Very few people know that before Rudolph, there were 10 reindeer qualified to pull Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve.
Ted Roberts, a retired teacher and counselor for the Tucson Unified School District, has set the record straight after much research.
Long a lover of Christmas — as evidenced by his meticulously decorated east side Tucson home, Roberts has penned holiday tales and tunes showcasing female characters who for too long have stood in the shadows of Santa, Frosty and Rudolph.
A few of those characters include Sugar and Spice, two reindeer who fill in from time to time pulling Santa’s sleigh and round out the team of 10 special reindeer. Roberts has dedicated a song to the pair, along with songs for “Holly Reindeer,” “Miss Dancer” and “Anna Claus.”
It all started several years ago when Roberts and his wife, Joan, were having lunch with friends, one of whom sang at a restaurant on the weekends. The conversation turned to the Christmas songs he was singing and then to the lack of Christmas songs about female characters.
Roberts’ songs also inspired some stories that he has turned into a Christmas book, “Santa’s Reindeer.” The book has two stories: “The Choosing,” telling how Santa selected the reindeer who would fly his sleigh around the world on Christmas eve, and “Anna Claus,” the story of the love of Santa’s life.
He was helped along the way by family members who offered suggestions and publishing help. Daughter Ruth Roberts Greenway did illustrations. Until now the self-published book has just been a family treasure with a few extras stored away. However, it will be available on Amazon starting Wednesday, Dec. 27.
The entire Roberts family loves Christmas, and the home is decorated top to bottom with items inherited, gifted, collected on the couple’s world travels and made, mostly by Joan Roberts.
A tree, described by a friend as a designer tree, rotates on a stand showing off its white lights and red and white ornaments. It is topped by a regal angel that belonged to Joan Roberts’ mother. A lighted Christmas village fills the shelves of a hutch. Santa and Mrs. Claus figurines rest as they might after the Christmas Eve rush has ended.
Every corner of the home is tastefully decorated.
Joan has made a small concession to spare herself some of the work required when the Christmas season begins: The Christmas village stays in the hutch year-round. The lights are kept turned off until the season begins.
The blended family — he has five grown children, she has three and they have 19 grandchildren between them — is filled with educators and many have also served in various branches of the military. Ted and Joan Roberts both retired from TUSD.
Christmas lasts for several days at this house. The children’s families visit on different days to accommodate their schedules, which also allows Ted and Joan Roberts to shower more attention on the grandkids when they aren’t there all at once.
The grandchildren old enough to read or listen to stories surely know all about Anna Claus and how the reindeer were chosen.