It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Santa Claus will soon be on his way, which means it’s time to put up the tree, hang your stockings, and set out Santa’s milk and cookies. But we can’t forget about the 9 reindeer that help make the magic happen! Some families choose to leave out carrots, while others make reindeer food- a mixture of oats, sprinkles, and glitter- to sprinkle outside for the reindeer to munch on while Santa leaves his gifts under the tree. While sprinkles and glitter may look magical and entice Santa’s reindeer, it’s not safe for the wildlife that may find and finish off any leftovers. Here is a quick and easy recipe for reindeer food that is wildlife safe as well as colorful and festive!

  • 2 cups plain oats
  • 1 cup bird seed
  • 1 cup dried cranberries (any dried fruit will work, but cranberries add a bit of Christmas red to the mix)
  • 9 clear cone-shaped piping bags
  • Brown pipe cleaners
  • Googly eyes

Mix together all of your ingredients and divide evenly between your 9 bags – one bag for each reindeer! If you use cranberries, you can add them to the bag first to look like Rudolph’s red nose. Tie the tops of the bags with brown pipe cleaners and bend them to your favorite reindeer antler shape. Add 2 googly eyes to your reindeer bags and you’re finished!

If you’d like to be plastic free, you can always decorate paper bags and fill those up instead.