- Age:5+
- Time:20 min
- Difficulty:Easy
- Mess level:Low
- Supervision:Yes
Why do reindeer pull Santa's sleigh?
The reindeer and Santa bringing presents is a relatively new tradition and it dates back to the year 1823. Then, Clement Clarke Moore wrote the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, better known today as The Night Before Christmas, that describes Santa Claus as we know him today.
Santa's reindeer joined the story in 1823, with the poem The Night Before Christmas.
But reindeer pulling sleighs date way back. The Sami people of northern Scandinavia have herded reindeer for centuries and used them to pull sleds across the snow. Reindeer were domesticated more than 2 000 years ago and have a rich history of helping humans in most arctic and subarctic regions of the world. Reindeer were also used in World War 2 by the Soviets to pull supplies and injured soldiers through the harsh winter terrain.
For centuries, reindeer were associated with winter festivities in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. During the Middle ages, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia were starting to convert to Christianity and the ancient symbolism of a reindeer became a part of Chrismas celebration.
Reindeer are the symbol of creativity, knowledge, and resourcefulness. They also symbolize a safe journey and endurance through travels. No wonder reindeer were chosen to pull Santa's sleigh since he is on a difficult mission. He needs to deliver gifts to all the children of the world in just one night! And for that, he surely needs help from these magnificent animals.
Legend of Santa Claus’s reindeer
Christmas Eve means presents from Santa, right? We leave him milk and cookies, we write him letters, we try to be a good whole year to get our presents… But let’s talk about his little helpers, flying reindeer who make it possible for Santa to deliver all those presents!
According to the legend, there are eight of them: Vixen, Dancer, Dasher, Prancer, Comet, Donner, Cupid, and Blitzen. They pull Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve so he can deliver those presents all around the world. How do they fly? No one knows. But what about Rudolph, isn’t he the most famous of all reindeer?
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
The first mention of Rudolph was in a booklet by Robert L. May in 1939. He was a young reindeer, mocked by his peers because he was different. He had a huge luminous red nose, unique to him and because of it, he was rejected and lonely. Despite that, he never gave up on trying to be helpful and kind to everyone around him.
Rudolph, the young reindeer whose glowing red nose saved Christmas.
And everything changed one Christmas Eve when dense fog prevented Santa from moving forward with his sleigh. Rudolph’s shiny nose was still clearly visible so Santa managed to navigate with his help and brought presents to the children. Since then, Rudolph became the ninth reindeer, leading Santa’s sleigh every Christmas Eve.
So in the end, his greatest “flaw” actually helped everyone and made him famous. And the other reindeer learned not to judge so quickly.
And now when we brushed up on the legend and history of Santa and his four-legged helpers, let’s get to making our own Christmas cinnamon reindeer.
Materials needed for Christmas reindeer
Cinnamon sticks, glue, ribbon and googly eyes: reindeer supplies.
We need some Cinnamon Sticks, Hot Glue and Ribbons to make a festive Reindeer decoration
A cinnamon stick makes the reindeer's face. What is that stick actually made of?
Make your prediction, then tap an answer to check!
- Cinnamon sticks. You can buy them in any grocery store so they shouldn’t be hard to come by. We will need 3 sticks so one package should be enough for 1 cinnamon reindeer.
- Hot glue. We will need just a small amount of hot glue to connect all assets.
- Decorative Ribbon. Choose any decorative ribbon that you like. 10 centimeters of ribbon is enough length to be able to hang the reindeer anywhere we want.
- Red Cloth Ribbon. This will be for our nose. It doesn’t have to be red, but Rudolf had a red nose so if you want to make Rudolf, we want to have red cloth. We can use any old cloth, like an old t-shirt for this.
- Scissors. We will need the scissors to cut our ribbons and most importantly, to cut and make the cloth ribbon.
- Plastic eyes. This will come in handy to make realistic reindeer. You can buy them in almost any DIY shop. But as an alternative, we can cut two more cloth ribbons and make the eyes, just like the nose.
Instructions on how to make Christmas reindeer
👨👧 Adult supervision needed
A hot glue gun runs at around 150 °C and the glue stays hot enough to burn for several seconds after it leaves the nozzle - long enough to catch a child who reaches out to press a piece down. The gluing is an adult job, or at minimum an adult-guided one with older children: work on a protected surface, let each joint set before touching it, and keep a bowl of cool water nearby in case of a burn. Scissors are for the grown-up or a supervised older child too. If a toddler is around, remember that plastic googly eyes are the perfect size to swallow - the cloth alternative in step 7 is the safer choice.
