Noah. Are you crazy? *Of course* the reindeer fly in "A Visit from St. Nicholas"! In the first line you quote, they are compared to eagles. There's a reason they're not said to be "more rapid than cheetahs" or rocket ships, or locomotives. And I have to assume the audience for the poem already knew that Santa's reindeer fly, so that was just a given and he doesn't have to lay it out for us. To your point about them coming in on foot, I suggest that they landed the sleigh in the street so that they'd have more room to come to a stop. And as to him "driving" off, you drive a sleigh, whether it's in the road, or flying through the air.
This is just like when you tried to tell me (and anyone else who would listen) that the song Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer doesn't actually say that he has a red nose. Or whatever your point was.
What do you have against these reindeer, anyway?
Bah, humbug!
Oh, I'm the first to admit that my Rudolph point was bogus. I was actually trying to say that the song didn't say his nose actually emitted light, merely that it was highly reflective ... though that wouldn't matter in fog, would it? I just got carried away.
Yes, if it had already been established that he had flying reindeer, this poem reinforces that, but if we're looking at this as THE source that these reindeer travel exlcusively via flight ... I think we're a hair off.
I promise I'm not trying to ruin Christmas!
Now I want to research the origin of the reindeer flying legend just to prove my point.
Far from ruining Christmas, I delight in arguing with you...
Commenting by HaloScan
