Does Mrs Christmas help Father Christmas to see who is naughty or nice? With Neil Gaiman.

Hello and welcome to this week’s very special Christmas episode of Everything Under the Sun, a weekly podcast answering all the most pressing questions children around the world have about life on earth. This week we have four questions, from lots of children - the first is from Bea, she'd like to know if Mrs Christmas helps Father Christmas to work out who has been naughty and who has been nice? To answer her question we have the brilliant writer Neil Gaiman, author of Coraline, Stardust, Fortunately The Milk, picture books about Chu the sneezing panda and piles of other books, he's the one who knows what goes in in the Christmas home and how it wouldn't be Christmas without Mrs Christmas.

Our next questions are from Tommi, Rosie, Gigi, Lottie and Wren - they would like to know whether an astronaut has ever seen Father Christmas, how reindeers see in the dark, and why we have Christmas trees?!

Tune in to find out the first song ever sung in space, hear how astronauts on their way down to earth saw a man in a red suit flying through space being pulled by reindeers and how reindeers see in the dark.

We also have lots of lovely jokes sent into the show by children and a winner of tickets to ZSL London Zoo over the Christmas holidays. We hope you love the show!

And don't forget to thanks Mrs Christmas on Christmas morning if your stocking is full of presents.

This week's episode was made possible by Neil Gaiman, ZSL London Zoo, amazing children with great questions and jokes, Tyler Simmons Dale the editor, Ash Gardner from House of Strange who wrote the amazing theme song and Billy Colours who designed the logo and Rob Meyer the astronaut.

Merry Christmas! If you would like to send a question into the show have a look at the website www.everythingunderthesun.co.uk or just record yourself asking it on a grown ups phone and send it in to me at [email protected]

To see the jingle bells that were played in space the Smithsonian museum in Washington DC and the web link here: https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/tom-stafford’s-jingle-bells-and-wally-schirra’s-harmonica

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