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Reindeer in Training in Columbia County

MADISON TOWNSHIP, Pa — With Christmas now two weeks away, some of Santa’s most famous helpers are preparing for the big night, and they are doing so...

MADISON TOWNSHIP, Pa -- With Christmas now two weeks away, some of Santa's most famous helpers are preparing for the big night, and they are doing so right here in Pennsylvania.

Santa's four-legged helpers spend all year preparing and training for Christmas Eve at Spruce Run Farm near Bloomsburg.

"We practice our takeoffs and our landings here, and we also practice our clicking. The reindeer are not to fly without Santa," Cassandra Hoover explained. Cassandra and her husband, David, own the farm in Columbia County.

The Hoovers say the reindeer love to live in Pennsylvania, and they especially loved that snow storm back in November.

"They love the snow, even when a couple of flakes fall down they start running around our pasture out there, practicing takeoffs and landings. Catching the snow, they're really fun to watch," David Hoover said.

The reindeer also love to pose for family Christmas card photos, and travel all around Pennsylvania to meet their biggest fans.

"I'm not sure if the little children or the big children are more fun when they find out reindeer are real, and the magic that they are," said Cassandra.

Appearances with the reindeer are not just for entertainment. The Hoovers say they try to make them educational, too.

"The reindeer are a very quiet majestic animal. They draw you in. They have that little bit of mystique about them that really intrigues people," Cassandra said.

The reindeer have a few more appearances here in Pennsylvania before they head to the North Pole on Christmas Eve in less than two weeks.

"We get them to Santa. Santa gives them the seal of approval if they're ready to go. Then off they go," David explained.

Then after Christmas, the Hoover family reindeer will return home to Pennsylvania to start preparing for next year.

For more information where the Hoover family reindeer will be, or for their availability, click here. 

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