Settle down for some festive magic as Mrs Claus reads you an exclusive bedtime story this Christmas Eve from Paignton Zoo

Read along:

Hello, boys and girls, welcome to storytime with Mrs Claus here at Paignton Zoo. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin.

Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in the hope that Father Christmas would soon be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds, with sugarplum thoughts in their heads. And mama in her kerchief, and I in my cap, had just settled down for a long winter nap.

When out on the lawn, there arose such a clatter. I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow, gave the lustre of midday to the objects below. When what to my wondering eyes should appear? But a miniature sleigh and 8 tiny reindeer!

With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be Saint Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, and he whistled and shouted, and called them by name:

“Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen! On Comet! On Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew, with the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof, the prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my head, and was turning around, down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot; A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, and he looked like a pedler just opening his pack.

His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, and the beard of his chin was as white as the snow; the stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath. He had a broad face and a little round belly, that shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly. He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, and I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread; He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, and filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk, and laying his finger aside of his nose, and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, and away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

But as I watched, I thought that might not be right. Why is it the reindeer that pull this sleigh this night?

Other animals could do it too. So I decided to come to here, Paignton Zoo.

I spoke first to the giraffe, so regal and tall. He said, “I’m sorry. I’m not interested at all.”

Then I went to the pygmy goat and said to him as I cleared my throat, “Oh, pygmy goat, would you like tonight to have Santa’s magic and make a flight, to deliver the presents to girls and boys, from books, and games, to bikes, and toys.

“Oh, yes,” he said, “what a treat. And I’m pretty nifty on my feet. I’ll pull the sleigh for the man in red who delivers to children who are tucked up in bed. It would be fun to fly up to the moon. Would you need more help? Should we ask the baboons?”

We walked through the zoo on that Christmas Eve night to ask the baboons to help. Well, they might.

And of course they said yes, it would be great fun! So they played rock, paper, scissors to see just which one would be able to represent their breed, and be at the front of the sleigh and lead.

That night we spoke to creatures large and small, from beasts that could walk, to those that could crawl, to help to pull the sleigh and show with Santa’s magic animals could go around the world in one enchanted night, regardless of their age, their build, or their height.

Santa had been watching from way up high, and agreed to let the animals fly with him to see if it could work, but he had a smile, or was it a smirk? As he harnessed them up to the sleigh, sprinkled magic and they were on their way.

“Go cheetah! Go goat! Go monkey and rhino! Go baboon, tortoise, lion and bongo!”

Oh my, what a sight you should have seen. As they flew across the countryside so green. They flew and they flew, but something was wrong. And they hadn’t been flying for all that long.

When the spider monkey, with his hair so brown, wanted to go and play in the town and monkey around, or so it would seem. He didn’t want to be part of this team. So off he went to the town below, and the sleigh carried on towards the snow.

Things were getting colder and some animals couldn’t cope like the baboon, the rhino and the antelope. “Oh dear,” thought Santa, this hasn’t worked. But he knew it wouldn’t, which is why he’d smirked. Let’s get back to Paignton Zoo and pick up the reindeers, all of whom knew they would need to be ready to work through the night to be honest, Santa thought that they might.

And as they landed here at Paignton Zoo, the animals were happy. They knew the reindeers were best for this task. They were smiling and they were very fast, I ran over to them with haste to find out the challenges that they had faced.

The rhino looked slightly tired and worn, and took off a red bauble off of his horn.

And the cheetahs, they smiled as they wiped their brow and said, “I’m off to bed. I’m exhausted. I vow I’d never move so fast.”

The tortoise said, “I wish I could now move that quickly to my bed.”

I smiled as the animals to the shelter they went, on this special night, the last of advent. “I’m sorry, Santa, I guess you know best, but thank you for letting me try out my test.”

“No, no,” Santa said as he walked to his sleigh, “You must always try. It’s the only way to achieve your dreams, you see. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to flee.” He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, and away he flew like the down of a thistle. And I heard him say, as he drove out of sight…

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Goodnight, boys and girls, and a very, very Merry Christmas from us all here at Paignton Zoo.

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