Santa was a d*ck in this movie

Venison- it’s what's for dinner.

Ahhhhh, reminds me of my childhood

Moral of the story: deviation from the norm is punishable unless exploitable

While I get the sentiment, and can appreciate Rudolf's reluctance, at no point did Santa say Rudolf had to do something or owed him anything. Instead he "asked" for help. As jaded as Rudolf was I feel it would be more conducive to the story if he overcame that reluctance and rose above his persecutors' level and gave the help needed. Because let's be honest Santa was around a long time before Rudolf came into the picture and you're telling me the meteorological conditions present then hadn't been seen before? Doubtful. However it would vastly have improved navigation and safety to have such a fellow as Rudolf out front.

If Santa knows if you're naughty or nice, he definitely knew that Rudolf was being bullied.

Just do your fucking job