Christmas in July in Carbon County

ALBRIGHTSVILLE, CARBON COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Some folks spent their Saturday having some fun in the sun all while enjoying the Christmas spirit in July.

Seeing Santa in the heart of Summer is something you might not expect to see in the Poconos.

But at Spruce Ridge reindeer in Albrightsville. Owner Casandra Hoover believes the joy of Christmas should not stop after December.

She decided to bring Christmas to July.

“It is a one-of-a-kind thing. We had our first reindeer come to the farm in 2015. We travel a lot during the holiday season. This location here in the Poconos offers an opportunity for people to learn and experience, reindeer year-round,” said Hoover.

Hoover says caring for the reindeer is no easy task because this is not their native habitat. To ensure they are in the best health, she curates the ecosystem around them and makes sure it is parasite-free.

“Reindeer are an arctic animal and so we don’t find them down here in the lower 48 in the wild and it’s not because it’s most people think it’s because it’s too warm down here. It’s not that it’s too warm for the reindeer itself. They mind the heat like we do when I was in Alaska it was 78 degrees,” explained Hoover.

The reason for that being.

“It’s more so that they have an immune system for the Arctic and down here where it is warm enough for parasites that they don’t have an immune system to live. They wouldn’t survive out in the wild,” added Hoover.

A fun fact about reindeer.

“It’s right now we’re in our summer antlers. That’s why they’re all fuzzy the blood flow and nerves on the outside of that antler helping that antler grow and antlers can grow up to an inch a day,” stated Hoover.

Spruce Ridge reindeer hosts events in the Winter as well.

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