Use this tutorial to make magic reindeer food bags this year! They are a fun way to help guide Santa’s sleigh and his reindeer to your home on Christmas Eve.
You only need a few supplies and a couple of minutes to make this quick and easy craft. This project is a fun way to bring a little more Christmas magic to your holiday celebrations this year!
The best part of these reindeer food bags are that the kids can help assemble them. They will love to sprinkle this magic reindeer dust in their yard, knowing that is will help Santa and his reindeer find your home!
I’ve included a tutorial to make the reindeer food bags and a free printable reindeer dust poem to attach to it. Make your own reindeer food bags by following the instructions below.
What is magic reindeer food?
Magic reindeer food is a reindeer snack made from oats, sugar and a little Christmas magic! The food helps the reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh find your home.
Your child will be so excited thinking that they are making something that will actually help Santa’s reindeer get through the long ride on Christmas Eve.
I first made this reindeer food DIY project so many years ago when my daughter was a little girl. The delight in her eyes as she sprinkled the special “magic reindeer food” as she eagerly awaited Santa’s coming was one of the highlights of our Christmas celebrations each year.
There is nothing quite like the anticipation of a small child for Christmas. Those are the kinds of memories that will stay with you well after they are grown and living their own lives. And the reindeer are anticipated almost as much as Santa himself!
Reindeer food bags ingredients
To make this edible reindeer food, you will need the following ingredients:
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- ¼ cup of oatmeal
- ¼ cup of sugar
- Red and green sanding sugar (or sugar crystals)
- Small red organza bag
- Thin red ribbon
- Printable reindeer dust poem (you can print it from the project card below)
How to make magic reindeer food
Making the magic reindeer dust is a cinch. The kids will love to help out. Start by mixing the oatmeal and sugar together in a bowl until well combined.
Stir the red and green sugar crystals. I added about a tablespoon of each color. Be sure to talk about the magic of the sugar crystals with your child as you make the reindeer food.
I mixed my reindeer dust in a star shaped bowl for fun. Ringing a few jingle bells while we made the mixture set the mood nicely!
Place the mixture into an red organza bag. If you don’t have an organza bag, you could also wrap it in cellophane and tie it with a ribbon.
Tie the printable reindeer food saying to your bag of magic reindeer food with a red ribbon. That’s it, your reindeer food bags are complete!
Get the magic reindeer food poem printable tags
You can get the reindeer food poem printable tags here. I printed mine out on glossy photo paper. The poem will print out to the size of about 3 inches by 1 ½ inch.
The reindeer food poem is whimsical and sure to delight the kids:
Sprinkle on the lawn at night.
The moon will make it sparkle bright.
As Santa’s Reindeer fly & roam,
This will guide them to your home.
The night before Christmas, take your child or grandchild outside and place the bag in a special spot for the reindeer. Such a fun memory this will be!
Are you having a family get together on Christmas Eve? These magic reindeer food pouches would be a great party favor to give the kids to take home to use to guide the reindeer in for the landing!
Don’t forget to either send a letter to Santa’s address, or call the official Santa phone number to let him know what’s on your Christmas list. That way he’ll know what to bring for Christmas! If you call him, he’ll let you know if you’re on the naughty or nice list too!
Is this reindeer food recipe safe for birds and wildlife?
The ingredients in the reindeer snack are all edible so you won’t need to worry about birds or other wildlife eating it if you sprinkle it outdoors.
Since we’ll be making the recipe to go into special gift bags for the reindeer, this makes it even more safe than if you sprinkle it around the yard.
I have seen other reindeer food made with glitter sprinkles, but this is harmful to animals. This animal safe magic reindeer food is simple to make and won’t harm wild life.
Be careful of using glitter if you live in an area where there are abundant birds and mammals. Any reindeer food bags made with glitter could be left indoors near the fireplace for Santa to take to his reindeer, instead of outdoors.
What do reindeer eat?
In nature, reindeer enjoy eating moss, herbs, grasses of all types and shoots of shrubs. When the weather is cold, reindeer will scrape away at the snow away with their hooves to get to any available food.
Traditionally, reindeer also will eat carrots, apples, and oats as well as other grains from feeders.
During the Christmas season, many households make cookies for Santa Claus to leave out on Christmas Eve, and some families also like to leave cookies our for reindeer like they do for Santa (I’ve been told that reindeer like gingerbread cookies the best)!
Now you know that you cave leave a bag of magic reindeer food for them to enjoy as well!
Add some Santa footprints near food for reindeer!
For a fun Christmas morning surprise, let your child place this reindeer snack on the lawn on Christmas Eve.
Then, when your child is asleep, make footprints for Santa and his reindeer next to the reindeer food in the snow. Dog footprints are a good substitute for reindeer footprints!
Imagine your child’s delight to see those footprints near their house. “Santa was here” will be the excited shouts!
More child themed Christmas projects
Doing Christmas DIY projects like these reindeer food bags is a lot of fun for me, especially when the kids can help out with making of the craft. Here are a few more projects that you might enjoy doing with your child.
- DIY Peppermint Candle – Cover a simple candle with peppermints for a sweet smelling scent.
- Clay Pot Snowman – Don’t throw those old terra cotta pots away. Use them to make a snowman decoration for your table.
- Bottle Cap Snowmen Ornaments – Recycle used bottle caps into charming ornaments for your Christmas tree.
- Christmas Paintbrush Ornaments – It’s easy to turn this functional item into a decorative ornament.
For another activity the kids will love, make sure to download these free Christmas printables (word search, word scramble and crossword).
Share this reindeer dust poem and recipe on X
Have you enjoyed learning how to make these reindeer food bags? Let your friends and family know about the recipe and reindeer food note by sharing this post:
Bring the magic of Christmas to your children with magic reindeer food bags. They will think that the crystals of sugar guide Santa's sleigh right to their house!🤶🎄🎅 Share on XPin these reindeer food bags for later
Would you like a reminder of this recipe for magic reindeer food and the free printable label? Just pin this image to one of your Christmas boards on Pinterest.
What fun traditions do you celebrate with your kids? Please let us know in the comments below.
Admin note: This post for magic reindeer food first appeared on the blog in December of 2014. I have updated the post to add a printable project card, more photos and a video for you to enjoy.
Magic Reindeer Food - DIY Project to Delight The Children
The kids will be delighted to make this magic reindeer food to leave outdoors as a treat for Santa's reindeer.
It is quick and easy to make and comes with a free printable reindeer food saying to attach to it.
Materials
- ¼ cup of oatmeal
- ¼ cup of sugar
- Red and green edible sugar crystals
- Small red organza bag
- Red ribbon
- Glossy photo paper
- Printable label (you can print out the label in the description area above)
Tools
- Bowl
- Scissors
- Printer
Instructions
- Mix the oatmeal and sugar in a small bowl.
- Stir in the red and green sugar crystals.
- Place in the small organza bag.
- Print out the reindeer dust poem and attach a red ribbon to it.
- Tie the ribbon with the poem to the bag of reindeer food.
- Place outdoors as a gift for Santa's reindeer.
- Make a couple of footprints for Santa and some for the reindeer after the kids go to sleep.
Notes
Print out the reindeer food saying below.
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