Life with Nat - EP183: FATHER CHRISTMAS

Episode Date: December 24, 2025

This is a relisten of Nat's chat with Father Christmas we did last year. Nat really can’t believe her luck as she sits down with Father Christmas. For you and your children to enjoy the magic and to believe. Have a wonderful Christmas everyone. X Follow Santa ⁠https://instagram.com/iamsantauk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello and welcome to a very, very special Christmas Eve on Life with Nat. I can't even believe I'm saying this, but I am joined over Zoom. with Father Christmas. Father Christmas, thank you so much for giving up your time. I know how busy you must be on Christmas Eve, Eve. Oh, you're very, very welcome, that. To be honest, I've been actually very excited about coming on, and I don't really understand all the Zoom technology or technology in general,

but it's a pleasure. It's a very great pleasure. I feel very honoured, and I know that all the children listening will be so excited to hear from you. And I think the first question we'd like to ask is how busy are you? You know, how do you feel the night before? You know, they're listening Christmas Eve and I'm talking to you the night before that you go off to deliver the presents throughout the night. How do you feel on this evening? Well, obviously it's been a very, very busy year for us all. The elves have done a fabulous job as usual. Every time I go out there in the morning,

They're all singing and dancing and have a fabulous time. So lots of them are painting different things and screwing things in. So they love their work, but it is very, very busy. And of course, I love Christmas Eve because that's when we get to deliver all the presents to the boys and girls. And I get excited as well. So it's lovely. It's very nice. I think a question that we all want to ask, and we see it in all of kind of the films that are made about you.

But getting around the world in a day must be pretty gruelling. I know from what I've read and seen it's to do with the magic and how fast you can travel, but it must be a very tiresome day. To me, it's, I mean, I must admit, I don't understand it fully myself, but it's coming up to Christmas Eve. And when you see almost like electricity in the air in the North Pole, and you just know that the Christmas magic is with us. And when I start to fly, that's when it really happens

because the reindeer start to run in the snow, and then they start to gradually lift off into the air, and that's when I know that the magic of Christmas is really with us again. And to me, when I'm actually delivering the presents, it doesn't feel quite so fast to me. But when I leave the North Pole, Mrs Claus is normally making supper for us and then when I get back

she's just about finished making supper so it's a strange there's a kind of a time different somewhere but I seem to manage it and it's all very very magical to do with Christmas Does Mrs Claus worry about you travelling on the sleigh at those sorts of speeds

throughout the night? I would imagine I mean if a family member of mine were doing the job that you do I would imagine it be quite worrying for her, but is she just used to it now? I think she's used to it, but I think any family member going doing something like this. I mean, I do, as you say, get up to some very, very fast speeds, and it could be dangerous, but I think I'm quite skilful now, and I think I've got the reindeer are very forgiving. They look after me, especially Rudolph leads the way, so keeps us out of any troubles and steers us around the storm.

So I think she knows that we're all in safe hands. So worries a little bit, but not overly. Something that a few people have said to me, some children, is around the world there are different supermarkets and grottoes, lots and lots of different places with different Father Christmas is in. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, because I really am a huge Christmas enthusiast and I truly believe. And what I have always said to my children is I would imagine a lot of

these people are your friends and they are involved in some way within the Christmas magic. Am I correct in saying so? That's right. I mean, I get a lot of helpers as well as the helps. I do have people that go out and will look like me and will probably say that I'll introduce themselves as Santa because I'm not able to get around to everybody. But believe me, each individual one does report back to me. So any important messages are getting through to me. And we are keeping an eye and all the boys and girls around the world. So that part of it is true. How have you found the boys and girls this year for the Christmas? Are you pleased with them, shall we say, on a percentage level of good or bad, naughty and nice? Are you pleased this year?

I am pleased, actually. I mean, most children have a little bit of, you know, they can be a little bit mischievous, shall we say. But I think that's in all of us. I mean, and sometimes I get up to a few little, tiny little things that maybe, you know, I shouldn't. But I think in general, we're all, you know, they've been pretty good. And I would say probably 99% of the children are all on the good list. And the others say that extra 1% are, they're within, they're within the nice list parameters. So I think given time, they're going to come back to the nice list. Oh, that's fantastic to hear.

because my daughter's been a bit of a pain Father Christmas but I'm sure the elves are you know they're here each night and they're moving around they were covered in flour last night making snow angels why are they so mischievous Father Christmas couldn't they have helped me clean

or do the dishwasher that sort of thing this is a difficult one because obviously I've got thousands of elves and they all like to have a little bit of fun they do like fun and I think the mischievous ones are the ones that I send out because I think sometimes the parameters or how they work in the actual work truck,

it's not quite working for them. So I send them out to the good boys and girls so that they can teach them how to be good. But unfortunately, sometimes when they get into the human world, they let loose a little bit and they do still continue their mischievous deeds and get a little bit cheeky, I think. I think cheek is a good word for the Christmas because, you know, It's not destructive, shall we say. It just takes a little while sometimes to sort of clean up.

