How One Family is Sharing the Magic of Christmas on Their Farm

Editor's Note: Republished from Dec. 23, 2022

“Rudolph the Red-nose Reindeer” is a song that captured kids’ hearts when it first topped the charts in 1949. It then became a television special hit 15 years later, and it’s still a Christmas-hit today.

Unlike the fictional characters in the movie and songs, reindeer at Prescott Family Reindeer Farm are actually real.

“We obviously have our real reindeer, Noel and Tinsel,” says Sara Prescott, owner of Prescott Family Reindeer Farm.

She says the fact reindeer do exist is one of the biggest misconceptions of reindeer today.

“We have people that come up all the time and say, okay, but what are these, and we tell them they are real reindeer,” she says.

Rooted in Family and a Desire to Spread Christmas Cheer

Prescott will tell you the story behind their reindeer farm is magical, but it all starts with family.

“Being on a family farm means a lot of different things,” she says. “To us, it means tradition, it means building something together as a family.”

That’s exactly what the Prescotts do each year as their farm of 240 acres in Vanzandt, Mo. is rooted in a deep desire to give everyone a full Christmas experience.

“They're very stout, hearty animals,” says Prescott “So, we wanted it not to just be a petting zoo, but we wanted you to be able to fall in love with our animals, just the way that we do.”

The Journey South 

It all started three years ago when the Prescotts moved to southern Missouri from central Illinois.

“While we were in central Illinois, we did a ton of educational opportunities for people to come out to the farm and share our story, visit with the animals,” she says. “And when we moved here, we wanted to expand on that.”

The Prescotts were well equipped for raising beef cattle. Afterall, that’s what their family had always done, but when they moved, they decided to venture into something new.

“We didn't want to impose on other businesses here in our local area. So we really tried to find a different niche market. And honestly, reindeer were perfect,” she says.

The Prescotts love their reindeer. That passion for raising reindeer was a gift during a visit to another farm in Illinois. 

“Our reindeer process actually started five years ago in Canton, Illinois when we visited our first reindeer farm, and that was the Snowman’s Reindeer Farm, and they are amazing people and they actually helped us to fall in love with reindeer just on our visit there.”

From Cattle to Reindeer

When the Prescotts moved to Missouri, Sara started researching how to raise reindeer, and she quickly discovered it was a natural fit for their family farm.

“We raise the reindeer very much like we raise the cattle,” she says. “I would say the biggest difference between cows and reindeer are the cattle don't love it when it's zero degrees. But the reindeer, that's their happiest time.”

Cattle and reindeer are both ruminant animals, but reindeer just prefer to eat different treats.

“Our reindeer actually are not on grass. Reindeer actually don't eat much grass,” she says. “Their main diet out in nature would be a lot more leaves and sticks, that kind of stuff that they're looking for.”

Her Pampered Pets 

Sara calls them her pampered pets, with big fans and pools to play in during the heat of the summer, but as you can imagine, it’s in the winter months that these reindeer really shine.

“We’re super excited that Santa and Mrs. Claus join us each weekend from the North Pole. They come down obviously to visit with the reindeer. We hope that Noel and Tinsel will make the flight team this year and be able to be flying around for Christmas Eve."

Magical Christmas Experience on the Farm 

With both Santa and Mrs. Claus on the farm, plus photo props and other fun activities around the farm, the Prescotts work each winter to bring others an enchanting experience.

“We also have crafts, a gift shop, you can write letters to Santa, hot cocoa, games; basically, all the things that you need to check off your Christmas tradition list,” she says.

This experience isn’t created overnight. The Prescotts and their three kids start decorating for Christmas in July, all in hopes of sharing their passion for raising reindeer and help others make memories in the most magical way.