By Nicole Daughhetee
Courier Staff

Most of us leave cookies and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve. In our house, we also leave celery for the reindeer. Last year the girls were each given a bag of Magic Reindeer food.

Making it with your children can be a fun holiday tradition. In addition, it can also be put into bags and ornamented with a cute tag and explanation. Magic Reindeer Food makes a great gift for school parties or last-minute gift ideas for little ones.

The recipe is both simple and inexpensive. Some people add glitter to the recipe; however, if you are going to sprinkle it on the lawn with your children, the glitter might be unsafe for animals like squirrels, rabbits or birds to ingest.

Mix 1/4 cup oatmeal and 1/4 cup of sugar. In lieu of glitter add red or green sugar crystals — the type you would use for baking. Depending on how fancy you wish to get or how much money you want to invest, you could add any kind of glittery edible confection used for cookie or cupcake decorating. Again, if you want to be creative, you might add cheerios or seeds that other animals might enjoy.

Once you have the Magic Reindeer Food all mixed up and ready to go, here is the poem that accompanies it:
Sprinkle on the lawn at night
The moon will make it sparkle bright
As Santa’s reindeer fly and roam
This will guide them to your home.

Use this poem as a tag if you are giving the Magic Reindeer Food as a gift, or read it with your children as you sprinkle it on your lawn this Christmas Eve.