Latin America: Donder & Blitzen

For Clement Moore (in his famous poem A Visit from St. Nicholas*), eight tiny reindeer were enough to herald the coming of St. Nick’s toy-laden sleigh. In Argentina last week, it took 20 reindeer to herald the coming of Perón’s Five-Year Plan to Tierra del Fuego. The government had imported them to provide food, clothing and transportation to the 3,513 inhabitants of the wintry archipelago at the tip of South America. On arrival from Sweden, the antlered immigrants were welcomed by Minister of Marine Rear Admiral Fidel Anadon. Said Buenos Aires’ semi-official daily El Laborista: “[They are] the advance guard of the Plan Quinquenal which will make Tierra del Fuego a magnificent exponent of social and economic progress. . . .”

* Usually called by its first line: ” ‘Twas the night before Christmas.”