But do you know the names of all the reindeer at the Palmer Reindeer Farm? Denise knows. Denise can walk into the pen of reindeer and say, Come here, George, let them pet you. Or, Hi Moose, you’re looking good today. Moose, of course, being the name of one of the reindeer, not to be confused with the actual moose who lives there and goes by the name of Rocky. The farm is also home to a yak and a bison.

Jennifer and I took the kids to the farm this evening. Palmer is the neighboring community to Wasilla, the two towns collectively known as The Valley. It was about a half hour drive from Wasilla to Palmer and neither of us realized how tired the kiddos were. They both fell asleep about twenty minutes into the trip. Luckily we got there early enough to let them sleep for a bit before the meet and greet with the reindeer. If you ever have a chance to do this with your kids, I highly recommend it. They only sell 12 tickets (ages 3 and up) per group tour which is just about the perfect number of people. There were two other families, one with Texas grandma tagging along to their one girl/one boy, four member family and another young couple and their precocious toddler boy. Denise explained that, indeed, Santa and his reindeer are at the North Pole getting ready for Christmas but these reindeer are either too young, too big or maybe getting to be just right for Santa’s sleigh team and that Santa may or may not come tonight to check on them. Of course, Santa came 😉

One of the most surprising aspects was that we were right in the pen with the critters! I wonder if anyone has ever been impaled by a massive rack of antlers because in the short time we were there it could have easily happened on several occasions. There was plenty of signage warning of the risk involved, but we paid them no mind because Denise has a very trustworthy disposition and she assured us they are quite docile. She was right, but those racks are so big that if I held my hand at the wrong angle when giving them a snack I almost got an eyeful of antler!

It was a chilly evening, about 5 degrees Fahrenheit, and even though we were all bundled up, we had to warm ourselves for a few minutes after spending time with Santa and the reindeer in the pen and before meeting the other animals. Denise used that time to give us a few more details about raising reindeer. Most people know that the only difference between reindeer and caribou is domestication, but she stumped me with this question: What predator kills the newborn calves? Wolves? Bears? Coyotes? Dogs? No. No. No. No. Get this. Corvus corax. The common raven. Much like wolves, the flock works together as a team. One or two start pecking at the calf and as the mom chases them away, the rest of the flock swoops in to continue the carnage. Denise said they killed three calves one year before they figured out how to get the problem under control. First, they tried cattle dogs. Maremma Sheepdogs to be exact. Unfortunately, the mother reindeer would not allow them in the pens with their newborns. The dogs still serve a purpose though. Denise said they have woken up the family several times to accidents on the road near the farm, other dogs entering the property and one time, to an unwanted visitor at 3 am. Denise marveled that the dogs knew that visitors between 10 am and 6 pm were okay, but not in the wee hours of the morning. She said the dogs, a male and a female, weighing 129 lbs and 109 lbs respectively, would tear apart any other dog, even the smaller herding dog that is also on the farm. They have to stay separated. So. How does she keep those vicious ravens at bay? She said they have to relentlessly stand guard with a shotgun. Relentlessly until they finally decide it’s not worth the trouble and move to the McDonald’s parking lot where most Alaskans see them. But if they put their guard down for even a bit before they finally give up, it’s like starting at square one. Anyone that has seen ravens in action can absolutely picture this. They are smart asshole birds.

The yak and the bison weren’t as pettable as the reindeer, and they were kept behind pens. Rocky the Moose was behind a pen as well but he was very friendly, or maybe just nosy. Denise brought out apple slices for anyone who wanted to kiss the moose: put the end of the slice between your teeth, get right up to Rocky and let him take it out of your mouth! Ha! I did it! I kissed a moose!

We were all getting chilly again so we headed to the barn where it was festively decorated and Santa sat waiting for the kids to sit on his lap for a photo op. Hot chocolate, tea and cookies also awaited us. Jennifer had Athena tucked in a wrap inside her coat, so that no one noticed until she uncovered her a bit. Texas Grandma exclaimed, There’s a baby in there! Jacob was fascinated by the toy train. Iris wanted to decorate and eat her cookie. Jennifer and I drank hot chocolate. It was a pretty perfect evening.

Everyone is so excited to see the reindeer!

Merry Kiss-Moose