(Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
By Sam Britt
Security footage posted to Tik Tok showed “Santa’s reindeer” walking down a Connecticut street prior to their scheduled flight on Thursday, according to Fox 5.
The video from Tuesday shows a group of deer walking single file down a street in Milford. It is reported that perhaps the deer were scouting the neighborhood for Saint Nick, according to Fox 5.
While these deer appear closer in size to white-tailed deer, which are commonly found across North America, an explanation for this could be that they are younger reindeer in training. Maybe they will at some point in the future grow up to 7 ft tall.
The origin of Santa’s reindeer dates back to 1821 with the first written account of them being featured in a booklet called “A New Year’s Present, to the Little Ones from Five to Twelve Number III.”
Old Santeclaus with much delight
His reindeer drives this frosty night.
O'er chimney tops, and tracks of snow,
To bring his yearly gifts to you.
The publisher explained why the author had included the reindeer.
“He stated that far in the north near the Arctic lands a series of animals exist, these hooven and antlered animals resemble the reindeer and are feared and honored by those around, as you see he claims to have heard they could fly from his mother. His mother being an Indian of the area," said William Gilley, New York printer.
It is believed that the reindeer became associated with Santa due to the fact the creatures were considered mysterious and only native to the northern parts of the world. They were used by Europeans as a means of transportation, pulling sleds and sleighs, like Sven from “Frozen.” They were also an important aspect of northern European indigenous cultures, according to Altogether Christmas.
For those who wondered when the “reindeer” will return, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) will be tracking Santa’s flight. A tradition that began after a child called Col. Harry Shoup, who was working at the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center, and asked if Shoup was Santa, according to NBC News.
That call has grown into hundreds of volunteers taking calls and letting children know the coordinates of Santa Claus as he makes his flight on Christmas Eve.
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