Add 1/4 cup of Prosecco to each glass.Garnish with the sugared cranberries.Serve immediately.7.8.1.2204https://sharonwray.com/the-hungry-writer/how-rudolph-prevailed/ { "@context": "http://schema.org/", "url": [ "https:\/\/sharonwray.com\/the-hungry-writer\/how-rudolph-prevailed\/" ],"name" : "The Hungry {Romance} Writer: Rudolph Spritz","description" : "I received this recipe from a hostess at a Christmas party in Charleston, SC many years ago. I have since lowered the amount of vodka and added more Prosecco. But this cocktail is easy to adjust depending on your taste. And don't forget the sugared cranberries! They add flavor and help keep the cocktail cold after the ice melts. ","prepTime" : "PT5M","recipeYield" : "4 servings","datePublished" : "2021-11-22 09:59:57","recipeInstructions":[ { "@type": "HowToStep", "text": "In a small glass bowl, stir together the frozen cranberries and sugar. Set aside." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "text": "Fill four glasses with crushed ice." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "text": "In a large measuring cup, mix together the cranberry juice, orange juice, and vodka." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "text": "Divide the cranberry juice mixture evenly between all four glasses. " }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "text": "Add 1\/4 cup of Prosecco to each glass. " }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "text": "Garnish with the sugared cranberries. " }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "text": "Serve immediately. " }],"keywords" : "The Hungry {Romance} Writer: Rudolph Spritz","recipeIngredient" : ["3\/4 cup cranberries, frozen ","1 Tablespoon sugar ","Crushed ice ","2 cups cranberry juice ","1 cup freshly-squeezed orange juice ","1 cup vodka ","1 cup Prosecco "], "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https:\/\/sharonwray.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/louis-hansel-S3E8Y_SRPUw-unsplash-scaled.jpg" }, "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sharon Wray" }, "nutrition": { "@type": "NutritionInformation", "servingsize": "1 serving"},"@type": "Recipe"} Subscribe to the blog

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