Santa has a herd of nine reindeer that pull his sleigh around the world on Christmas Eve. They are called Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Blitzen, Comet, Donner, Cupid and of course Rudolf, who leads the way with their red nose. Now many people think Santa's reindeers are all boys, but they are in fact girls, because boys don't have antlers at Christmas time, the antlers are important because they help give that little bit extra magic to keep them flying high all night long.
In the spring and summer Santa gives the reindeer a long holiday so they can go to a country that has lots of good land for them to graze. They are often seen in Alaska, where they eat willow leaves, sedges, mushrooms and flowers. As summer passes into autumn, they start to eat berries, moss and grass like plants until Santa and Mrs Claus come and collect them. Once they are back at the North Pole, they eat lots and lots of carrots and hay to help them build up their energy stores for flying high in the sky.
(Some of Santa's reindeer grazing with their friends in the summer)
Once their grazing holiday is over, the reindeer need to start training for the long journey that they make on Christmas Eve, so Santa regularly takes them out for a good long flight from the start of November onwards. You should watch the sky, if you see white lines in the sky that just might be Santa out on an exercise flight, or it might be an aeroplane. Just remember that during his exercise flights Santa is looking to see how the girls and boys below are behaving.
Like Santa & Mrs Claus, the reindeer have all been alive an extremely long time and this is because the magic that Santa has works on them too. Just like people the reindeer all have their own personalities, here's what we know about them: -
Dasher
Is the fastest of all the reindeer, she is very proud of how fast she can go, but sometimes can annoy the other reindeer when she talks about her speed a bit too much.
Dancer
Is a very proud and graceful reindeer and she likes getting to perform for Santa, Mrs Claus and the Elves. Dancer is a very strong reindeer who could probably pull Santa's Sleigh all on her own if ever asked to.
Prancer
Tends to think about herself before anyone else, she knows how lucky she is to be Santa's reindeer but doesn't understand why the others would feel the same way.
Vixen
Was Santa's very first female reindeer and worked very hard to prove that female reindeer were more suitable to pulling Santa's Sleigh than the boys, the boys lose their antlers before Christmas, and they are required to help get that little bit of extra lift they need to fly high.
Comet
Is a very clever reindeer but sometimes forgets to concentrate on what she is doing as she is thinking about much more “important” things at the time.
Cupid
Is not very keen on working hard, and believes she is much more important than the Cupid who shoots love arrows on Valentine's Day. She will talk about herself to anyone who will listen.
Donner
Has changed her name many times as she soon gets bored with a name, she likes to reinvent herself too depending on her mood.
Blitzen
Is a wonderfully confident reindeer who is also an extremely hard worker for Santa, no flight or load is ever too heavy for her.
Rudolph
Our red nosed friend is proud of how she leads the way for Santa and her friends and that her bright nose can help them see their way no matter how thick the fog, mist or blizzard might be.
All of Santa's reindeer live in a stable together, they each have their own bed made of the very finest hay and Santa and the Elves of the Reindeer team, led by Chuck Snowball, work hard to ensure the reindeer have plenty to eat and drink. They love getting their coats brushed, so each day Mrs Claus spends some time with each reindeer brushing their coats and talking with them. When she finishes brushing their coats each reindeer gets a special yummy carrot cookie that she makes specially for them. (The recipe is in the recipe section)
Each day Santa takes the reindeer out for a play in the snow and then for a flight, the reindeer love getting to fly high in the sky and the longer the flight they more they enjoy them. In December they take Santa on flights all over the world for the exercise and it lets Santa have a check on how the children of the world are behaving. As you walk about outside in November and December you should watch the sky for signs of Santa and the reindeer out a flight in your area, they leave a trail in the sky as they pass by. I caught them on a training flight over Clackmannan a few weeks ago.
