PHOTO BY LOIS HOFFMAN, Farm and Ranch Living Magazine
You know all of Santa’s reindeer. Now meet Holly and her two offspring, Snowflake and Blizzard, who live on a farm just outside Centreville, Michigan. They may not be world-famous like Donner and Blitzen, but they’re quite the local celebrities.
Holly belongs to Larry and Vicki Brueck, their son Josh and his wife, Carrie. “We got Holly eight years ago when she was one month old,” says Josh, a park ranger with St. Joseph County. “A woman in Kalamazoo had some, and Holly nuzzled up to us right away. We knew she was the one.”
They bought a male at the same time, but he died. “So we got another male, tried to do everything right and successfully bred Holly,” Larry says. “We feel real lucky to have Snowflake and Blizzard.”
The Brueck family reindeer earn their keep entertaining kids of all ages in the six weeks leading up to Christmas. “People love to come and see a real live reindeer,” Josh says. “And since there are only seven or eight reindeer farms in Michigan, it’s not something you see too often.” These funny family Christmas photos will get you in the yuletide spirit, even in July.
PHOTO BY LOIS HOFFMAN, Farm and Ranch Living Magazine
“Dealing with all the licenses and fees is the worst part,” Josh says. The Bruecks have decided to take their time and master the basics before they increase the herd.
In the meantime, Carrie says, the reindeer make great pets: “Their natural disposition is to go with the flow, and they are very fast learners. We’ve had them pull a pony cart on the farm, and they acclimate easily to being saddled. Our kids, Juli and Corban, love playing with them.”
Judging by the smile on Corban’s face as he pets Holly, the reindeer make it seem like Christmas every day of the year.
