Can you imagine getting up close and personal with a reindeer? Not many people have, but I know someone who once got too close for comfort. It was an experience she will never forget.
This is a true story about something magical that took place one Christmas right here in Newfoundland. All of the family had come from around the country to be together in Corner Brook for a good, old-fashioned Christmas. There had even been two new grandchildren born that year, which made the celebrations complete.
My sister had arrived from her teaching post in Conne River, in the wilderness of central Newfoundland. She was enjoying life there, she said, but she really needed a car because it was so remote. Taking time out from some of the Christmas festivities, she shopped for and bought a new Chevy Scooter from a local garage. Between the gift openings, the lighting of the plum pudding and the camaraderie only a large family can have, she negotiated her price and colour: a steel grey beauty. That was before grey was fashionable for cars.
As our time together wound down, we packed our treasures and memories of a wonderful Christmas and said our goodbyes until the next time. The excitement was over for another year, but not for my sister.
She had a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Corner Brook to Conne River, but she wasn’t worried. The route was pretty straightforward: hop on the Trans-Canada Highway, follow it as far as Grand Falls-Windsor and then take a sharp right turn onto Route 360. Follow this for about an hour and 45 minutes and arrive in Conne River. She left around noon, after a hearty lunch and admonishments to drive safely. She drove along the Trans-Canada Highway, which was easy enough, turned onto Route 360 and entered the vast wilderness of central Newfoundland.
The late afternoon light and softly falling snow gave a mystical air to that lonely wilderness. As she basked in the afterglow of a great Christmas, she noticed that hers was the only car on the highway. She was driving pleasantly along, following the speed limit and watching out for ice patches on the road, when she saw something in the distance. She couldn’t believe her eyes, but there ahead was a herd of reindeer running down the middle of the highway. There were about 15 of them. She wasn’t sure what to do, but she wasn’t afraid. She kept driving, keeping her eyes on the road and the huge animals ahead of her. She sang Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, since it seemed so fitting.
She thought it was a good thing that both she and the reindeer were going in the same direction. They might lead her right into Conne River! But she was going faster than them and, before long, the Chevy Scooter was bringing up the rear of the thundering herd. Tightly gripping the steering wheel and keeping her eyes on the road, she managed to keep steady and eventually she was driving in the middle of the reindeer herd. They were on both sides of the car, some ahead and some behind, as she drove her way through. She became one with them, a part of the herd. Looking out the side windows, she could see the heads and shoulders of the magnificent beasts, steamy puffs of their breath and their massive antlers.
But she just kept driving, gripping the steering wheel. She was too awestruck to be afraid, so she never once thought of the danger. After what seemed like a long while, she was leading the pack. In her rearview mirror, she could see the reindeer growing smaller in the distance.
It was a late visit from Santa, she thought, as she arrived safely in Conne River. Or were they angels protecting her on her journey? Either way, she had a story to tell for many years to come.
Did you know?
Referred to as caribou in Newfoundland, reindeer and caribou are of the same species known as Rangifer tarandus.
Christine Faour grew up in Newfoundland, where she spent many Christmases with her family in Corner Brook. She has brought her memories and traditions to Nova Scotia, where she now resides with her husband, Dave.
This content originally appeared in YULETIDE PREPARATIONS, a SaltWire custom publishing title.
