The Santa Sleigh After the Holidays: A Christmas Coda

Illustration of Santa sleigh from The Night Before Christmas

It is January 2024. Last December’s holiday recedes into the past, and the excitement of 2023’s Christmas morning has faded away. The children, no longer snug in their beds, opened their presents long ago and have been enjoying them for weeks now. Santa’s magical reindeer are back at the North Pole, along with the equally magical Santa sleigh. The reindeer are resting from their day-long journey around the world, feasting on frosty mosses and lichens or, as a special treat, a big dish of raisins; yet, truth be told, they long for the spring day when they can munch on fresh willow and birch leaves. And, for the moment, the Santa Sleigh remains as still as a midwinter’s night. But now what?

Continue reading “The Santa Sleigh After the Holidays: A Christmas Coda”

The Outdoor Santa Sleigh: A Jovial Decorating Tradition

Outdoor Santa sleigh

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

— From “A Visit from Saint Nicholas” by Clement Clark Moore


Santa Claus has long represented a veritable movable feast of happiness and love. Whether known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, or Kris Kringle, this legendary character appears each December, bringing gifts of all kinds and spreading the joy of the Christmas season around our beautiful planet. On the evening of every December 24, holiday celebrants in the United States and elsewhere in the world wait with anticipation for the jolly old elf to make his rounds, flying from house to house through the frigid outdoors. Santa’s sleigh—pulled by eight trusty reindeer (sometimes nine if you include Rudolph, who joined the club in 1939)—is even tracked by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) as it makes its speedy progress through the hemispheres!

Continue reading “The Outdoor Santa Sleigh: A Jovial Decorating Tradition”

Under a Conservative SCOTUS, Does the Plastic Christmas Reindeer Rule Still Matter?

Christmas reindeer

Some years ago we explored the sticky question of a municipal, state, or federal entity celebrating the Christmas holiday with the public display of an overtly denominational religious symbol, such as a manger scene. The consensus at the time (in 2011) was that the best recourse is to abide by the Plastic Reindeer Rule. This decision by the Supreme court in 1984 refers to a Pawtucket, Rhode Island, case (Lynch v. Donnelly) wherein the court ruled that the city did not violate the separation of church and state principle when it included a Nativity scene among a number of other seasonal and mostly secular holiday decorations (e.g., life-size Christmas reindeer, giant candy canes, a wishing well, a Jewish menorah, etc.) displayed in a public park.

No doubt this Solomonic decision by the Supreme Court left both religious and non-religious advocates equally unhappy. Yet that is the essential wisdom of Solomonic judgments: Everybody wins if nobody wins!

Continue reading “Under a Conservative SCOTUS, Does the Plastic Christmas Reindeer Rule Still Matter?”

That Cheerful Christmas Creature, the Giant Reindeer

Giant reindeer with red sled

As December comes ’round again, mailboxes and email inboxes are filled with holiday greetings. These cards may feature images of rabbits hiding beneath snow-covered boughs, puppies snoozing beside a bright hearth, or kittens playing with tinsel on the lower branches of Christmas trees. Christmas and animals go together as perfectly as Christmas and eggnog and big red bows.

Yet here’s a thought experiment: What animal do you first think of when you think of Christmas? Since Santa Claus has practically cornered the market on seasonal holiday decor, the answer for most people would likely be reindeer—Santa’s faithful “steeds.” And what better way to represent these cheerful creatures than with your own life-sized, giant reindeer?

Continue reading “That Cheerful Christmas Creature, the Giant Reindeer”

The Aerodynamic Santa Sleigh Takes Flight!

Santa Sleight Merry Christmas

In view of the current worldwide pilot shortage, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects more than 18,000 job openings each year over the decade for pilots. Well, aren’t we fortunate that Santa is a seasoned pilot with his own non-polluting aircraft who need not endure arduous hours of initial training or mandatory recurrent training! Santa has no shortage of elf ramp agents either. And capricious fuel costs will never impact the viability of his carrot-fueled reindeer who propel the Santa sleigh at an astonishing 650 miles per second.

Beat that, Maverick, you Mach-mocking daredevil!

So how exactly does the Santa sleigh achieve this miraculous feat every Christmas? Let us investigate the aerodynamics (read “magic”) of the glowing Santa sleigh.

Continue reading “The Aerodynamic Santa Sleigh Takes Flight!”

How Outdoor Reindeer Come to Bring Christmas into Our Homes

Christmas wrapping paper with reindeer

We can understand how Saint Nicholas/Santa Claus came to represent the generous spirit of Christmas. He is a saint, after all. But the little town of Bethlehem isn’t particularly well known for its population of outdoor reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) grazing about. So why did Santa choose that particular hoofed beast to steer his sleigh on Christmas Day?

Could it be because this graceful animal, used as a beast of burden in the regions near the Arctic Circle, is the only deer species that can be domesticated? Or perhaps because Santa doesn’t want to share his Christmas cookies? After all, outdoor reindeer like to eat moss, herbs, ferns, grasses, shoots, and leaves. Their favorite food is lichen—a moss-like fungi. Better not bake lichen cookies for Christmas, or you’ll have reindeer thundering down your chimney instead!

Kidding aside, there are many fun facts you can learn about reindeer. Here are just a few:

Continue reading “How Outdoor Reindeer Come to Bring Christmas into Our Homes”