John Dzen, the owner of Dzen Christmas Tree Farm, has had reindeer on his property for almost eight years. The four reindeer are named Tuca, Belle, Rudy, and Dash. Tuca and Belle are the parents. Tuca is the Dad and Belle is the Mom. Tuca is the oldest on the farm, at 8 years old, and Belle is just one year younger at 7. Both were adopted from different breeders.

“We bought the parents and brought them in, from the North Pole, I mean where else would you get reindeer?” said Dzen.

The ‘North Pole’ was actually breeders in Minnesota and New York, who breed and raise baby reindeer until they are old enough to be shipped out and bought by others.

Rudy, 2 and a half years old, and Dash, 1 and a half years old, are brothers born on the farm. They live in the lower living facility, a larger enclosure where they spend most of their year. Born and raised in South Windsor Connecticut, they have lived their whole lives on the farm with their parents.

Out of all the Christmas tree farms in Connecticut, Dzen is the only home to permanent reindeer residents.

“There are an awful lot of Christmas tree farms in Connecticut,” Dzen explained. “There are over a couple hundred members of the Christmas Tree Growers Association, so lots of the bigger farms are members of some of the smaller farms, so there are at least 200 farms. We are the only farm that owns reindeer. It’s a big attraction. Our customers want value, but they also want to be entertained and educated.”

This unique experience is something that brings families together from all over Connecticut during their visits. The attraction has brought in an exponential amount of business growth and has even allowed the Hallmark Media movie company to record a movie there. “Romance at Reindeer Lodge,” filmed several years ago, shot parts of the film in the lower reindeer enclosure at the farm, and was released in 2017.

“People don’t believe reindeer are real,” said Dzen, which adds to the magic of the experience at Dzen Tree Farm.

Apart from the magical sightings, owning these reindeer is an educational and entertaining experience. Reindeer have two coats of hair, similar to certain dog breeds. The winter coat, which is air-filled so the cold can’t hit their skin and the heat can’t escape, starts to grow in late December. Their fur functions similarly to how a down winter jacket keeps us humans warm. This winter coat also gives them that large fluffy look visitors enjoy seeing when visiting the reindeer.

Another protective feature reindeer have is extra blood vessels in the nose. When breathing in cold air, they mustn’t inhale air of an extremely low temperature, or it will cause damage to their lungs. To prevent this, the extra blood vessels in their nose warm the air to a breathable temperature for them, allowing their lungs to be protected from the elements. This feature is also what makes the story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer somewhat true: If someone holds a thermal camera up to a reindeer’s noses, they would glow red, just like Rudolph’s did on Christmas Eve.

Along with the protective features the reindeer have are the antlers.

“The only [deer species] where both the boys and girls shed their antlers are reindeer. Boys usually lose their antlers close to Christmas, or shortly after Christmas. The girls maintain antlers longer, and that’s to protect themselves from the boys until the babies are born. Usually, babies are born in late March or early April,” explained Dzen.

Antlers determine the health and happiness levels of a reindeer. The larger and more detailed the antlers look, the happier and healthier a reindeer is. They grow the antlers with a velvet-like coat surrounding them, and as the antlers grow to full capacity, the velvet is rubbed off by the reindeer, or in this case picked off by Dzen to help the process quicken.

Along with Dzen taking care of the reindeer day and night, whether it is helping them shed, feeding, or providing medical care for them, he has to keep his license and facilities up to code to keep the reindeer on the farm.

“Reindeer are federally protected animals. I have a United States Department of Agriculture District Class C exhibitor license, so I have the same license as the guy who owns the Bronx Zoo,” Dzen said.

To obtain this type of license Dzen went through a series of qualification tests and inspections regularly, along with paying a fee.

Despite the tremendous expense, headaches, care, and upkeep that comes along with owning Reindeer, Dzen said he would not change it for the world.

While there are definitely headaches, Dzen thinks it’s all worth it if he can make even one kid smile, and laugh, and for the family to enjoy the visit. That is the true magic that the farm brings to its customers. Even with the holiday season over, the reindeer visits and farm experiences are something to look forward to every year.

This story was originally published on The Bobcat Prowl on January 4, 2024.