Now dash away all to see Santa and his reindeer on Saturday.

In Clement Moore’s 1823 poem “The Night Before Christmas” Santa arrives in a miniature sleigh pulled by eight tiny, flying reindeer.

As we all know, Moore’s vision is pure fantasy, but one that has been cherished around Christmas time for years.

First of all, reindeer, also known as caribou, are not tiny at all. They weigh a couple hundred pounds and don’t normally get very far off the ground. In actually, reindeer did pull something called a “pulk,” sort of a toboggan, in the region of Lapland.

And both the males and females do have those huge, gorgeous antlers you see in pictures around this time of year.

But did you ever really see one up close? A real-live Dasher, Dancer, Prancer or Vixen?

You’ll be able to see the beautiful animals at the Breakfast with the Reindeer event in downtown Delafield on Highway C, Milwaukee Street, from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.  Bring the kids to meet Santa and his first-rate team of reindeer and linger to enjoy free hot cocoa, milk and donut holes. Be sure to bring some food items for the Kettle Moraine Food Pantry.

This Christmas Eve, when the kids hear the clatter of hooves on the rooftop, they will know exactly who’s up there.  Now, how exactly does Santa get down the chimney?