by Sigrid, age 8 from Tromso, Norway, asks Santa for his reindeer’s names, the Arctic Circle, and Sami reindeer herding traditions.
Dear Santa, my name is Sigrid, and I am eight years old. I live in Tromso, Norway, high above the Arctic Circle, where my farfar says real reindeer herds wander right past our town.
Dear Sigrid, real reindeer wandering past your town makes Tromso feel practically like a second workshop, your farfar picked a truly fitting hometown.
Santa, I have three questions.
What are Santa’s reindeer names? My farfar knows a few but not all of them.
My team includes Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen, with Rudolph leading the way on foggy nights. Eight steady flyers and one bright-nosed guide, a proper full crew for a very long night.
My farfar says Tromso sits so far north that it is often called the Gateway to the Arctic. Is that true?
It is true, Sigrid, Tromso sits well above the Arctic Circle, a real gateway toward the far north. I always use your town as a helpful landmark on my longest, coldest stretch of the whole route.
My farfar says the Sami people have herded reindeer in this region for a very, very long time. Is that true?
It is true, Sigrid, the Sami are an indigenous people with a deep, generations-old tradition of reindeer herding across the far north. That kind of careful, patient knowledge, passed down through families for centuries, is something my own reindeer team deeply respects.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Sigrid Hansen
Tromso, Norway
P.S. Do your reindeer ever visit their wild cousins near you?
Occasionally, Sigrid, though the reunions tend to involve a great deal of showing off.
