Hey Rudolph!
During the Christmas season of 2023, I discovered a profound truth in a childhood classic. As a young child in the early 1970s, every year, I would look forward to all the Christmas programs that would come on television. One of my favorites was the story of Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer. Although the story of Rudulph was intended for children, there is a profound truth that we should all understand.
Several classic Christmas songs have been written about the beloved character. The most famous written by Gene Autry and The Pinafores goes:
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games
Let’s pause at this point in the song to consider the following:
Rudolph was born with a red shiny nose, which he did not ask for
His red shiny nose was different from all the other reindeer
He could cause his nose to glow brightly
The other reindeer saw Rudolph’s nose as something funny
Because of the oddness of Rudolph’s nose, he was not allowed to play with the other reindeer
Also, based on the animated story, his father attempted to cover Rudolph’s nose with coal dust to make it black like other reindeer
Now, let's resume the lyrics of the song.
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
STOP! Here’s where the profound truth begins. A situation occurs that is not within anyone's control. The fog has become so thick, on Christmas Eve, that Santa can’t navigate to deliver presents around the world. Unless the fog clears, Christmas must be canceled.
Now, let's resume the lyrics of the song.
Santa came to say
"Rudolph, with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Before this weather event on Christmas Eve, Santa and many others perceived no value in Rudolph. The foggy Christmas Eve did not give Rudolph value, it only revealed the value that Rudolph always had.
This is the profound truth; “Everyone has value; everyone has talents”, we only need to expose ourselves to the right situation or endeavor to display our value.
The song lyric concludes:
Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
You'll go down in history"
Although your uniqueness may not be recognized by others or even yourself as valuable, just keep exposing yourself to opportunities to be of service to others and your true value will shine, like Rodulph’s nose.
Hey Rudolph!
