For residents on one suburban street on Monday, it must have felt as though Christmas had come early.
As they glanced out of their windows, they were greeted with the sight of a startled reindeer clip-clopping down the pavement.
The animal was supposed to meet shoppers at a Tesco in Carlton, Nottingham.
But it fled after becoming startled by a car horn - and narrowly escaped being hit by a bus.
Fortunately it was rescued a short time later from a nearby garden.
Gemma Green, who saw the reindeer named Bjorn trot past her house, said: “I was putting Christmas cards up in the window and it came charging past with a group of people following behind. I thought I was seeing things.”
Witness Amanda Walker added: “It was an incredible sight. You get the odd squirrel around here, but never a reindeer.”
The festive event was run by The Animal Company.
A spokesman for the firm, which is based in Staffordshire, said: “We were coming down the ramp from the truck and he slipped the rope and managed to get away.
“They are flight animals by nature. We managed to find him safely in the garden and get him back into the truck.”
Daily Mail