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Festive Brits will leave out more than £98 MILLION worth of snacks for Santa and his reindeer this Christmas Eve - including beers, crisps and avocados.
The average value of nibbles left out for Santa Claus and his reindeer is £1.58, meaning St Nick and Rudolph will scoff a small fortune's worth of treats, veggies and boozy beverages.
Festive folk in Birmingham are the most generous, gifting the Christmas crew treats worth an average of £2.06, while those in York are stingiest, shelling out just £1.02 for their services.
Santa and his reindeer are set to scoff 3,063 tonnes of carrots alone, left for them.
Unfortunately Rudolph won’t have much use for this haul, as reindeer only have a bottom row of teeth and, contrary to popular believe, are unable to eat carrots.
'Reindeer Whisperer' Phil Endsor, says; “For years, children around the world have been leaving carrots out for Santa’s reindeer believing it’s their favourite treat, but this is a huge misconception.
“Carrots aren’t part of their natural diet and reindeer struggle to digest carrots because they don’t have any incisor teeth on their upper jaw – we’ve never seen any of the reindeers we look after eat one.''
Oats, apples and even parsnips made it into the top 10 yuletide snacks likely to be brought back to the sleigh for Dasher, Dancer and the rest of Santa’s reindeer to munch on.
Though four in five Brits are staunchly traditional, leaving a juicy carrot out for Santa’s hard-working sleigh team.
More unconventionally, one in 10 think Rudolph would enjoy a saucer of beer to keep the chill of Christmas Eve at bay, and others think advent calendar chocolates are an appropriate reindeer treat.
Compared to the more unusual nibbles waiting for Rudolph, Santa has some more predictable snacks in store.
A mince pie and a glass of milk are most likely to greet Father Christmas on the side table next to the Christmas tree, chased with a nip of whisky, brandy or beer, the study conducted by OnePoll found.
* To give back to Santa’s hard-working fleet, Sainsbury’s Pet Nutrition Team worked closely with reindeer expert Phil Endsor to create a perfect blend of energising, reindeer friendly ingredients that will aid these magical creatures as they undertake their mammoth annual task.
The recipe includes rolled oats and dried fruits, with hints of cinnamon and maple syrup.
The blend even includes a sprinkle of chilli powder to ensure that Rudolph’s nose is strongly lit throughout the journey.
Matt Turner, Animal Nutrition Expert at Sainsbury’s, said: “We think our new blend of slow releasing energy ingredients and nourishing vegetables are perfect for Santa’s Reindeer, who are instrumental in ensuring the magic of Christmas is delivered to the ones we love this year.
“Be sure to keep them away from hungry pets – these are strictly Reindeer treats with special ingredients to help them fly!
“And not forgetting Santa Claus – of course we have the perfect treat for him with our melt in the mouth Taste the Difference All Butter Mince Pies.”
TOP 20 SNACKS FOR RUDOLPH AND HIS REINDEER:
1. Carrots
2. A bowl of water
3. Beer
4. Apple
5. Chocolate
6. Oats
7. Sweets
8. Parsnips
9. Crisps
10. Cheese
11. Oranges / Satsumas
12. Sprouts
13. Cabbage
14. Pet food
15. Advent calendar chocolates
16. Lettuce
17. Fizzy drinks
18. A slice of pizza
19. Tomatoes
20. Kale
TOP 20 SNACKS FOR SANTA
1. Mince pie
2. Milk
3. Cookies
4. Glass of whiskey
5. Glass of brandy
6. Beer
7. Chocolate
8. Wine
9. Cheese and crackers
10. A cup of tea / coffee
11. Juice / squash
12. Christmas pudding
13. Nuts
14. Coffee
15. Turkey
16. Guinness
17. Rice pudding
18. Falafel balls
19. Avocado on toast
20. Ham
ENDS
