TikToker Blows The Lid Off Santa’s Eight Tiny Reindeer
You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen…but how well do you really know them? A TikTok video (below) has gone viral because the person in it is calling into question a long-held assumption about Santa’s eight tiny reindeer. Namely, their gender.
According to Scary Mommy, Louise Boyce, who goes by the handle @mamastillgotit_ on TikTok, recently shared with her 385,000 followers that Santa’s sleigh is actually powered by female reindeer. Most people have probably lived their entire lives believing that the team of sleigh-pullers was entirely male. However, Ms. Boyce says the males lose their antlers in winter, while the females keep theirs until spring.
The original eight Christmas reindeer, first introduced in Clement Clarke Moore’s 1823 poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas (a.k.a. ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas), have been commonly thought of as fellas, but this has been a misconception for centuries. We can also thank the 1964 Rankin/Bass animated special about Rudolph for the confusion.
Biology backs up Louise Boyce’s claim. Male reindeer shed their antlers at the end of the mating season in early December, per Live Science. Females don’t lose their antlers until they give birth. Therefore, Santa’s antlered reindeer must be female and possibly even pregnant when they’re flying around the world on Christmas Eve. And I guess this means Rudolph truly was the “odd man out” in all those reindeer games.
7 Festive Games and Activities for a Memorable Holiday Party
Name That Holiday Song
All you need is someone with a phone full of great Christmas songs, ready to play DJ. See who can guess the festive songs first after hearing just a few notes. It’s a laid-back way to enjoy some post-meal fun.
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Never Have I Ever Holiday Edition
Give this timeless game a festive twist by asking questions like, “I’ve never regifted a present,” and find out what secrets your friends and family may be hiding. You can stick to the traditional rules where those who’ve committed the act take a sip of their beverage, or you can opt for a point-based system, with the winner receiving a holiday surprise as their reward.
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Present Stacking
Here’s a game that allows you to unleash your creativity. Wrap a selection of uniquely shaped objects, and the challenge is to see who can build the tallest stack of presents. Using fragile items in this game should be avoided for obvious reasons.
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Christmas Carol Challenge
Here’s a straightforward, no-fuss game that’s perfect a cozy home get-together or an office party. Gather everyone in a circle, and the game begins with one person singing a line from a holiday song. The person to their right then must continue with the next line of the song, and so on. You can choose from timeless classics like Jingle Bells or opt for a more contemporary holiday hit like Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas is You. While you might know the opening lines of these songs, it becomes quite a challenge as the game progresses.
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Best/Worst Gift
Distribute four slips of paper to each participant. Every guest is tasked with jotting down two positive Christmas gifts and two negative ones: one from their real experiences and one fabricated. Collect all the slips in a container and let the group take turns guessing which presents were genuinely given and which were made up.
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Saran Wrap Ball Game
Make a big plastic wrap ball stuffed with little gifts like mini liquor bottles, gift cards, candy, and cash. One person starts by unwrapping it, while someone else takes the dice and tries to roll doubles. The twist is that you can’t stop unwrapping until your neighbor rolls those elusive doubles, so the pressure’s on to keep the ball moving. Players get to keep all the goodies they uncover during their turn, so everyone’s in for some prizes. You can make it more challenging by requiring the person unwrapping to wear oven mitts.
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Celebrity
Here’s a fun party game you can enjoy with friends or family anytime, anywhere. You split into two teams, and each player writes down 5 celebrity names on pieces of paper. You take turns being the clue-giver. In round one, the clue-giver describes the celebrity without saying their name or nickname, and the team guesses. In round two, you can only use one word as a clue. Round three is like Charades, where you act out the celebrity without speaking. Keep score to see which team guesses the most celebrities correctly. It’s a great game for any gathering.
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