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:

Jun 18, 2025Asian swallowtail butterfly
Sep 14, 2024Rapa Nui National Park, Easter Island, Chile
May 2, 2024Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho, USA
Oct 12, 2023Palouse region, Idaho, USA
May 7, 2024Duckling in a water meadow, Suffolk, England
Jan 29, 2024Golling Waterfall, Salzburg, Austria
May 3, 2025Arches National Park, Utah, United States
Oct 10, 2025Coral reef surrounding the island of Monuriki, Mamanuca Islands, Fiji
Dec 24, 2023Town Hall Square, Tartu, Estonia
Mar 31, 2025Ostuni, Apulia, Italy
Oct 16, 2025Eurasian lynx, Siberia
June 5, 2026Sarek National Park, Laponia, Lapland, Sweden
Apr 6, 2026Hirosaki Castle with cherry blossoms, Hirosaki, Japan
Oct 9, 2024Aspens near Marble, Colorado, USA
Jan 15, 2025Pointe du Diable, Saint-Pierre, Réunion Island
Apr 7, 2024North American beaver, Denali National Park, Alaska, USA
Sep 21, 2023Inside the Nobel Peace Centre, Oslo, Norway
Jan 28, 2026Whanganui National Park, Retaruke, New Zealand
Jan 24, 2025Strokkur geyser in Iceland
Jul 14, 2024La Geria wine region, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain
May 17, 2025A delta in the Venetian Lagoon, Italy
Nov 28, 2025Val Brandet, Brescia, Lombardy, Italy
Nov 19, 2025Hungarian Parliament Building, Budapest, Hungary
Jan 30, 2024Ayna, Albacete, Spain
Mar 27, 2025Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Acropolis of Athens, Greece
Mar 25, 2026Juvenile manatees in a freshwater spring, Crystal River, Florida
Jan 29, 2026Milwaukee City Hall, Wisconsin, United States
Oct 11, 2023The Painted Hills, Oregon, USA
Sep 5, 2025Santa Monica Pier
Dec 4, 2025Cheetah in Maasai Mara