The reindeer that take Santa on his trip also underwent some rebranding through history. In the original draft of 'A Visit from St. Nicholas,' Donner and Blitzen went by the far clunkier monikers “Dunder” and “Blixem.” The names, much like Santa, were taken from the Dutch oath for the words that mean “thunder and lightning.” Over time, editors tinkered with the reindeer names we are familiar with today. After all, it's pretty hard to think of Rudolph as the outcast reindeer when he's on a team with a guy named “Dunder.”
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