A little boy wanted to know if Santa would deliver gifts this Christmas, so he asked PM Johnson

November may not be over yet, but after the terrible year we have all had, there is pretty much only one thing on all of our minds: Christmas. While we may not be able to celebrate it as we usually do, the joy and spirit of the holiday season is definitely something to look forward to, no matter what shape or form it may arrive in this year. However, our children may have some concerns about this "different" celebration, namely, will Santa Claus be coming to our home this Christmas? Monti, a worried eight-year-old in the United Kingdom, decided to pose his question to none other than Prime Minister Boris Johnson. And he received a reply!

The young boy sent a handwritten letter to the Prime Minister, BBC News reports. "I was wondering if you and the government had thought about Santa coming this Christmas," he wrote. "If we leave hand sanitizer by the cookies, can he come? Or will he wash his hands?" After asking these very pertinent questions, Monti acknowledged that Johnson was indeed a "very busy" man. He did ask, nonetheless, "Can you and the scientists please talk about this?" The UK has just gone into a second lockdown following the second wave of cases. Therefore, it appears that Monti's questions had come just in time.

As it turns out, Prime Minister Johnson did in fact speak to the scientists. Despite his busy schedule, he sent a letter in response to the eight-year-old. He stated, "The Chief Medical Officer has asked me to tell you that, provided Father Christmas behaves in his usual responsible way and works quickly and safely, there are no risks to your health or his." Johnson told Monti leaving hand sanitizer by the cookies under the tree was a great idea, in addition to washing his own hands. Both these things, he said, would get someone on the "nice list" this Christmas.

The Prime Minister shared the exchange in a tweet earlier this week. He posted, "I've had lots of letters about this, so I have spoken with experts and can assure you that Father Christmas will be packing his sleigh and delivering presents this Christmas!" Well, that probably comes as a relief to most children, especially those who have been trying to stay on the nice list this year while managing virtual classes. Parents, however, may be less than excited to learn that they will still have to get their kids some presents and sneak them under the tree somehow!

The UK has been one of the worst-hit countries so far. The government recently shared that they recorded another 18,213 cases. In addition to this, 696 people had died within 28 days of a positive test, a more worrisome data point. The number of deaths is also the highest since the start of May, and compares to 608 recorded on Wednesday this week. Nonetheless, should the government's second lockdown prove effective, a rise in the death toll is not to be expected to continue into December. The average number of daily cases is already falling and hospital admissions have started leveling off.