December 17, 2025
I asked my son this question expecting a thoughtful pause. Maybe a practical answer. Moose. Polar bears. Something big and winter-appropriate.
Instead, without hesitation, he said, “Max.”
Yes. That Max.
The tiny, overworked, chronically underappreciated dog from The Grinch.
No follow-up. No explanation. Just Max.
There’s something deeply right about that answer. It’s loyal. It’s absurd. And it suggests that when the usual system breaks down, you don’t necessarily need a better solution, just one that shows up.
Of course, once my brain got involved, it spiraled. Moose make sense. Polar bears have the cold-weather credentials. Both would look impressive streaking across the night sky. But then I landed on what might be the most honest answer of all.
Eight pot-bellied pigs.
Not sleek pigs. Not majestic pigs. Just eight round, determined pigs trotting through the sky like they were promised snacks and intend to collect.
It’s funny because it’s ridiculous. But it’s also funny because it feels true.
We all have reindeer in our lives. The systems, habits, and assumptions that worked once and now don’t. The way things “have always been done.” When those stop working, we tend to complain. We curse the darkness. We long for the old version of things even when that version is clearly gone.
But Santa doesn’t get to cancel Christmas because reindeer are unavailable. He has to adapt. He has to look around and say, “Alright, what still works?”
That’s what this Question of the Day is really poking at.
When your original plan falls apart, what do you reach for next?
Do you cling to what used to work, or do you get a little creative? Do you wait for the perfect replacement, or do you hitch up eight metaphorical pigs and see if they’ll fly?
Kids answer questions like this better than adults because they don’t overthink them. They’re not worried about efficiency or tradition or whether the internet will approve. They just pick something that feels right.
Max feels right. So do pigs.
Both answers remind me that progress doesn’t always look impressive. Sometimes it looks funny. Sometimes it looks messy. Sometimes it looks like trying something new simply because standing still isn’t an option.
This Question of the Day isn’t asking you to solve Santa’s logistics problem. It’s asking you to notice where you might be stuck waiting for reindeer when something else could already be pulling you forward.
And if nothing else, it’s an excuse to picture Santa flying overhead behind eight very motivated pigs, which honestly feels like a gift in itself.
👉 Read the full blog post where I answer this Question of the Day and share the Thought of the Day
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💬 Your Turn
So… If Santa couldn’t use reindeer anymore, what should he use instead?
Share your answer in the comments or on social—your weird little truth might be someone else’s comfort zone.
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