There’s always a lot happening at the Houston Museum of Natural Science – especially during the holiday season. We’ve put together 12 ideas for fabulous family fun for you, which we’re sharing here every day until Christmas Eve. You can also check them all out now at the spiffy new 12 Days of HMNS web site.

The Third Day of HMNS has passed – but you can still meet our reindeer friend Prancer in the video below, and learn about his species in the fabulous facts under the video - as well as help us count down the 357 days until next years’ Snow Flurry!

Santa’s Reindeer Facts:

The name “reindeer” comes from a word meaning “snow-shoveler,” referring to their habit of pawing through the snow for food.

Santa’s reindeer are all female – male reindeer lose their horns every year.

Reindeer love snow so much they prefer to eat it than drink water.

You could also call them “Santa’s Caribou” – reindeer and caribou are the same species.

The impressive antlers sported by reindeer can grow up to an inch per day – making them the fastest growing tissue in the animal kingdom.

Santa got the idea for sleigh-pulling reindeer from the nomadic Saami people of northern Scandinavia – they’ve been using reindeer to pull sleighs there for over 5,000 years. 

Santa’s Reindeer are well-suited for their life at the North Pole – their sense of smell is so good that they can detect food buried three feet under the snow, and their fur is so thick that they can withstand temperatures 80 degrees below zero.

Learn more about The First Day of HMNS - the debut of The Birth of Christianity: A Jewish Story, a new special exhibition and The Second Day of HMNS – a great place to buy fun holiday gifts. And, check back daily – we’ve got 9 more days coming up, with great ideas for family fun this holiday season. You can also check them all out now, at our spiffy new 12 Days of HMNS web site – or watch them roll out here until Christmas Eve.