Rudolph 2012

   It's December, when Muzak turns completely to Christmas music for the month.People who work in retail are forced to listen to this for the entire shift. In order to keep from going crazy, you have to resort to several techniques. One of them is to tune the songs out. That's a good one, especially when the volume is low. Another one that I like to use is to analyze the lyrics.
   I was listening to the song 'Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer' for the fourteenth time. A thought came into my head. Rudolph was a victim of bullying. I thought about how the story would go if it were written today. I'd like to present to you a version of the story of Rudolph if it happened today.
  Rudolph was born with a rare condition called Altered Nasal Pigmentation. After several months of studies and visits to veterinarians who specialize in these types of conditions it was determined that there was nothing that could be done about it. Rudolph's nose would remain shiny.
  When Rudolph was older his parents had to decide what to do about his education. They could home school him or they could send him to the local public school which was a good one. Since Rudolph's condition was a cosmetic one,they decided to send him to the local school.
  Rudolph was eager to go to school. As an only reindeer there were no siblings to play with. His dad had been teaching him the fine points of reindeer games. He wanted to be able to show off his knowledge and maybe pick up some new skills from the new friends he would make.
  His first few days of school were a little awkward. All the other reindeer lived on the same block and knew each other already. It was hard to break into their already formed groups. Still, Rudolph was not discouraged. It would just take time and patience.
  Finally the weather was good enough at recess that they could go outside. This was his chance. They were going to play reindeer games. He was excited. The two team captains were chosen and the captains picked who would be on their team. Rudolph was not picked. He was a little sad, but there were others who were not picked either. They stood on the sidelines and cheered on those that were playing.
  Day after day Rudolph would go out hoping that this was the day he would get to play. Day after day he was not chosen. All the other reindeer were chosen at least once. He was the only one that was never chosen. Then he heard the whispers in the hall. Other students would point to him and whisper 'Shiny nose, dull brain' to the reindeer they were with. He didn't understand. He had always done well in his classes.
  Rudolph became discouraged. He did not want to go to school and didn't want to talk about reindeer games with his dad. His parents became concerned. They asked Rudolph what was going on at school. He told his parents what was going on. They were very upset.
  The next day they went to the school and spoke to the teachers about why Rudolph was being bullied. The parents demanded that something be done. Rudolph was a good reindeer. He had never caused any trouble.
   It was decided that the students that were excluding Rudolph would have to attend anti bullying classes. The teachers would have to attend sensitivity training. There would be a teacher on the playground at recess to make sure that all the reindeer would get a chance to play.
   The students were a little miffed at the extra classes, after all wasn't their fault that Rudolph's nose was shiny. They should be able to play with whoever they wanted. The other parents weren't pleased about it either, but since it wasn't a big inconvenience they let it go.
  After the incident, life went on. The other reindeer discovered that Rudolph was actually pretty good at reindeer games and chose him on a regular basis. They even figured out ways to use his nose to best advantage.
   Many years later a strange weather phenomena caused fog on Christmas Eve. This had never happened before and Santa was concerned. The sleigh did not have fog lights on it and he knew he would need them in order to be seen by other air traffic. He tried attaching lanterns to the horns of the leading reindeer. The lanterns were distracting and uncomfortable. If they didn't get started soon, the presents would not get delivered on time.
   Donner had an idea. He told Santa about Rudolph's nose. It might just be shiny enough to provide the needed light. Blitzen though this was a great idea. They sent for Rudolph and told him what they needed. Rudolph was pleased to help, but had never been the lead reindeer before. Santa was not worried. He told Rudolph that he would be harnessed in front of Dasher and Dancer. Dasher and Dancer were old friends of Rudolph and could help him.
   It was set. The elves harnessed Rudolph in front and the sleigh took off. His nose gave off a comforting red glow in the fog. Santa and the rest of the reindeer were pleased. Vixen was glad that she would not have to be the lead deer.
  Within an hour Santa got a radio transmission from NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command). They had noticed an unusual signal coming from around the sleigh and wanted to know if Santa needed help. He told them it was the nose of the lead reindeer, Rudolph. NORAD told Santa that they would continue to track him using Rudolph's nose and would make sure he had a clear flight path. Santa thanked them and got on with his work.
   The reindeer were happy. Santa was happy. Thanks to Rudolph's nose the presents were delivered safe that night and every Christmas Eve after that. NORAD tracks Santa every year to make sure he is safe.  Children and adults from all over the world can go to the NORAD Santa Tracker every Christmas Eve to see where he is.

The End.