Looking to the skies with your child to try and spot Santa is a Christmas tradition. Let's face it, it's a tricky thing to spot, however, the International Space Station (ISS) might just come to your rescue.
It's been orbiting our planet since 1998 and makes a good stand-in for the man in red’s sleigh (although you may have to do some creative thinking around the lack of reindeer).
Image source, Getty/Stocktrek ImagesWe can see the ISS from Earth because of its giant solar panels that reflect the Sun’s light and you don’t even need a telescope or binoculars. Dawn or dusk are the best times to view it, preferably in a location with little light pollution.
When can you see the ISS at Christmas?
The ISS isn’t visible every night, and sightings will only be for a few minutes when it’s overhead. Sighting opportunities can range from several in a week to once a month, but there should be plenty of chances to spot the ISS before Christmas.
To help you work out when it's visible over the festive period where you live - have a look at our guide on how to spot the International Space Station with top tips on when, where and how you can spot the ISS.
You can also use NASA's online tool to find out when the ISS can be seen from wherever you are. They even offer a downloadable app.
Excitingly - if you don't mind a very early start to Christmas Day - the ISS will be visible above the UK (weather permitting) at 05:56 for around 4 minutes or so.
BBC Weather has this guide to more celestial events over December.
What’s it like on the ISS on Christmas Day?
Image source, NASA/piemagsWork still needs to be done on Christmas Day on the ISS, but there’ll also be plenty of chances to celebrate.
In 2024 NASA said the crew would spend the day "enjoying the view of Earth from the space station, privately communicating with their friends and families, and sharing a joint meal with their expedition crewmates". It said they would also continue experiments and station maintenance.
The ISS crew usually sends a special festive video message to Earth every Christmas Day, donning red Santa hats for the occasion.
British astronaut Tim Peake arrived on the International Space Station just before Christmas 2015, taking special dishes to remind him of home, created by chef Heston Blumenthal. They included a bacon sandwich and Thai red curry, with apple crumble and key lime pie for dessert.
He said he had been told a Christmas pudding was also making its way to the ISS on a supply mission to the space station.
In an interview before heading to space he said: "our thoughts will be with everybody on Earth enjoying Christmas, and our friends and family, of course. We'll hopefully be able to give them a call on Christmas Day."
What do the ISS crew eat on Christmas Day?
Image source, Geopix/NASAWhile at the time of writing NASA hasn't yet shared the menu for Christmas 2025, previous festive video messages have shared details on the foods the ISS crew will be tucking into.
On Christmas Day 2016, the crew said they would be eating turkey, mashed potatoes and chicken supreme with gingerbread for dessert. Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli told BBC Future that for his mission in 2010, he chose tortellini, barbeque steaks, and vegetables instead.
For the rest of the year, NASA says they can choose from around 200 items from a standard food menu - plus some personal choices including "commercial, off the shelf items".
All food is sent in cans or pouches and has to be stored at ambient temperatures. The ISS doesn’t have a fridge or freezer, so all packages are freeze-dried or “thermostabilized” to ensure they have the right shelf life.
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first person to eat in space during his single orbit around the Earth aboard his Vostok capsule on 12 April 1961. He squeezed beef and liver paste from a tube into his mouth, with chocolate sauce for dessert.
So while the astronauts prepare for Christmas in space and you and your child watch out for them as they whizz overhead, spare a thought for Santa - after all he's going to be very busy in the run-up to December 25, so he’ll need a few 'trial runs' to deliver those parcels.
Watch Once Upon a time in Space on BBC Two and iPlayer to discover the story of the ISS.
If your child wants to learn more about what astronauts do on the ISS this BBC Bitesize article explains how it works.
This article was published in December 2025.
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