But they always look very rosy-cheeked and smiling in the morning. You've obviously had a good evening, so I understand. Oh, I think it's cheeky more than naughty, so I would still keep them on the good list, put it that way. Do the elves enjoy Christmas Eve, or do they feel a little bereft when they leave their boys and girls? Because obviously they disappear Christmas Eve and we don't see them for a year. or are they happy to have the rest and start planning the year ahead? Well, actually, what happens is after I've been out to my visits and delivered all the presents and they come back with me generally,

and then on Christmas Day, after I've had a little bit of a sleep, the elves pretty much try and wake me up because they're all excited for their Christmas celebrations. So we all get together, and I think the sadness or, you know, the sadness, or the tinge of sadness that they find from leaving the human is made up a lot by coming into the Christmas celebrations we have in the workshop because we turn all the tables into dining tables. So the workshop becomes an absolutely huge dining room, basically.

And we all have fun and I think that takes all their minds of it. So they all look forward to that, I think. And is your Christmas dinner, Father Christmas, the same as what we have here traditionally in the UK? Okay, anyway. Do you like turkey, stuffing, pigs in blankets, that sort of thing? Do you have many vegan or vegetarian elves? Or are you one yourself? Personally, I do like the traditional roast. So Mrs Claus is a fabulous cook, I have to say, and I hope you listen to this, otherwise it'd be told off for saying any different. But there are a few vegan elves, so we accommodate that

where we can. And obviously, everyone has to be theirself. So if they don't agree with everything, then Mrs. Claus again does a lovely vegan roast dinner. So everyone's accommodated, but I do like a roast. Well, along with mince pies, she said. Well, of course. I mean, I was going to come to that. We all leave snacks out for you on the evening. Do you really get round all of them?

Or do you feed them to the reindeer or chuck them over the head? Surely you can't get through all the mince pies and the different whiskeys or milks that you have? Or is it the energy that you need for the magic of the, you know, the pastry? of it all? It really is the magic, I think, that takes up all the energy because, as I say to some children, I actually go into their houses with my tummy rumbling a little bit where I'm hungry. And I always say that flying, although it sounds very simple, it takes up a lot of energy. So I do get hungry very quickly and very thirsty as well. So all the snacks at the children in leaving out, believe me, they do go to Santa's Tommy, although Mrs Claus does tell

me off a little bit sometimes. She doesn't think I should eat all of them, so maybe we'll keep that one to ourselves. What she doesn't know doesn't hurt her. That'd be right between me and you then now, I think. And my listeners, I'm afraid, Father Christmas, so they may put it in their letter next year. Oh my goodness, yes. Well, don't stop putting the snacks out, will you, because they do help. And the carrots for the reindeer, they help. When I come out from the houses, it's Rudolph that's normally first to say, and he does say, so do, oh, there are any carrots for me? And he's the first one to have a little nibble on a carrot.

And that helps them as well. That helps them go faster and gives them the energy to keep going throughout the night. So very, very useful in the snacks for us both, I think. What's it like being the most famous, person in the world? Because you are? Well, I don't think of myself like that, really. I mean, I just think of as being a giving person, but I do know that everybody seems to know me in every country you go to. Some might call me under a slightly different name, but I think I'm very well known. And I think inside, it's a lovely feeling for me, so I do appreciate it very much. And I try and

take it in my stride, though. I don't try and get too overconfident. throughout the year what do you like to wear because there are lots of depictions there's a film that i grew up with called father christmas and it's by raymond briggs and it's a wonderful cartoon in which it shows the year that he has and he wears normal clothes but he gets recognized quite a lot around the country because he still has his beard and stuff i wondered if you kept your beard throughout the year or do you shave it all off and let it grow back throughout the year if you don't mind me asking so you don't get recognised, sort of what do you wear throughout the year? That's a good, very good question.

I do get asked a lot about this, but what normally happens is I do have a little trim, so I do trim my beard down a little bit. Not so much so that I'm not recognised, but it just, Mrs Claus doesn't really like it when it gets too long. She says it starts to look a little bit scruffly. And especially, I mean, when I'm on holiday, I do sort of wear a one piece, almost like a candy cane striped suit. So I do probably stick out a little bit, but I'm used to the attention. At home, probably again, I do like the colour red, it seems. Red pyjamas. If ever I go on holiday,

then as I say, I have a one-piece swimsuit as well, but obviously no hack, because that would get very, very soggy in the pool. And the reindeer are looked after by you all year round, or do you have kind of zookeepers, people to help you? Or are they, you? Or are they? yours all year round, do you and Mrs Claus look after them? Well, they do stay with us. We've got a little, I suppose, reindeer quarters attached to the work trops. So they're always part of our general day. And we have one elf that goes out and polishes Rudolph's nose every day,

and that is every day throughout the year, just to keep it nice and bright and shiny for Christmas Eve. But generally, I mean, they get a lot of exercise. We let them out. And they don't fly as much because it's all to do with the Christmas magic. So probably coming into December, that's when they get the flying ability. But the rest of the year, you would probably think they would just normal reindeer, except for Rudolph.

