Is Your Town on Santa’s Reindeer Route? Add It Free This Christmas

A new holiday tradition from our family to yours. Put your town on Santa’s map, watch Mrs. Claus introduce the real reindeer, and count down to Christmas Eve together.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• What it is: The Reindeer Route is a free Christmas activity for kids from Austin Air. Add your town to Santa’s map and watch it join the route Santa’s reindeer plan to fly on Christmas Eve.¹

• How long it takes: About 30 seconds. A parent enters a city, state, ZIP, and email at reindeerroute.com.

• What you get: A glowing pin for your town, plus an email each time Mrs. Claus unlocks a new reindeer video.²

• Free printables: A Clean Air Christmas coloring book, a “Snacks for Santa’s Reindeer” recipe book, and an Official Reindeer Landing Zone certificate.

• A chance to win: Every family that adds its town by December 13 is entered into a drawing for an Austin Air HealthMate air purifier, shipped in time for Christmas.³

• What it costs: Nothing. No purchase, no catch. Just a little Christmas magic from a family company in Buffalo, NY.

Remember listening for sleigh bells?

You probably remember it too. Pajamas on, cookies on the plate, nose pressed to a frosty window, sure that every faraway jingle was a sleigh coming in low over the rooftops.

That feeling is older than any of us. Santa’s reindeer first flew in print on December 23, 1823, when a small New York newspaper, the Troy Sentinel, published “A Visit from St. Nicholas” without the author’s name.⁴ Two hundred years later, kids are still calling out Dasher and Dancer by name.

We wanted to bottle a little of that wonder this year. So we asked Mrs. Claus for help.

What is the Reindeer Route?

The Reindeer Route is Santa’s Christmas Eve flight plan, and every family can help draw it. When you add your town, a pin lights up on a map of the United States. Every pin is a family waiting for Santa, and you can tap or hover over any pin to see how many families in that town are on the route.⁵

Kids love finding their own pin. Then they start hunting for Grandma’s town, their cousins’ town, and the town where their best friend moved last summer. (Fair warning: this is how it ends up in the family group text.)

How to add your town in 30 seconds

1. Go to reindeerroute.com.

2. Enter your city, state, and ZIP code, plus a parent’s email address.

3. Click “Add My Town.” Your pin appears on the map, and Santa’s reindeer will be flying your way on Christmas Eve.⁶

4. Tap “Share With Family.” Send it to the grandparents so their town gets a pin too.

Meet the stars: Mrs. Claus’s Reindeer Report

Signing up also unlocks a short video series hosted by Mrs. Claus herself. We filmed it this fall with real reindeer at Apthorp Farms, a reindeer farm in Pennsylvania, so kids get a behind-the-scenes look at Santa’s team: what they eat, where they sleep, and how they get ready for the big night. New episodes unlock through December, and we’ll email you each time one goes live.⁷

Free printables: coloring pages and a reindeer recipe book

The fun doesn’t stop at the screen. Along with the map, families can download three free printables at reindeerroute.com. Print them for a snowy afternoon, a long car ride, or a quiet half hour before bed on Christmas Eve.

The Clean Air Christmas coloring book

It opens with a letter from Santa inviting kids to become “Clean Air Detectives.” On every page, they look for the things in the picture that could make the air harder to breathe. The North Pole scenes look a lot like home this time of year: baking cookies, a fire in the fireplace, cleaning day, caring for a pet, and crafts with paint and glue.

A note for parents lists common indoor sources such as dust, pet dander, fireplace smoke, and cooking fumes, along with a few easy ways to talk with kids about small changes your family can make.

“Snacks for Santa’s Reindeer” recipe book

Cookies for Santa are covered. But what about the team doing all the flying? This little booklet is packed with Christmas Eve snack ideas to leave out for the reindeer, perfect for little helpers in the kitchen.

The Official Reindeer Landing Zone certificate

Print it, sign it, and hang it in the window so the reindeer know exactly where to land.

Why we made a clean air coloring book

The weeks before Christmas mean more time together indoors, and for many families that includes a child with asthma. The CDC estimates that about 4.8 million children in the United States, or 6.7%, had asthma in 2023.⁸ The EPA notes that “indoor allergens and irritants play a significant role in triggering asthma attacks,” and lists triggers such as secondhand smoke, dust mites, mold, pests, pets, nitrogen dioxide, chemical irritants, and wood smoke.⁹

“We wanted to give parents something that builds holiday excitement and also opens an easy conversation with kids, especially kids with asthma, about what might be in the air at home,” said Stacy Malesiewski, Marketing Director at Austin Air Systems. “For a young child, a coloring page can be a more comfortable place to start than a list of triggers.”

