Reindeer, Lapland, Finland Dec 23, 2025

Reindeer, Lapland, Finland

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. Still not impressed? Consider this: reindeer don"t have an internal clock. Instead, their melatonin—the hormone that regulates sleep—adjusts to light and darkness, helping them stay awake through endless nights of gift delivery.

© Roberto Moiola/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Dec 23, 2018Make your list and check it twice
Dec 23, 2019A Festivus for the rest of us
Dec 23, 2020Swimming into the season
Dec 23, 2021Festivus
Dec 23, 2022Gentoo penguins in Antarctica
Dec 23, 2023Festivus
Dec 23, 2024Celebrating Festivus

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Mar 13, 2026Church of Notre Dame de Bon-Port, Les Sables-dOlonne, France
Jul 5, 2024Daintree Rainforest and Noah Beach, Queensland, Australia
Jul 3, 2021Diving into the underwater nirvana
Dec 5, 2021Salzburg, Austria
Feb 20, 2023Presidents Day
Jul 23, 2020At the foot of Dubrovnik s Gibraltar
Oct 2, 2024Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
Dec 22, 2022Galeries Lafayette, Paris
Feb 1, 2020Mapping courage in the Seventh Ward
Nov 30, 2022Old Town of Rovinj, Croatia
May 28, 2021Freeloaders of the avian world
Apr 9, 2021A timeless view of the night sky
Dec 11, 2025International Mountain Day
Nov 1, 2021Native American Heritage Month
Feb 24, 2024Almond trees in full bloom, California
Jul 27, 2026Tiffany Dome, Chicago Cultural Center, Illinois
Aug 6, 2020Space-age style by the sea
Mar 14, 2026Celebrating Pi Day
Aug 15, 2021Swim city
Jul 11, 2024World Population Day
Mar 9, 2022Flower of Life symbol drawn in snow
Jun 16, 2019Happy Father s Day
Dec 4, 2021Cheetah mother and cub
Jun 8, 2022World Oceans Day
Aug 11, 2023Edinburgh Art Festival
Nov 25, 2021Happy Thanksgiving
Feb 3, 2018Rooftops in the walled city of Urbino, Italy
Aug 16, 2020Here s looking at you
Dec 21, 2020Shadows on the solstice
Dec 19, 2023Castle Square, Old Town, Warsaw, Poland