He still keeps his red nose. Has he got a permanent cold, or is it just a characteristic? Because I've always wondered about Rudolph and the red nose. It's not always a cold, is it, Father Christmas? No, it's not a cold at all. he's quite chirpy with it he loves his red noses as I say we do get it polished every day and he tends to wag his little towel because he loves having it polished and he likes to feel a little bit special but no it's just I don't really know to be honest it is true with the

song that I did find him and he in the early days he was a little bit bullied and wasn't allowed to join in the games but as we all know everybody's different and I always teach that you've got to accept everyone for who they are and join everybody in. And isn't it just wonderful that really the most famous reindeer of all is the most different? It's just worked out perfectly, hasn't it? Because as you say, there'll be children listening tonight that may feel a little different or, you know, have a little something that is a bit different to others.

And they could end up being as wonderful and famous as Rudolph. So that's amazing, isn't it? Definitely. I think anyone who feels a little bit different, it's hard in early life because, as I say, I found Rudolph and he's probably in his equivalent of teenage years or early teenage years, and he was struggling. I mean, he was struggling with the differences to knows, but what I said to Rudolph is you must embrace these things. Be proud to be different. Show your difference and don't hide it away, and definitely don't hide yourself away because you're a little bit different. And people,

they will like you for who you are. They should embrace you as well. And I know there are some people that poke fun a little bit or something like that, but eventually they come to learn that everybody is different. And yes, they could be right. As you say, they could grow up to be famous just because of their difference. Now, the Christmas lists, obviously you get millions of letters throughout the December period, November period. How has it changed for you over the years? Because obviously you, how old are you

now, sorry? I'm actually 734. Goodness me, you look well. Thank you. You imagine my birthday with all the candles. It gets very hot. Thank goodness for all the elves to help. We have to have Elf Fire Brigade standing on site and then I do, I have all the elves stand around my cake to give some puff because I definitely you haven't got enough enough for that. No. But how have the list changed over the years? Because obviously now with technology, I would imagine people are asking for a lot more. And I find it quite sad. It's nice to have the simple things sometimes, isn't it? And remember that obviously you have ever such a lot to make. So not everybody can have everything they have on their list. And you've got to be

grateful for what you do end up getting. I think sometimes the same, smaller things are the most enjoyable and the most cherished things. And I think probably in this day and age, as you say, technology has overtaken what seems to be everything, really. I mean, look at us now. As I say, I still don't understand Zoom calls, but my elves set it all up for me. So thank goodness for them. And they understand the technology. But as you say, technology seems to be taking over and so I'm getting more game machines and I don't know fancy cameras and Stuff like that phone is on the mind. Sometimes I think it's a little bit sad because technology is taking over.

But as I say, I think the simplistic things, sometimes a little teddy bear brings the most comfort or just a little tired that the child can take to bed at night or keep with them throughout the day. And I think secretly they're the things that are a little bit of comfort and the joys of giving. I absolutely agree with you. my little girl asked you for a couple of little things but one thing that I loved that she wrote on her list was I would like an extremely happy Christmas day with all of my family that's love I remember seeing that that made me smile so definitely on the nice list I think as well as the technology coming into the list there I have found this year going back to your question earlier that a lot of young children are asking for happiness and family time and just being with people they love. So it's nice to see some of that coming back and that thought process is still evolving as we go along,

even though the listeners who say are getting bigger. Well, life has changed within the 700 years that you've been around. I think children more than anything want to spend time with their moms, their dads, grandparents, aunties uncles, friends, whoever it is that they are close to, I think time is very important because life now is so quick and we're all rushing around so much that Christmas isn't just about yourself, if you don't mind me saying, you're very, very important. But Christmas is about shutting down, leaving work. for the adults and having real special time with your children, family members, best friends,

and really switching off from the outside world. And, you know, that dark time, those 12 days of Christmas, you know, it's about the winter and kind of bedding in and candlelight and nice food and company. And I really hope that, you know, we can really think about that this year and enjoy those aspects of it as well. It's very, very true. And I love to bring that into conversations. And I think as much as the lists have got bigger and the presents have got so much different with the technology, I don't think you can ever replace love and friendship. I think love and friendship is something precious that you can keep. And I think we should all think about that at Christmas. And it is

time, as you say, to spend together with the people you love and care about. And just have have a rethink and a re-boost and look forward to the year ahead together. Well, Father Christmas, I really can't thank you enough. I know how busy you are. One of your elves sent me a time slot, and I know you've got a lot of people to talk to. I hope that you have a wonderful day tomorrow. Thank you. Thank you.

I really hope you have a fantastic safe trip, and maybe we can speak again another time, but you really are so special. I know to all my listeners, especially all the boys and girls and everybody, all the people listening, I know they'd want to thank you for all the joy you bring. And I know that everybody's extremely excited

to wake up tomorrow morning and see what you've left them. But thank you so, so much. You're very welcome. And when my else told me that you'd been in contact, a lot of them were very, very, excited. I think they listened to the podcast as well. So they were very excited and I think they'll be sitting in the workshop probably watching and listening. So thank you so much for the

invite and I just want to wish everybody a very, very Merry Christmas. Spend time with those you love and for the children go to sleep nice and early because I can't let Vice Lay if you're awake. So try and go to sleep. Okay. And I'll see you very soon. You know,