Reindeer, Lapland, Finland Dec. 23, 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

Ive got a lot of problems with you penguins!
Dec. 23, 2023Festivus
Dec. 23, 2024Celebrating Festivus

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Oct. 10, 2024Ancient town of Sorano, Tuscany, Italy
One giant leap for mankind
Dec. 25, 2023Christmas Day
Mar. 29, 2024South Stack Lighthouse, Holyhead, Wales, UK
Spring is the time for billing
Nov. 23, 2025Fibonacci Day
An ocean of stars above the desert
Part science experiment, part public park
Aug. 7, 2024St. Joseph North Pier Inner and Outer Lights, Michigan, USA
Nov. 2, 2023Death Valley National Park, California
Nov. 8, 2023West Indian manatees, Crystal River
Sep. 22, 2024Autumn equinox
Apr. 29, 2024Fujian Tulou, China
Jan. 23, 2026Þorrablót, Icelandic midwinter festival
Dec. 12, 2025Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, Vancouver, British Columbia
Eyes on the skies
Jul. 9, 2025Independence Day of the Argentine Republic
Oct. 11, 2024Celtic Colours International Festival
Jan. 17, 2024Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany
40 years of recovery
Jul. 4, 2025Skipper butterfly on an Echinacea flower
Mar. 16, 2024Giant panda, Chengdu, China
Dec. 16, 2024Salzburg, Austria
Santa slalom
Sep. 1, 2025Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States
Mesmerising glass pyramids
Apr. 24, 2025Spire Cove in Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, Alaska, United States
Oct. 17, 2023Vieste, Apulia, Italy
Incan ingenuity
Past below, future ahead