Making Reindeer Food and sprinkling it on your lawn on Christmas Eve is a sweet, sparkly holiday tradition kids love!
Oh, the weather outside is frightful…well, maybe not where you are yet, but it is time to prepare for the winter holidays, right? And one of the best ways to get the holiday cheer going, especially for kids, is to make a big batch of reindeer food to sprinkle on the lawn on Christmas Eve so Santa’s reindeer can see your house from the sky. Even though this food is only for reindeer and not for humans to eat, it’s really fun to make and creates a lovely, warm tradition for kids to enjoy every year.
According to Santa, all of the reindeer—including Rudolph!—love this festive mix of rolled oats, colored sugar, non-toxic glitter, and sprinkles. While Santa is inside delivering your gifts, the reindeer are on your lawn, eating up the reindeer food you made for them. This sweet ritual, of packaging the reindeer food in little plastic bags tied with bright ribbons, has been part of holiday culture since the late 20th century; one source says that social media has more recently caused the tradition’s popularity to surge and suggests attaching poems like this one to the bags of reindeer food: “Sprinkle on the lawn at night/ The moon will make it sparkle bright!/ As Santa’s reindeer fly and roam,/ This will guide them to your home!”
There are only a few ingredients in our recipe for reindeer food, but the combination is bright, colorful, and sparkly. Rolled oats are mixed with red sugar, non-toxic gold glitter, and holiday-themed sprinkles. It’s the glitter that makes reindeer food not fit to be consumed by humans, but Santa’s reindeer will love it!
Tips for buying and using non-toxic gold glitter
Generally, non-toxic gold glitter is made from polyester or mica. It’s meant for use in arts and crafts projects but never as food for people to eat. Experts say that while standard non-toxic glitter won’t hurt your lawn right away, it can pose some environmental risks to soil and wildlife over time. If this is a concern, you can purchase certified biodegradable glitter. Or, you can replace the non-toxic gold glitter with edible glitter (packaging should say 100% edible) or, to be super safe, just use gold-colored sparkling or decorating sugar.
How do I store leftovers?
Store reindeer food in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, and it should keep at room temperature for up to a year.
Serving suggestions
A really fun thing to do as the holidays approach is to throw a party for your favorite families, with treats and food activities the kids—and adults—will love. In addition to making and packaging reindeer food, set up some stations to make and decorate Christmas Cookies, Christmas Cake Pops, and these adorable Christmas Light Cupcakes. Serve some savory items for parents and kids to snack on, too, like this Grand Cru Inspired Cheese Board With Apple-Cranberry Chutney, Cranberry-Walnut Blue Cheese Pinwheels, Pizza Skewers With Garlic Butter Dipping Sauce, Baked Chicken Tenders, and this lovely Smoked Salmon Appetizer. The kids will love Rich And Creamy Hot Chocolate with Snowman Marshmallow Hot Chocolate Toppers, while the adults happily sip on this festive Family Stone Sipper – Cinnamon And Orange Cocktail.
Reindeer Food Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons red-colored sugar
- 2 tablespoons non-toxic gold glitter
- 2 tablespoons holiday sprinkles
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix the rolled oats, sugar, non-toxic gold glitter, and sprinkles until well combined.
- Fill small plastic baggies with the mixture, seal each with a festive ribbon, and attach a printed reindeer food poem.
- On Christmas Eve, sprinkle the reindeer food on your lawn to guide Santa’s reindeer.
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