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A day in the life of Santa Claus’ reindeer

By Lexie Petrovic and Catherine Stoddard
Published  December 24, 2023 4:26pm EST
Holidays
FOX TV Stations

How Santa's reindeer train for their big night

LiveNow from FOX's Lexie Petrovic talks with Lauren Waite, farm manager at Williams Reindeer Farm in Palmer, Alaska, about how Santa's reindeer get ready to bring joy to millions of children.

Ever wondered how Santa Claus’ reindeer are able to fly across the entire globe at lightning speed, get all of those gifts to people and still make it home to the North Pole with ease? 

Well, we decided to ask the farm manager of the Williams Reindeer Farm in Palmer, Alaska, where Santa’s reindeer get prepared ahead of their Christmas Eve flight. 

The Williams Reindeer Farm has obstacle courses that include a mock roof to help the reindeer land without running into chimneys, plenty of space and snow so they can prepare for the wintry weather conditions, and there’s even Christmas lights adorned on some of the stalls at the farm, which the reindeer helped put up themselves. 

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Take a peek into how Santa’s reindeer train for their most important flight of the year. 

A day in the life of Santa’s reindeer

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Santas reindeer

Every morning, Santa’s reindeer start off with the most important meal of the day and have breakfast before getting into their exercises and stretches, according to farm manager Lauren Waite. 

"They like to jump around a lot to get ready to practice flying," Waite told LiveNOW on FOX’s Lexie Petrovic.

During the afternoon, the reindeer take a nap to ensure they get as much rest as possible before their big flight. 

And Santa will usually come out and inspect the reindeer gear ahead of Christmas Eve just to make sure everything is in working order before their busiest day of the year. 

The Williams Reindeer Farm has over 100 reindeer in addition to Santa’s flight crew. 

What do Santa’s reindeer eat? 

"Reindeer have a special diet, they are athletes," Waite said.

Santa’s reindeer eat a special grain that has lots of protein to help keep them meaty during the winter. 

Another favorite for the reindeer is hay, and during the warmer months when the reindeer have some downtime, they love everything green. 

"They eat willow leaves, and they eat dandelion greens," Waite said. 

While Santa’s favorite snacks are sweets such as cookies, Waite said sugary treats are not the best for a reindeer’s stomach. 

This story was reported from Los Angeles.