When Will the Baby Reindeer Be Born?

We have been receiving a lot of mail here at the North Pole and to help celebrate Christmas in July we thought now would be a good time to get to some of the most common questions that kids write in. And remember, you can ask us a question at any time by clicking on this link.

The new baby reindeer Santa raises each year is always of interest and we receive a lot of questions about them. Ella V. of Brooklyn, New York recently asked us when the reindeer babies are born. I went to Elf Victor who supplied this answer for me:

“Most reindeer babies are born in the months of April or May,” Elf Victor said. “But up here at the North Pole Santa actually keeps a small herd in rotation year round, so it is not unusual to have new babies all the time at the North Pole. Last November, if you recall, we had lots of babies born.”

Elf Victor says that the job of actually naming the reindeer takes a lot of time. “Just because a baby is born doesn’t mean we give it a name right away. When new babies are born they weigh about 10 pounds or so on average, so they are pretty small compared to their adult parents. They begin walking just a little while after they are born but that is really just the beginning of their training and development. For the first few months they spend all of their time with their parents in a special reserve Santa has set up for them. When they are old enough to eat on their own, to run, to play well with other reindeer then we bring them in to Santa’s Stables for their schooling as Santa’s reindeer. Only after they work in that program for several months will Santa give all the young reindeer their names.”

Santa is always asking for ideas and suggestions for reindeer names. He loves to hear ideas from kids from all over. One of his most favorite new names he gave a reindeer last year was “Lucia”, a suggestion that came to him from a little girl in Spain. “I never would have thought of that name on my own,” Santa told me. “It is a very pretty name, a royal sounding name and I like it very much. I gave it to a girl reindeer who is a very strong but quiet type of reindeer. A real leader. She is very regal and the name fits her.”

In answer to another question, yes, Mrs. Claus sometimes participates in naming the reindeer. Elf Victor also has a lot to say about it. Santa spends a lot of time on this activity and he considers giving the reindeer their names one of the most important things that he does.

Have a question? Ask!

— Elf Ernest