> In the 1949 song "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer," which reindeer have namesrelated to the weather?And the answer is: Donner and Blitzen.The 1949 song was written by Johnny Marks and recorded by singer Gene Autry. InGerman, donner means thunder, while blitz means lightning. However, a centuryearlier, in the 1823 poem "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" (commonly known as "TheNight Before Christmas"), those two reindeer are known instead as Dunder andBlixem.Image: Amazon.comMaking its first appearance in New York's Troy Sentinel in December of 1823, "AVisit From Saint Nicholas" quietly set in motion some of the most belovedChristmas traditions of all time. The poem's anonymous author combined elementsof Scandinavian mythology with Dutch-American portrayals of a jolly, red-facedSanta Claus to paint a picture of a magical winter scene.> The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snowGave the lustre of midday to objects below;When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.Interestingly, the reindeer we now know to be Donner and Blitzen underwent acentury of name changes before their current titles. In 1837, publisher CharlesFenno Hoffman printed a version of "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" that includedseveral alterations from earlier versions, including the changing of "Blixem" to"Blixen" (to make it rhyme with "Vixen") and "Dunder" to "Donder" (perhaps tobring the spelling more in line with English pronunciation).Marks and Autry's 1949 "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" helped solidify Donnerand Blitzen's legacy when the song became a near instant holiday classic.Autry's recording of "Rudolph" sold more than 2 million units in its first yearalone, quickly becoming the second-most successful Christmas record in history(after "White Christmas").Today, "Rudolph" and "The Night Before Christmas" remain favorite holiday tales.> He sprung to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,And away they all flew, like the down of a thistle.But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight:Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.Listen to Michael Bublé narrate the classic poem below.