The traditions of Reindeer pulling the sleigh of Father Christmas (or Santa), is a fairly recent addition to our Christmas customs, having started in mid Victorian times. Reindeer are associated with cold places and Father Christmas is said to live at the North Pole.
Traditionally children in the UK place a gift of a carrot for the reindeer and a mince pie and glass of sherry for Santa beside the fire on Christmas Eve. Reindeer first came to be associated with Christmas in the poem ‘The Night Before Christmas'(written by Clement Clarke Moore in 1822), although these reindeer were said to be tiny. This is also the first mention of reindeer that fly through the sky. The question how do the reindeer fly is a common one asked by children of their parents around Christmas time.
The only herd of reindeer in Britain can be found in the Cairngorm mountains of Scotland. For more information click here