BobHarris.com - How A Pudu Saved Christmas

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How A Pudu Saved Christmas

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Wednesday, 22 December 2004

Well, now we know what the pudus have been up to... I don't have rights to the news photos, so here's an illustration:

Details are just as sketchy, but apparently the reindeer have been getting as red-state/blue-state as the rest of us. Dancer and Prancer for some reason tend to be a bit more progressive than the rest, and want Santa to consider economic sanctions against the Bush administration. Dasher and Comet, meanwhile, have been pushing to unionize, largely as a result of bad experiences working with Volkswagen and Ford/Lincoln-Mercury in the 1970s.

Donner and Blitzen are more right-wing, and while they've been fighting the other four, Cupid and Vixen have taken a libertarian position, agreeing with the latter on economic issues but wanting everyone else to stay the hell out of their private lives.

Apparently, things got so bad that Santa had to call in the pudus.

Alert reader Amy picks up the story, as she heard it while reading North Pole newspapers (apparently not online):

According to Blitzen, the pudu have so far been unable to budge Santa's sleigh. Prancer adds that the pudu have been at Reindeer Field (home of the Reindeer Games) attempting takeoffs for weeks, but to no avail. Vixen suggests that the problem might be the fact that pudu are not aerodynamically sound...

Being small, however, does not dampen the determination of these would-be heroes. In fact, the smallest pudu is so resolute that he is always the last to call it a day, and Santa has to carry him back to the stables.

The youngster seems to have won the hearts of the entire team of reindeer.

It seems this smallest pudu is the one whom we should thank most. We pick up the story from just a few days ago:

At dinner time, the determined team of pudus, ready for a much-needed rest, began to leave the practice area -- all except the tiniest pudu. He remained and continued to attempt to pull the sleigh alone.

Santa walked and smiled. "Ho, ho, ho, little one. This is too big a job for any one animal."

And with that, the youngest of the pudu suddenly began to cry. As Santa tried to comfort him, he looked around at the gathering reindeer, searching for words. Then taking a deep breath, in a very tiny voice, the pudu began:

"I want everyone happy upon Christmas night,
But this just won't happen because of your fight.
The children might even think it's all their fault,
Because my little legs are just too small to vault.
They'll think they've been naughty, even those who were good,
While we're being bad, if we don't do what we should.
We need to save Christmas, for one and for all,
So let's dash away, dash away, dash away all."

Strangely, at this point, the disembodied voice of Burl Ives picks up the story:

Santa looked thoughtful, the reindeer ashamed.
How could they let children feel they were to blame?
For the problems of grown-ups affect not just us
But all the world's children, so we shouldn't fuss.
We should try to be helpful and loving and kind
And throw in understanding, the kids wouldn't mind.
The reindeer and Santa worked everything out,
So the world's children have no reason to pout.
There will be presents for their holidays,
But what of us grown ups, will we mend our ways?
Can we work to end hunger, sickness, and war?
Or will we let things just go on as before?
Have we learned anything from this young pudu?
Let's think about it, all of us...

and Happy Everything to you.

Thanks to Amy, and to you, dear readers.

A Very Merry Absolutely Whatever, from the bottom of my heart.