Got those stockings hung by the chimney with care? Cookies and milk left out for a certain jolly old elf? It's (he writes, belaboring the obvious) Christmas Eve as I write these words, and kids the world over are awaiting Santa Claus's arrival with breath that is most assuredly bated.
The good news is that, thanks to a veterinarian in (where else?) North Pole, Alaska, Santa's reindeer have been checked out and are approved for travel in international airspace.
The sleigh is cleared for lift-off! Santa Claus’ reindeer have officially been cleared by Alaska’s top veterinarian for their annual trip to deliver toys to all the good girls and boys around the world.
Alaska State Vet Dr. Sarah Coburn put her stamp of approval on the nine reindeer — led by Rudolph — that will be guiding Santa’s sleigh around the globe on Wednesday.
The official Certificate of Veterinary Inspection report certifies that all of Santa’s reindeer are free of any infectious, contagious or communicable disease.
Don't take our word for it. Here's the certificate:
— Ward Clark (@TheGreatLander) December 24, 2025
Rumor has it that Santa has been considering an upgrade, trading his traditional Scandinavian reindeer for Alaskan caribou, their larger, stronger, faster cousins. But you don't mess with tradition, and Santa's team, well, you just don't get any more traditional than that. Especially that one with the glowing red nose.
But tradition also mandates a scrupulous medical checkup; it simply wouldn't do to have Donner, Blitzen, or any of the others dropping out. Especially when you consider just how long this tradition has been going on, as in, at least since 1821. That's the first mention of Santa's sleigh being drawn by reindeer; a poem from that year, Old Santeclaus with Much Delight, was published in a book called The Children's Friend: A New-Year's Present, to the Little Ones from Five to Twelve. In 1823, the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, better known now as T'was the Night Before Christmas, appears to be the first time the team was mentioned by name.
A reindeer has to be full-size for sleigh-pulling duty; that would require a two-year-old, minimum. Add a year for flight school and navigation training, and you're looking at a three-year-old. That would make Santa's reindeer 202 years old. Santa, then, has to be a real geezer; if we allow that he was 20 when he started his flights, that makes him 222 now.
Hope he has a retirement plan.
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The report continues:
Want to watch the magic happen? Santa and his reindeer can be tracked on Christmas Eve courtesy of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD.
Exact timing depends on Santa’s route for the year, but NORAD provides live, minute-by-minute updates on Christmas Eve, including when he arrives in Alaska.
As always, remember to leave out some milk and cookies Christmas Eve night, and of course a special treat for the magical deer that make his trip possible.
Yes, some hay, maybe a few apples, and a salt block, if you have one handy; I'd recommend placing them on the roof near your chimney.
This seems appropriate.
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