Reindeer Wrangling
Every year, we have one full day centered on some aspect of Santa’s reindeer. And given that there are only eight of them, we have to get a little extra creative to stretch out the reindeer themes over our twenty-year run. This year’s reindeer theme was inspired by our 2021 festivities when we attempted to pull off 25 Dates of Christmas with three-month-old twins. On a date when they were dressed up as reindeer, we decided that it felt that most of our life was just spent “reindeer wrangling”. And in honor of that effort, we chose to take today to celebrate all of the people behind the scenes that herd and care for reindeer in order for them to be part of Christmas lore!
To kick off our day, we delved into fascinating facts about reindeer, discovering that there are nearly 100,000 people who are engaged in reindeer herding around the circumpolar North. We also learned that reindeer and caribou are the same species. In Europe, they are referred to as reindeer, while in North America, they are called caribou if wild and reindeer if domesticated. Who knew?
We started our festivities for the day with some fun books including “Where’s Santa’s Reindeer” and “How to Catch a Reindeer”. We also had a reindeer hunt for the kids around the house that led to them each finding their own stuffed reindeer to care for.
And of course, how can you talk so much about reindeer and not actually go visit them? So we headed to visit them at the European Christmas Market at Union Depot where the kids were able to see them and take pictures with them!
Today also happened to be our church’s Christmas service and so it was very fitting to coincide with “reindeer wrangling” as we dressed them in their reindeer sweaters and did our best to wrangle them from running on stage, grabbing lit candles, or engaging in other shenanigans. Once home, we flipped on the Reindeer Cam from the North Pole to see exactly how all of Santa’s reindeer are doing in getting ready for their big Christmas Eve flight.
Throughout the day, our meals and treats embraced the reindeer theme. Curiosity led us to sample reindeer sausage, surprisingly tasty, and we couldn’t resist a stop at Caribou Coffee for Bekah’s favorite coffee. We heavily played up the word play with “caribou” by making a carrot bouillabaisse soup for dinner and a caramel budino for dessert. Wrapping up the evening, we shook up a festive Caribou Cocktail, blending red wine, Jägermeister, gin, orange juice, molasses, and maple syrup. Yum!
ACTIVITIES:
FOOD & DRINK MENU:
INTERESTING READS & CONTEXT:
