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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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Original poster

This "reindeer food" malarkey........

65 replies

MakemineaGandT · 11/12/2009 13:56

Since when did "reindeer food" become an integral part of Christmas? Obviously a carrot left out for rudolf is a must, but what's with this oats/glitter business? It seems to be a requirement for every household with young children. I refuse to get sucked in....... Seriously though, where's all this come from? Don't remember ANYONE doing it when we were all little.....

OP posts:

Lapsedrunner · 11/12/2009 18:13

never heard of reindeer food! carrot & whiskey round these parts

shallishanti · 11/12/2009 19:22

but it's a magic key!

frasersmummy · 11/12/2009 19:34

I am not sure where/when/how the reindeer food started ..

but as guider I have been doing it for years with Brownies because its a lovely quick xmas activity thats its easy for youngsters to do

I guess a lot of group leaders did the same and it snowballed from there

MrsTittleMouse · 11/12/2009 19:40

Has anyone else here had visions of the North Pole littered with sparkly reindeer poo on Boxing Day? Like a crawling baby after the preschooler elder sibling has been a bit excitable with the Christmas card decorating. It must look very festive.

PoppyIsApain · 11/12/2009 19:48

I bought a packet of glitter and oats reindeer food from argos, it was by the BHF and i opened it and their was no bloody glitter, just a pinch of oats. Ive since had to go and get glitter from morrisons. Alot of hassle to make sure the reindeer know where to land

I think it will just be the traditional carrot next year!

Original poster

MakemineaGandT · 11/12/2009 20:42

Just logged on again to find out about this Santa keys business. Thanks for the explanations. Fortunately no need to go down that route as we have a fireplace (though DS1 is a bit concerned how Santa will squeeze himself down the rather small flue that leads into our wood burner!!!). My explanation is of course that he is "magic".

Ho ho ho.

OP posts:

Tweeter · 11/12/2009 22:01

We buy reindeer food every year and sprinkle it on the garden path. Where we live it is sold in aid of macmillan children cancer hospices it is £1 per packet and isn't much to ask

SplitPea · 12/12/2009 08:31

DD made Reindeer food at Rainbows one year. We sprinkled it in the garden. It made her day!

I have never seen or heard of Santa keys until reading this thread. I think they're lovely! We have a chimney now but didn't in our last house - I would def have bought a key. Especially if it was called a Father Christmas Key instead of a Santa Key.

MrsCrawf · 12/12/2009 10:30

Goodness, I'd never heard about all of this before! I remember leaving out a carrot, a glass of sherry and a couple of mince pies. I think I would worry about Rudolph eating all that glitter - that will have to paly havoc with his digestive system and he has to fly over all our houses - yuk!

tassisssss · 12/12/2009 15:32

I organised the making of it at our toddlers yesterday which i seriously regretted on Thursday night when I had 30 labels left to make.

Never heard of it until a few years ago, but my littlies love it.

humptynumpty · 12/12/2009 16:34

Sorry haven't read whole thing, but don't you sprinkle it outside, so then it won't get stuck in carpet etc....

ComeOveneer · 12/12/2009 16:44

I made 200 bags of reindeer food this year. !00 each for the dc's christmas fairs at school. My children love the ritual of sprinkling it outside then hanging the santa key on the door before going to bed (we have a lovely pewter engraved one). Am as much a big kid about these things as they are!!!

nappyaddict · 12/12/2009 17:37

I don't get the santa keys. Firstly they are too big to fit in anyone's door lock and secondly if you leave it outside on your door step surely the children would be scared anyone could use it and get in?

SherryMerryLennipillar · 12/12/2009 21:30

Silver balls instead of glitter here - biodegradable reindeer food. Threw a few out of date hundreds and thousands in too last year.

Loving the idea of hoof prints, although don't fancy cleaning icing sugar and flour out of the carpet

WeThreeNinks · 12/12/2009 21:41

My DS made a "Santa's Magic Key" at pre-school and I had no idea what it was for other to hang on the wall and avoid brushing against the glitter.

DD is nine and has never heard of them even though she's still a believer. Santa has no need for keys FGS!

We do the reindeer food though.

santaschristmascakeywakey · 12/12/2009 21:58

Santa always drank a rather large glass of beer when I was little. And Rudolph had to make do with one of the guineau pig's carrots.

MNHQ - there are more calls on this thread for the Christmas smilies! It's not just me that is desperate to see them. I want to pepper my messages with Christmassy joy - and the occasional bah humbug - pleeeeease can we have them sooner than the end of term?

slummymummy36 · 12/12/2009 22:33

Why stop at Reindeer food?? Why not take it a step further and get crafty with some salt dough and make some reindeer poo at the same time!

Place a dollop of it in the middle of the front lawn and hey presto "real proof" Rudolph was there last night!

We did actually awaken one Xmas morning to a rather large dollop in the middle of our front lawn (an unpleasant gift from a dog on its early morning walkies) - it was the children who pointed at it and told me FC Reindeer had obviously taken a "break" at our house!! And who said the "magic" of Christmas was dead! The really sad thing is they still remember this and re tell the tale every christmas! We dont do Reindeer food anymore - as I dont like to encourage Rudolph to use our garden as convenience stop!

MamaGoblinUpTheGingerbread · 12/12/2009 23:46

Could you mix glitter into the Reindeer poo? I mean, all that glittery shite must pass straight through them...

I can't get my head around Santa Keys. If he can get down a 10" chimney, I reckon he can magic himself through doors too. In our house, Father Christmas is entering via the cat flap, since we don't have a fireplace.

Mind you, DS is 21 months, so he doesn't believe anything I tell him!

TrinityReindeer · 12/12/2009 23:49

'begone to your wanky footprint in icing sugar'

by suefley

roffle

WillowFae · 13/12/2009 00:31

Carrot, mince pie, and a glass of sherry. That's what it was when we were kids, and that's what it is for my kids.

Squishabelle · 13/12/2009 00:47

Sorry but this glitter and oats business is the most ridiculous thing I have heard for ages. A carrot is fine.

JjandtheBean · 13/12/2009 02:05

dont knock the santa key, discovering those has made my sister and neice very happy!

i stopped believing because i didnt believe santa could come down my chimney with a gas fire at the bottom.

shinners07 · 13/12/2009 10:21

Carrot with few bites taken out of it, quick swipe of soot from chimney on the carrot (after you've bitten it-ugh! ) and left beside fireplace...my 3 dc's were mesmerised that THIS CARROT was ACTUALLY BITTEN by a reindeer. Reindeer food can't leave that lasting impression!!

mankymummymoo · 13/12/2009 10:23

it'll be a cheese sandwich and a glass of savvy blavvy for rudolph and santa in this household as mummy santa and rudolph dont like port or mince pies

purepurple · 13/12/2009 14:40

Here is the recipe for reindeer food and a couple of cute poems too.
www.youthonline.ca/christmas/crafts/reindeerfood.shtml
I am going to make this with my toddlers at work.

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