If you have questions about your child’s asthma, including possible triggers in your home, talk with your child’s health care provider.

Win an Austin Air purifier for Christmas

Here’s one more reason to add your town. Every family on the Reindeer Route is entered into a drawing for one Austin Air HealthMate air purifier, shipped free in time for Christmas.¹⁰

• Enter by: 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 13, 2026.

• Winner drawn: Monday, December 14, 2026.

• Who can enter: Adults 18 and older in the contiguous U.S. and Washington, D.C.

• No purchase necessary. Buying something does not improve your chances of winning.¹¹

See the official giveaway rules for full details.

6 reindeer fun facts for the dinner table

Want to keep the reindeer conversation going with your kids? Here are a few true facts for the family dinner table.

1. Santa’s team is probably all girls

Male reindeer shed their antlers in late autumn, after mating season. Females keep theirs until spring. Since Rudolph and friends always have their antlers on Christmas Eve, some scientists argue the whole team is female.¹²

2. Reindeer and caribou are the same animal

They share one scientific name, Rangifer tarandus. “Caribou” is the North American name and “reindeer” is the Eurasian one. Reindeer can be domesticated; caribou are wild.¹³

3. They have super noses

A reindeer’s nose is shaped a bit like a seashell inside. Researchers in Norway measured air going in at −40°C and reaching the lungs at about 38°C, a 70- to 80-degree change in under a second.¹⁴ (Reindeer have super noses. The rest of us get a little help.)

4. Science explained Rudolph’s red nose

In a lighthearted 2012 study in the BMJ, researchers found reindeer noses have about 25% more blood vessels than human noses, which helps keep them warm in extreme cold. Their conclusion: that’s why Rudolph’s nose glows red.¹⁵

5. Their eyes turn blue in winter

A layer at the back of a reindeer’s eye is golden in summer and turns deep blue in the long Arctic winter, which helps them see in dim light.¹⁶

6. Donner used to be “Dunder”

In the 1823 poem, the last two reindeer were named “Dunder and Blixem.”¹⁷ The names come from a Dutch exclamation meaning thunder and lightning. Later printings changed the spellings, and modern publishers settled on “Donner and Blitzen.”¹⁸ And Rudolph? He joined the team in 1939, in a booklet a Montgomery Ward copywriter wrote for the store to give to shoppers. The store handed out 2.4 million copies that first year.¹⁹

Why is a Buffalo air purifier company helping Santa?

Fair question. We’re Austin Air, a family-owned company that has been building air purifiers by hand in Buffalo, NY, since 1990.²⁰ We know a thing or two about snowy Christmases, and about families.

For more than 35 years, families have trusted us with the air in their homes, their nurseries, and their kids’ bedrooms. The Reindeer Route is our way of saying thank you. It joins our other free clean air resources for families, including the Mold Toolkit and our Parent-Teacher Toolkit.

A quick note for the grown-ups

• We keep it simple. The sign-up asks only for a city, state, ZIP code, and a parent’s email. We don’t ask for names.

• The map is town-level only. Pins sit at the center of each town, never at a home address, and no names appear on the map.

• You’re in control. You can unsubscribe from Reindeer Route emails anytime.²¹

• If you’re shopping for clean air this season, our once-a-year Breathe Better Blitz runs four days, from Black Friday, November 27, through Cyber Monday, November 30, and Reindeer Route families will be among the first to hear about it.

Make it a family tradition

A few ways families can make the Reindeer Route part of the season:

• Make Monday night Reindeer Report night. Popcorn, blankets, and a new episode.

• Pin the whole family tree. Share the link with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, and watch the map light up.

• Plan a coloring and baking afternoon. Print the coloring book, pick a recipe from “Snacks for Santa’s Reindeer,” and make it together.

• Check the map on Christmas Eve. Find your pin one last time before bed, then listen for clicking hooves.

• Teachers, bring it to class. Add your school’s town, print the coloring pages, and watch an episode together. Our free Parent-Teacher Toolkit has more classroom ideas for clean air.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Reindeer Route?

