Thank you Willy for sharing
The Real Story Of Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
A
Canadian man named Robert L. May, depressed and broken hearted, stared out his
drafty apartment window into the chilling December night.
His
4-year-old daughter, Barbara, sat on his lap quietly sobbing.
Bob’s
wife, Evelyn, was dying of cancer.
Little
Barbara couldn't understand why her mommy could never come home.
Barbara
looked up into her dad's eyes and asked, "Why isn't Mommy just like
everybody else's Mommy?"
Bob's
jaw tightened and his eyes welled with tears.
Her question brought
waves of grief, but also of anger.
It
had been the story of Bob's life.
Life
always had to be different for Bob.
When
he was a kid, Bob was often bullied by other boys.
He
was too little at the time to compete in sports.
He
was often called names he'd rather not remember.
From
childhood, Bob was different and never seemed to fit in.
Bob,
after completing college, married his loving wife, Evelyn, and was grateful to
get a job as a copywriter at the Timothy Eaton Department Store in Toronto,
during the Great Depression.
Then
he was blessed with his little girl.
But
it was all short-lived.
Evelyn's
bout with cancer stripped them of all their savings and now Bob and his
daughter were forced to live in a two-room apartment in the poorer area of
Toronto.
Evelyn
died just days before Christmas in 1938.
Bob
struggled to give hope to his child, for whom he couldn't even afford to buy a
Christmas gift.
But
if he couldn't buy a gift, he was determined a make one – a storybook!
Bob
had created an animal character in his own mind and told the animal's story to
little Barbara to give her comfort and hope.
Again
and again, Bob told the story, embellishing it more with each telling.
Who
was the character?
What
was the story all about?
The
story Bob May created was his own autobiography in fable form.
The
character he created was a misfit outcast like he was.
The
name of the character?
A
little reindeer named Rudolph, with a big shiny nose.
Bob
finished the book just in time to give it to his little girl on Christmas Day.
But
the story doesn't end there.
The
general manager of the T. Eaton Store caught wind of the little storybook and
offered Bob May a nominal fee to purchase the rights to print the book.
They
went on to print “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and distribute it to children
visiting Santa Claus in their stores.
By
1946, Eaton's had printed and distributed more than six million copies of
Rudolph.
That
same year, a major publisher wanted to purchase the rights from Eaton's to
print an updated version of the book.
In
an unprecedented gesture of kindness, the CEO of Eaton's returned all rights
back to Bob May.
The
book became a best seller.
Many
toy and marketing deals followed and Bob May, now remarried,
with a growing family, became wealthy from the story he created to comfort
his grieving daughter.
But
the story doesn't end there either.
Bob's
brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, made a song adaptation to Rudolph.
Though
the song was turned down by such popular vocalists as Bing Crosby and Dinah
Shore, it was recorded by the singing cowboy, Gene Autry.
“Rudolph
the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success,
selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of
"White Christmas."
The
gift of love that Bob May created for his daughter so long ago kept on
returning to bless him again and again.
And
Bob May learned the lesson, just like his dear friend Rudolph, that being
different isn't so bad.
In
fact, being different can be a blessing.
And that’s why I have a Rudolf. With a Red Nose at my door.
How Come this guy gets to go on a holiday?
