I play favorites. I know I shouldn't but I can't help myself. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is far and away my favorite Christmas TV special. I adore it, and Rudolph.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first airing of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It's aging well, don't you think? The special occasion is being marked everywhere, from stamps at the post office to special plush toys at Target.

But how much do you really know about the origins of the most famous reindeer of all?

* The Rankin/Bass stop-motion animated film Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer first aired on Dec. 6, 1964, but Rudolph was around long before then.

* The glowing reindeer got his start in Chicago! At the Montgomery Ward headquarters in the Windy City, copywriter Robert May made Rudolph the star of a coloring book. Santa wasn't the only one concerned about Rudolph's non-conformity. The Montgomery Ward bosses worried people would think the nose issue was a result of Rudolph being overserved. Can't have a drunk reindeer. Turns out that wasn't an issue and the company distributed more then 2.5 million coloring books.

* May almost named our hero "Reginald." I know, it's tough to imagine, isn't it?

* Johnny Marks wrote the song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and 150 million copies have been sold. Interestingly, Marks was married to May's sister.

* Gene Autry’s record of the song sold nearly 2 million copies in 1949, the year it was released. Bing Crosby passed on recording it. I'd say that was an oops, but it seems like things turned out okay for Bing.

* The Rankin/Bass production is the longest running holiday special of all time.

* Paul Soles provided the voice of Hermey, the elf who wanted to be a dentist. Turns out, Soles himself truly hated going to the dentist. He also voiced Spiderman in the 1967 animated series.

* The U.S. Postal Service issues stamps featuring Rudolph, The Abominable Snowman/Bumble, Santa and Hermey in honor of the 50th anniversary and they unveiled them in Rudolph, WI.

* If you ever thought Santa and King Moonracer on the Island of Misfit Toys sounds a lot alike, you're right. They're both voiced by Stan Francis.

* The original Rudolph and Santa puppets used to make the stop-motion animation classic were appraised on PBS Antiques Roadshow as worth $8,000-$10,000 for the pair. A production company employee took them home when filming ended and gave them to her children after filming was completed. A nephew found the in the attic and took them to the show.

Wishing all of you a ‘Glowing’ Christmas Season!!

By Shannan Younger, ChicagoNow