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. 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:

Apr 5, 2018Mada’in Saleh archeological site in Saudi Arabia
Nov 2, 2024National Bison Day
Nov 26, 2024Celebrating World Olive Tree Day
Jan 14, 2026National Take the Stairs Day
Feb 10, 2022The Old City of Bern
Nov 13, 2022River Quoich in Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Feb 27, 2019A predator at risk
Nov 4, 2018And they’re off!
Mar 15, 2026Pacific Rim Whale Festival
Feb 29, 2024Leap day
Mar 6, 2022Great cormorants
May 23, 2022World Turtle Day
Apr 2, 2024Beech trees and wild anemones, Jutland, Denmark
Dec 22, 2020A holiday beacon of light
Jul 5, 2019Peel Castle on St. Patrick’s Isle with the Isle of Man in the background
Jun 27, 2022Lavender fields on the Valensole Plateau in Provence, France
Nov 12, 2024Arches National Park anniversary
Apr 27, 2024National Go Birding Day
Feb 18, 2019Presidents Day in America’s front yard
Oct 12, 2023Farmers Day
Mar 9, 2025Daylight saving time begins
Mar 12, 2023Lucian Blaga National Theater, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Sep 2, 2025Camel thorn trees, Namib-Naukluft Park, Namibia
Mar 22, 2022World Water Day
Jul 6, 2018Pandas pucker up for International Kissing Day
Nov 8, 2019Chapel on the rock
Oct 31, 2018Shhh, the movie is about to start
Nov 28, 2019Wild turkeys in repose
Oct 22, 2025The Belogradchik Rocks in Bulgaria
Apr 21, 2023Procida, Italy