Kurt Andersen’s version of a Christmas story doesn’t have your typical talking snowman or mistletoe. Instead, this holiday tale involves extraterrestrial surveillance and melting polar ice caps.

“Human Intelligence” was produced for radio by Jonathan Mitchell, and stars Melanie Hoopes, John Ottavino and Ed Herbstman. The unabridged version was published in “Stories: All New Tales,” an anthology edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio.

(Originally aired December 24, 2010)