# Flying reindear? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 18, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607 "2011-12-18T02:51:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mewl\_Dear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mewl\_Dear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mewl_Dear)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607/1 "2011-12-18T02:51:03Z")
What allows then to fly? ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607/2 "2011-12-18T04:09:01Z")
Fairy dust? Children’s wishes? ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607/3 "2011-12-18T04:35:43Z")
Caribou farts are actually 90% helium, which is why the government isn’t too concerned about selling off its helium stockpile. All you have to do if find about eight of them that are too uptight to let one go in mixed company, and they’ll eventually float. Propulsion is another matter, of course, but even the most polite reindeer can’t hold it in forever. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607/4 "2011-12-18T05:01:18Z")
Magic, of course. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607/5 "2011-12-18T06:02:25Z")
Reindeer can fly because they eat magic feed corn, developed by the Winter Warlock. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607/6 "2011-12-18T09:57:32Z")
Cheech explained it: Yeah, magic dust, y’know? He used ta give a little bit to da reindeer, a Little bit to Santa Claus, a little bit more for Santa Claus, a little Bit more… ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607/7 "2011-12-18T11:39:17Z")
The sleigh flies. The reindeer are just steering. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607/8 "2011-12-18T11:47:29Z")
It’s no more implausible than getting eight reindeer to all pull a sleigh in the same direction. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607/9 "2011-12-18T15:11:25Z")
Anti-gravity antlers. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607/10 "2011-12-19T05:24:43Z")
A trebuchet. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607/11 "2011-12-19T05:50:49Z")
Red Knows… ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607/12 "2011-12-19T06:35:15Z")
A wizard did it. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607/13 "2011-12-19T08:31:20Z")
Don’t you guys watch the Christmas specials every year? Santa gave them magic corn from the Winter Warlock… ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607/14 "2011-12-19T08:46:37Z")
If the reindeer fly, what prevents the sleigh from just falling and hanging down loosely, dumping all the cargo upon liftoff? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607/15 "2011-12-19T12:49:54Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > If the reindeer fly, what prevents the sleigh from just falling and hanging down loosely, dumping all the cargo upon liftoff? The top finish of the sled is made of cavorite, mixed with upsydasium and garnished with unobtanium. But Santa doesn’t approve of the commercial exploitation of Pandora. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607/16 "2011-12-19T13:49:45Z")
Why, their diet of course. They’re fed on unicorn ([canned](http://www.amazon.com/ThinkGeek-Canned-Unicorn-Meat/dp/B004CRYE2C), perforce; due to being at the North Pole it’s awfully hard to get it fresh). ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607/17 "2011-12-20T07:54:34Z")
> [@Mewl\_Dear](#): > > What allows then to fly? The FAA Declan ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607/18 "2011-12-20T14:26:01Z")
> [@Mewl\_Dear](#): > > What allows then to fly? The TSA. (…but I wouldn’t wish the screening scope they use on Anyone.) ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607/19 "2011-12-20T17:29:08Z")
Why, yes, it is, darling. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607/20 "2011-12-20T17:31:56Z")
> [@Mewl\_Dear](#): > > What allows then to fly? The NRA. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-reindear/606607.md?page=2)