Saturday 23 December marks the 200^th anniversary of the first appearance of the story of Santa and an eight-reindeer sleigh, delivering gifts for children.

On that date, Clement Moore’s poem “An Account of a Visit from St Nicholas” first appeared in the US magazine Sentinel, and was later republished as “ ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”.

The year, the story, and the absence of the popular Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer has been a curious footnote in the long-lasting work of Port Augusta carpenter Brian McAuliffe and is seen every year as part of Adelaide’s Ninth Avenue Christmas Lights Display in St Peters and Joslin.

It’s a story of excellent carpentry, quality paint work and how a retail advertising campaign can impose itself on our traditional celebrations.

Moore’s poem was a wonderful story of how the traditional notions of St Nicholas (Santa Claus) could be told to children with a bit a flair and wonder.

As the original version goes;

“When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles, his coursers they came,

And he whistled and shouted and called them by name:

“Now! Dasher, now! Dancer, now! Prancer and Vixen,

“On! Comet, on! Cupid, on! Dunder and Blixen!

To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! Dash away, dash way all!”

Fast forward to the 1960s and Port Augusta carpenter Brian McAuliffe decided to carve out Santa and his eight reindeer for a 10-metre display that he hoisted onto the roof of the family home, which was within sight of National Highway One. After a few decades of fame, they were packed away into the back shed.

In 2002, a few residents of Ninth Avenue in St Peters/Joslin started a Christmas lights display that’s now grown to more than 70 houses and attracts more than 100,000 visitors every year.

One of the first houses to take part was that of Trevor McAuliffe, son of Brian.

“Brian suggested that we should use the old reindeer and with a bit of cleaning up, they became the centre of our house’s display,” Trevor said.

“Brian got to see the reincarnation and has passed away since, but his work remains.”

Each reindeer has her name painted on the display, which created an ongoing curiosity.

“After a couple of years lying in bed and hearing the cry “where is Rudolph”, I checked with Dad, Trevor recalls.

“That’s why there’s a sign on the fence now that explains the origins of the eight reindeer and the 1823 poem.”

Back in the 1960s, Rudolph wasn’t that well known in Australia’s Christmas traditions.

A latecomer to the reindeer hall of fame, Rudolph was a creation of the USA’s popular Montgomery Ward department store chain in 1939, as the lead character in a series of colouring books on sale that year.

Time Magazine later reported the store’s copy writer, Robert May passed on the story to his brother-in-law Johnny Marks, who wrote a song for Gene Autry called “Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer”. It was the number one song in the USA for Christmas 1949.

Meanwhile, in Port Augusta a tradie with exceptional carpentry skills and some mates who knew how to do a long-lasting paint job, were busy sticking to Moore’s original yarn of St Nick and the eight reindeer, and you can see them today at Ninth Avenue in a display that’s on until December 31.

Happy Birthday to the tale of St Nick and his magical eight reindeer.

Footnote: As it turns out, all the reindeer are female, given that males lose their antlers at that time of year. So, unless Rudolph identifies as…or maybe that’s another story.

Kevin Naughton is the Ninth Avenue Coordinator