For years, the gender ambiguity of Santa’s beloved reindeers has puzzled wildlife experts and message-board commentators everywhere.

Were the reindeers responsible for our holly, jolly Christmas year-in and year-out male or female?

No one knew for sure, and our favorite holiday classics, such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, offered little in the way of clarity.

Thankfully, the mystery has finally been solved—we hope—by a group of observant Texas A&M wildlife experts.

The Chicago Tribune reports:

The evidence? Antlers

"Santa's reindeer were really females, most likely," said Alice Blue-McLendon, a veterinary medicine professor specializing in deer who cites the depictions of Santa's helpers with antlers as the primary evidence. It turns out reindeer grow antlers regardless of gender, and most bulls typically shed their fuzzy protrusions before Christmas.

There you have it: Santa’s sled was fueled by girl power.

I can think of nothing more empowering to women than knowing that Christmas is made possible by a group of their own and not by an overweight fat man in a red suit.