Saturday, December 19, 2009

20 photos of Christmas, Day 14 | The secret to reindeer magic: smoothies

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A handler for the two reindeer that showed up at The Avenue Viera on Saturday shows a Planet Smoothie menu to one of the animals. I believe it chose the eggnog-hot chocolate smoothie.

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A girl inspects a reindeer through the railing separating the critters from the rest of the sidewalk at the outdoor mall.

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This was the one time that one of the reindeer popped its head through the railing, and I think I managed to get a pretty good shot.


Note: Because I was raised in New England, Christmas is different in Florida, but it's still Christmas nonetheless. And I need to convince myself of that. So, in the next 20 days, including the holiday itself, I intend to find Christmas here in Brevard County and portray it through a different photo each day.


Among other traditional ways to draw consumers to its outdoor shopping mall, The Avenue Viera hosted two reindeer under a tent outside one of its stores, Planet Smoothie. Not expecting to see Comet and his buddy - I'm not sure of the other's name - passersby stopped and, of course, wanted to touch. That wasn't permitted, however, as their handlers constantly reminded people of the sharp antlers that could cut them deep.

I simply thought it would be a good idea to get a few photos of people interacting with the animals, trying to sneak in a pat of their fur every now and then. One shopper thought the critters were caribou. Being from Maine, I immediately laughed at such a conjecture. Besides, caribou don't necessarily say "Christmas" like Santa's magical herd does.

After spending about ten minutes at the reindeer exhibit, I hit the streets again, braving the congested roadways to get to work.


Earlier editions
Day 1: A lighted bush and the bokeh effect
Day 2: The city tree at warp speed
Day 3: Lights' reflection on a retention pond
Day 4: More than just seasonal colors
Day 5: Golden lights during the golden hour
Day 6: Four Christmas trees and one giant ornament
Day 7: Future Santa Claus
Day 8: Ornament on a Charlie Brown-style tree
Day 9: Stars in the east during the Geminids
Day 10: Historic building a reminder of home, literally
Day 11: Cocoa Beach welcome tree at sunset
Day 12: A tree and a fountain
Day 13: The season's simplicity through children


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A boy waits for something to happen after a reindeer decided to take a rest from circling in the pen.

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The whole family.

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