Before Reindeer Could Fly

Did you notice that Santa’s sleigh doesn’t fly?

Or it didn’t, mostly, not in the source we all know. Remember:

To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall,
Now dash away, dash away, dash away all,
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky
So up to the house-top…

Yes the poem uses the word “fly” a lot, but so did Gandalf when he told the Fellowship to run out of Moria. What it really describes is the sleigh running at ground level and then jumping up to the roof.

The same idea’s in a Little House on the Prairie book: Laura’s worried that Santa won’t reach their new home across the river.

Because back in 1823, a sleigh being fast and getting by obstacles was the most anyone could believe a man could fly.

Happy Christmas (and many other holidays) to all, and to all a good night!