The Reindeer Route is a free Christmas activity for kids from Austin Air. Families add their city and state to Santa’s map at reindeerroute.com, and their town appears on the route Santa’s reindeer plan to fly on Christmas Eve.²²

Is the Reindeer Route free?

Yes. There is no cost and no purchase required.

Are there free Christmas coloring pages for kids?

Yes. The Reindeer Route includes a free, printable Clean Air Christmas coloring book that turns kids into “Clean Air Detectives,” plus a “Snacks for Santa’s Reindeer” recipe book and an Official Reindeer Landing Zone certificate. All three are at reindeerroute.com.

How do I enter the Reindeer Route giveaway?

Add your town at reindeerroute.com by 11:59 p.m. ET on December 13, 2026. Every family that signs up is entered into a drawing for an Austin Air HealthMate air purifier. No purchase is necessary; see the official rules for eligibility.²³

When do the Reindeer Report episodes come out?

Episode 1 premieres Monday, November 16. New episodes post every Monday until Christmas (except November 30), with a final episode on Christmas Eve. Families on the route get an email each time a new one unlocks.

What are the names of Santa’s reindeer?

The classic eight are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen, from the 1823 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” where the last two were first spelled Dunder and Blixem. Rudolph joined in 1939.²⁴

Do female reindeer have antlers?

Yes. Both male and female reindeer grow antlers. Males shed theirs in late autumn, while females keep theirs until spring.²⁵

Why is Rudolph’s nose red?

A 2012 study in the BMJ found reindeer noses are packed with about 25% more blood vessels than human noses, which helps warm the nose in extreme cold and gives it a red glow.²⁶

See you on the route

From our family in Buffalo to yours: Merry Christmas. Grab the kids, add your town at reindeerroute.com, print your coloring pages, and we’ll see you on Christmas Eve.

That’s the Impact of Austin.

References

¹–², ⁵–⁷, ²¹–²². Austin Air Systems. "Reindeer Route: Add Your Town to Santa's Route." https://reindeerroute.com

³, ¹⁰–¹¹, ²³. Austin Air Systems. "Reindeer Route HealthMate Giveaway: Official Rules." https://austinairsystems.com/pages/reindeer-route-giveaway-official-rules

⁴, ¹⁷, ²⁴. "A Visit from St. Nicholas." Troy Sentinel, December 23, 1823. Text via Wikisource. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Visit_from_St._Nicholas

⁸. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Most Recent National Asthma Data" (2023 National Health Interview Survey; last updated October 6, 2026). https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/most_recent_national_asthma_data.htm

⁹. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Asthma Triggers: Gain Control." https://www.epa.gov/asthma/asthma-triggers-gain-control

¹², ²⁵. BBC Wildlife (Discover Wildlife). "Why do female reindeer grow antlers?" https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/why-do-female-reindeer-grow-antlers/

¹³. National Park Service. "Reindeer vs. Caribou." Updated September 29, 2023. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/reinderrvscaribou.htm

¹⁴. SINTEF. "The magical reindeer nose" (research by NTNU, SINTEF Energy Research, and UiT The Arctic University of Norway). https://www.sintef.no/en/latest-news/2016/the-magical-reindeer-nose/

¹⁵, ²⁶. Ince C, van Kuijen A-M, Milstein DMJ, et al. "Why Rudolph’s nose is red: observational study." BMJ. 2012;345. doi:10.1136/bmj.e8311. Summary: ScienceDaily, December 18, 2012. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121217190634.htm

¹⁶. Milius S. "Reindeer eyes change color in winter darkness." Science News, October 30, 2013 (reporting Stokkan K-A, et al., Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 2013). https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/wild-things/reindeer-eyes-change-color-winter-darkness

¹⁸, ²⁴. Snopes. "Donner or Donder?" https://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/donner.asp

¹⁹, ²⁴. Smithsonian Institution. "Montgomery Ward Department Store “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” Book, 1939." https://www.si.edu/collections/snapshot/rudolph-red-nosed-reindeer

²⁰. Austin Air Systems. "HealthMate Plus Junior" (Handcrafted in Buffalo, NY, since 1990). https://austinairsystems.com/products/healthmate-plus-junior

Last updated 13 November, 2026