Santa Claus is no-doubt very busy preparing to deliver presents all over the world as Christmas is just days away.
The North Pole is bound to be a hive of activity as Father Christmas gets ready to make his annual journey across the world to bring gifts to the world’s children.
It’s common practice for us to leave out a little sustenance for Santa on Christmas Eve as a thank-you for all his hard work during the festive season.
If you’re looking for tips on what to leave out for him, here’s a quick run-down of his favourite snacks
What to leave out for Santa Claus?
Many families have different festive favourites that they like to leave out for Father Christmas.
In the UK, some popular options are mince pies, brandy, a glass of milk, cookies, candy canes and even a carrot for Rudolph to munch on.
Across the pond in the US, popular cookie options are chocolate chip and gingerbread.
What does Santa do if you don’t have a chimney?
According to Dr George Knee, a theoretical physicist at the University of Warwick, a phenomenon called quantum tunnelling could explain not only how Santa fits down chimneys, but how he can leave presents under your tree if you don’t have a chimney to start with.
He said: ‘For Santa to achieve his annual mission, it need not be that he operates outside of the laws of physics – just that he operates outside of the laws of ‘classical’ physics.
‘Take the issue of getting through the chimney. It is well known that Old Saint Nick is perhaps a little too fond of the mince pies.
‘The narrow cross-section of a typical chimney therefore poses a bit of a challenge, because it is narrower than Santa’s belly. In classical physics the repulsive forces of the edges of the chimney would present a difficult situation.
‘But’, he added, ‘according to quantum physics, the atoms in Santa’s body have an uncertain position – a sort of fuzziness that can slosh around like a liquid. Although it sounds absurd, it is perfectly possible for the uncertainty of Santa’s body to flow directly through otherwise difficult gaps.
‘This means that, in theory, Quantum Santa could simply pop out into the fireplace. This also answers the modern day problem of how Father Christmas reaches you if you don’t have a chimney – he simply uses quantum tunnelling to slide under the door, or through the cat flap.’
So there you have it – Santa’s sloshy atoms allow him to phase in and out of your house whether you have a chimney or not.
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