Reindeer
Pictures of reindeer in the snow appear everywhere at Christmas time.
They are usually seen pulling Santa’s sleigh.
Jingle Bells
Where do they live?
Reindeer live in the cold, northern countries, which range from Norway into northern Asia.
They are very strong and are used for transport, pulling sledges in the snow.
Santa's reindeer
Can you name Santa’s eight reindeer?
Santa's eight reindeer:
Dasher
Dancer
Prancer
Vixen
Comet
Cupid
Donner
Blitzen
What about Rudolph?
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was created in 1939 by a 34-year-old copywriter named Robert L. May, who came up with a poem about a misfit reindeer at the request of his employer, Chicago-based Montgomery Ward, for a Christmas story they could use as a store promotional gimmick.
From Nazareth to Bethlehem
Mary and Joseph travelled from Nazareth to Bethlehem. This was more than 80 miles and would have taken them over a week to arrive at Bethlehem.
This is like walking from Glasgow to Edinburgh and back again.
Reindeer are not mentioned in the Bible.
When Mary and Joseph travelled to Bethlehem, they probably used a donkey or mule because they were poor (only the rich people could afford a horse), and she was very pregnant.
Most people walked everywhere they went.
The Bible says
Luke 2:1-7
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.