Change Christmas

On this day (December 23rd) in 1823, the first published record of the poem, "Twas the Night Before Christmas" was submitted to a newspaper, the New York Sentinel, anonymously and entitled “A Visit from St. Nicholas". Prior to this poem a sleigh and reindeer were not associated with the patron saint of children, St. Nicholas. Now this poem is world renown and read by many on Christmas Eve.

Eight reindeer in all are mentioned in the poem without a word about Rudolph and his red nose. It would take a department store copywriter, Robert May, at Montgomery Ward in 1939 to invent a story to give away to their customers. It was based on "The Ugly Duckling" and a deer who was ostracized because of his physical abnormality which would latter prove to be just the thing needed. Ten years latter, a songwriter, Johnny Marks, with much poetic license, rewrote the story setting it to song. The popular singer, Gean Autry, then breathed life into the most famous reindeer of all creating a new facet to Christmas traditions.

So, it started with an idea, and putting that idea out there to where now Christmas has more dimension of flying reindeer, a sleigh, and a ninth reindeer Rudolph. What ideas are you holding back that could change the collective consciousness our world?