It began with a small reindeer magic event, years ago, when we thought it would be a fun addition to our holiday season to partner with a local reindeer farm and bring a few animals to the garden centers for the weekend.

For most of the year, the reindeer at the farm spend their time eating, relaxing, and enjoying pasture time, but as the Christmas season approaches, their schedule gets pretty full with guest appearances all over the state! People of all ages marvel at their beauty and enjoy getting the chance to see these unique animals up close.

The reindeer handlers know the animals’ personalities very well and treat them with the same kindness we use with our own pets—humans and reindeer have been working together for more than 5,000 years! They might look similar to Caribou at first glance, but these domesticated reindeer have evolved along a different path from their Caribou cousins. Similar to a cow or horse, reindeer spend most of their time either eating or lying down with their friends in a herd. Both male and female reindeer grow and shed their antlers every year and each individual animal has their own unique antler shape and design.