Santa Claus traditionally uses a sleigh to travel through the sky on Christmas Eve.
A sleigh is a vehicle mounted on runners rather than wheels, traditionally designed for movement over snow and ice. In Santa stories, the ordinary winter vehicle is transformed into a magical flying sleigh pulled by reindeer. This image is now central to Christmas cards, songs, films, and holiday decorations.
The flying sleigh appears in early popular descriptions of Santa and was reinforced by 19th-century American Christmas literature and illustration. The vehicle connects Santa’s snowy setting with his impossible overnight journey around the world.
Some modern adaptations replace or supplement the sleigh with airplanes, rockets, or other fantastical vehicles, but those are creative variations. The canonical traditional vehicle remains the reindeer-drawn sleigh. It is often shown carrying a sack of presents and landing on rooftops.