Making Christmas Reindeer decoration is very simple and there are lots of opportunities for creativity.
For step by step instructions of one Christmas reindeer version, watch the video at the beginning of the article!
- Connect two cinnamon sticks in V shape and glue them with the hot glue. Be careful with the hot glue since it tends to be… Hot! Put the third stick horizontally on top of the other two sticks, so you get a reverse A shape. You just made the reindeer head. And the antlers!
- Now glue the plastic eyes, one on each side of the V-shaped cinnamon sticks. Glue one eye on each stick, just a bit below the horizontally glued cinnamon stick.
- Take some old cloth and cut the ribbon using scissors. It will depend on the thickness of the cloth, but somewhere between 20 cm and 40 cm in length will be enough.
- Roll the cloth ribbon around itself until you get the nose of a good size. You can always cut off the excess ribbon when the nose is of good size. Glue it on the bottom of the face (tip of the V shape).
- Take the decorative ribbon, 10 centimeters in length will be enough. Connect two ends of the ribbon and glue them to the middle of the horizontal cinnamon stick (reindeer’s forehead).
- It’s done! You can put it on a Christmas tree or gift it to someone. Not only it’s cute but it also smells great!
- An alternative to eyes: If you decided to use a cloth to make the eyes, repeat steps 3 and 4 for each of the eyes.
Keep the scent going
The cinnamon smell comes from natural oils that slowly fade over the weeks. To refresh it, dab a drop of cinnamon essential oil (or even rub the stick gently with sandpaper to expose fresh bark) and the festive scent comes right back - great for a decoration you reuse each year.
What will you develop and learn by making Christmas reindeer
- Fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination
- Creativity
- Concepts of prejudice and discrimination
Key takeaways
- A cinnamon-stick reindeer is made from 3 cinnamon sticks glued into an "A" shape (face and antlers), plus googly eyes, a rolled-cloth nose, and a ribbon to hang it.
- A cinnamon stick is rolled-up tree bark, and its warm scent comes from the tree's natural oils - so this decoration looks and smells festive.
- The classic legend has eight reindeer; Rudolph, added in 1939, makes nine and leads the sleigh with his glowing red nose.
- Rudolph's story is a gentle lesson about not judging others for being different - his "flaw" turned out to save Christmas.
- Keep the hot glue gun and scissors in adult hands, and use the cloth-eye option instead of googly eyes if a toddler is around.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make a cinnamon stick reindeer?
Glue two cinnamon sticks into a V, then glue a third across the top to make an "A" shape - that's the face and antlers. Add googly eyes below the crossbar, roll a scrap of cloth into a nose and glue it at the point, then add a ribbon loop to hang it.
What do you need to make a Christmas reindeer decoration?
Three cinnamon sticks, a hot glue gun, decorative ribbon, a small piece of red cloth for the nose, scissors, and plastic googly eyes (or more cloth to make eyes). One pack of cinnamon sticks is usually enough for one reindeer.
Do cinnamon sticks still smell in a craft, and how long does it last?
Yes - cinnamon sticks give off a warm scent from their natural oils, which slowly fades over several weeks. You can refresh it with a drop of cinnamon essential oil or by lightly sanding the stick to expose fresh bark.
What are the names of Santa's reindeer?
The eight from the 1823 poem are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. Rudolph, the red-nosed ninth reindeer who leads the sleigh, was added later, in a 1939 booklet by Robert L. May.
Why does Rudolph have a red nose?
In the story, Rudolph was born with a glowing red nose and was teased for being different. One foggy Christmas Eve, his bright nose lit the way so Santa could deliver the presents - turning his "flaw" into the thing that saved the night.
What age is this reindeer craft for?
Around ages 5 and up. Children can position the sticks, add eyes, and roll the nose, but the hot glue gun and scissors should be handled by an adult (or an adult-guided older child). Keep googly eyes away from toddlers, who could swallow them.
If you’re for some more festive activities, be sure to check How to Make a Toilet Roll Christmas Tree. And for more creative activities, we recommend How to make homemade plastic and How to make Cardboard Castle. We wish you a merry Christmas! Hopefully, Rudolph will manage to navigate Santa to your home this year!
