You know the classic story: Rudolph has a glowing red nose, gets bullied by the other reindeer for being different, and ends up saving Christmas. But we here at Her Campus are tired of listening to objective views on this roller coaster of a holiday tale, so we decided to get right to the source. This week, we are profiling the pilot himself, the Saviour of Christmas, Santa’s Lightbulb, the one and only Rudolph!
Her Campus: What was the North Pole like growing up?
Rudolph: Cold, in the obvious sense, but also cold, y’know, cause no one would really talk to me. Growing up with something so obviously different about you can be rough, and the nose, well, it’s tough to hide.
HC: If you don’t mind me asking, why does your nose glow?
Rudolph: I’m still not sure. Mom and Dad took me to a whole bunch of doctors — specialists, acupuncturists, alternative health carers, naturopaths, everything — but none of them ever figured it out. I still go for check ups every year, y’know, just to make sure that it hasn’t gotten worse.
HC: If I may paraphrase the song, I understand that your reindeer peers “used to laugh and call you names” and that they “never let you join in any reindeer games”. As a young reindeer, how did this make you feel?
Rudolph: Oh gee, I dunno — how would you feel?
HC: Uhh… Moving on: what’s your relationship with Santa Claus now that you’ve famously saved Christmas?
Rudolph: Strained, that’s for sure. I mean, he’s the big cheese, he know’s everything that goes on in the entire North Pole. That guy absolutely knew what I was going through, but did he do anything to help? No. No, he didn’t.
HC: But he defied expectations and hired you as an essential element of his sleighing team? It’s an honour, isn’t it?
Rudolph: Not really. I mean, he didn’t try to get any one to treat me well until he realized I had something that he wanted.
HC: Why go along with it then?
Rudolph: Here’s the cheesy answer: because Christmas isn’t about me, it’s about the kids and families all around the world that stay up late listening for the sound of magical jingle bells in the sky.
HC: …What’s the non-cheesy answer?
Rudolph: Y’know, the spirit of Christmas is important and all, but I’d say that a good 50 percent of the reason I keep this up is that after an entire childhood of being put down, it’s nice to be in charge of all those other jackass reindeer.
HC: What advice would you give our readers this holiday season?
Rudolph: Ditch the fakers. Find your true friendships and stick with them. Also, on a non-Christmassy note: always get regular check-ups from your doctor, even if you don’t have something as obvious as a red glowing nose to worry about.
Photo Credits: David Wenzel (wallcoo.net), pics.me.me,