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Got those stockings carefully hung by the fireplace? Left out cookies and milk for a certain cheerful visitor? It’s Christmas Eve as I pen these words, and children everywhere are eagerly anticipating Santa Claus’s arrival with bated breath.
Here’s some good news: a veterinarian in none other than North Pole, Alaska, has given Santa’s reindeer the all-clear to travel through international airspace.
But don’t just take our word for it; there’s an official certificate confirming this.
There’s been talk that Santa might upgrade his team, swapping out his classic Scandinavian reindeer for the bigger, stronger Alaskan caribou. However, tradition holds strong, and Santa’s team remains as traditional as ever, especially with the famous one sporting a luminous red nose.
Part of this tradition includes a thorough health check-up—it’s crucial that Donner, Blitzen, and the rest of the crew are in top shape. This enduring tradition dates back to at least 1821 when reindeer were first mentioned pulling Santa’s sleigh in the poem Old Santeclaus with Much Delight. In 1823, the now-famous poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, also known as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, first named Santa’s reindeer team.
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.Â
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.