Reindeer, Lapland, Finland Dec 25, 2025

Few creatures evoke the magic of the holidays quite like the reindeer. Also known as caribou, they are the spirit animals of Christmas lovers—and they rock it. Sturdy and sure-footed, they"ve been pulling Santa"s sleigh ever since Clement Clarke Moore cast them in the role in his 1823 poem "A Visit from Saint Nicholas." And they were born for it. Their hooves shrink in winter to expose a gripping rim, then expand in warmer months for better traction.

© Roberto Moiola/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Dec 25, 2023Reindeer running in snow
Dec 25, 2024Lakes of Covadonga, Asturias, Spain

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Mar 13, 2025Gran Paradiso National Park, Piedmont, Italy
Jul 24, 2025Family of ashy woodswallows
Sep 4, 2024Dusky eagle-owls, Pakistan
May 12, 2025An iris garden in Tokyo, Japan
Mar 25, 2025European goldfinches
Nov 5, 2024Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Brazil
Jul 25, 2024Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA
Sep 21, 2025Sea otters, Alaska
Dec 15, 2023SantaPark, Lapland, Finland
Nov 9, 2025Lagoon Nebula, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope
Apr 9, 2024Tulip fields in spring, Skagit Valley, Washington, USA
Jun 11, 2024A group of Southern gemsbok in the savannah, Botswana, USA
May 21, 2024Poço Encantado cave, Brazil
Mar 23, 2025Lightning and storm clouds at sunset near Bowman, Nebraska, United States
Jul 18, 2025Eucalyptus forest, Urubici, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Apr 1, 2025Tree frog, Costa Rica
Sep 12, 2024Dolphin pod near Réunion island
Jun 30, 2024Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
May 8, 2025Donkeys in a valley near Rhyolite, Nevada, United States
Sep 28, 2024Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida, USA
Jun 4, 2025Moritzburg Castle, Saxony, Germany
Oct 16, 2023Golden larches and Prusik Peak, Enchantments, Washington, USA
Oct 18, 2025Silbury Hill, Wiltshire, England
Apr 14, 2024Bowling Ball Beach, California, USA
Aug 10, 2025Lioness in Kenya
Apr 8, 2024European hedgehog
Feb 6, 2025Archway Islands, Wharariki Beach, South Island, New Zealand
Dec 3, 2023Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona, USA
Oct 19, 2023Castell y Gwynt, Snowdonia, Wales, United Kingdom
Dec 23, 2023Chinstrap penguins