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What Order Does Santa Say The Reindeer Names?

Every Christmas, grownups and children sing special songs about the holiday. One of the most popular songs is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which is about the special reindeer who saved Christmas with his shiny nose. Twas the Night Before Christmas, a poem about Santa’s journey on Christmas Eve (before Rudolph joined the team), is also a holiday favorite.

What Order Does Santa Call Out His Reindeer’s Names?

Many people know one special line from Twas the Night Before Christmas well: “Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donner and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”

But what people don’t know is that there is a lot more to the story.

Santa met his herd of reindeer in the North Pole long time ago. They were coming from Siberia in search of a place to celebrate Christmas when they stumbled on Santa and his elves struggling to pull his sleigh. That’s when Santa offered each one of them a Christmas Cookie with a magical flying formula. With their new talent, they agreed to help the gift-giving Santa to distribute his Christmas presents.

When Santa Claus says the name of each reindeer, he calls on Christmas magic. All of Santa’s reindeer are magical, and each one of them has a very important job. Santa couldn’t make his annual trip around the world without them.

Here is what each magical reindeer does:

Dasher

Before Rudolph started leading the sleigh, Dasher was the first reindeer Santa called on, because this reindeer is fast. Santa only has one night to visit everyone, so he needs Dasher because this reindeer is so quick. Otherwise, he could not visit everyone, and there would be many sad children on Christmas morning. With Dasher on the team, Santa and his sleigh can zip from house to house in the blink of an eye.

Whenever anyone sees a shooting star on Christmas Eve, it’s probably Dasher!

Dancer

After Dasher, Santa calls for Dancer. The two fly next to each other, and they make a very good team because Dancer is a very graceful reindeer. She helps Santa land his sleigh on the roof of each house they visit. Otherwise, as fast as Dasher goes, they might fly right past the house! With Dasher and Dancer working together, Santa can fly quickly and land right where he needs to be.

Whenever anyone hears sleigh bells, that’s a sign that Dancer’s magic is working. Children can help her magic by ringing some bells themselves on Christmas Eve.

Prancer

Right after Dancer, Santa calls on her twin brother, Prancer. Prancer is the reindeer who knows which houses are waiting for Santa.

Who knows how Prancer can tell? Sometimes it’s easy. He sees Christmas decorations and knows where to land. But even if a house isn’t decorated, Prancer still knows how to tell Dancer to head toward the right houses. Some people think he can smell the cookies and milk people leave out.

Vixen

Next to Prancer flies Vixen, who has a very important job. Santa Claus can’t visit a house if the children inside are still awake. That’s part of the rules for Christmas. But Santa also knows that falling asleep on Christmas Eve is very hard for excited children. And that’s why he has Vixen.

When Santa’s sleigh lands on a roof, Vixen knows if the children inside are asleep or awake. If Vixen knows the children awake, she uses her magic to gently make all of them fall asleep. And she always makes sure to give them good dreams, too. So if a child tries to stay up late on Christmas Eve to see Santa, but they keep falling asleep, that’s Vixen using her very special magic on them!

Comet

After Vixen, Santa calls for Comet. He knows who has been naughty and who has been nice so when Santa makes his list and checks it twice, Comet helps him. When Santa lands, Comet reminds Santa if the children have been naughty or nice and helps him pick the right presents to give.

Cupid

Next to Comet flies Cupid, who also has a special job. Delivering presents to every good boy and girl on Christmas Eve takes a lot of work and even Santa and his reindeer can get tired.

That’s why its Cupid’s job to keep everyone in a good mood while they work with silly stories. If any of the reindeer start to argue during their mission, Cupid is the one who gets them to make up.

Donner

Santa is a very big man. Like the poem says, “He had a broad face and a little round belly that shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.” And all of those presents can get pretty heavy too! Being the strongest of the reindeer, Donner does most of the heavy lifting.

Without his strength, even Dasher would be slowed down by the weight of Santa’s sleigh.

Blitzen

Lastly is Blitzen. Even though he’s last, his job is still very important. Santa Claus isn’t allowed to leave hoof prints or sleigh tracks anywhere. It’s another part of the magic rules for Christmas. As Dasher and Prancer take off, Blitzen shakes his head, and magic snow falls off his antlers, covering up the tracks. This is why no one ever sees reindeer hooves when they wake up on Christmas morning. Blitzen works very hard to cover up all the tracks, sometimes even causing new snow to fall.

As you can see, all of Santa’s Reindeer have a very important role to play. This is why it’s very important to leave some carrots out for the reindeer along with the milk and cookies for Santa Claus. They all work very hard!

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FAQ

What order does Santa call out his Reindeer’s names?

Santa calls out his Reindeer’s names in the order “Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph!”. When did Santa meet his reindeer?

Santa met his reindeer when they were coming from Siberia in search of a place to celebrate Christmas. Santa offered them a magical cookie that would make them fly and they agreed to help Santa pull his sleigh and distribute Christmas presents all around the world! What happens when Santa calls out his reindeers’ names?

When Santa calls out the name of each reindeer, he calls on the Christmas magic that each reindeer possesses. Each reindeer has an important job and Santa couldn’t deliver presents all around the world without them! 

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