Day four of the advent calendar, and it is Amethyst Anne’s turn. She nervously flies towards the small wooden door with its amethyst shaped star on front. Slowly she opens the door, smiling in anticipation.

A sparkling feather confronts her, white with multi-coloured crystal beads all over it. Gently she picks its up. Immediately it shrinks to the size of her little hand. Anne places it in her hair, and then flies around the glade laughing as her fairy wings sprout white feathers.

A neighing reaches her ears. It is a baby winged unicorn. Together they fly around the glade, a cloud of white fun. The feather falls out of Anne’s hair and lands in the fountain, and multiplies: the fountain is over-run with feathers. Giggling, the fairies fly around, collecting feathers. Then the feather party begins, and Gemstone Glade sighs to the sound of dancing and the silence of feathers.

It is day three of the Gemstone Glade advent calendar. Emerald Ella, a gentle green crystalline fairy, is jumping up and down with excitement.

Door three has a shining diamond, glinting secretively in the winter sun.

Slowly Ella opens the door. Tangerines fall out, four or five, all with icing on top carved in different shapes: a heart, a star, a baby, mistletoe and a cross.

Ella laughs with delight. Tangerines are popular fairy food.

The fairies gather and begin to feast.

The icing flies off the fruit, forming shapes mid-air, flying round the glade, then finally entering and disappearing in to the star at the top of the Christmas tree.

The fairies gaze after the shapes, then return to the feast. The smell of tangerines pervades the glade.

Today fairy Beryl Bliss is chosen to open the second door of the advent calendar. She is so excited!

The door has a tiny rose quartz shaped mermaid on it. Beryl giggles in anticipation.

Behind the door is a tiny fountain statue, a mini replica of the Gemstone Glade fountain.

Beryl holds it in her hands in awe. Slowly her hands find the key, and she winds up the toy. The water begins to flow, a tiny stream of delight. Then it changes colour, yellow to green to orange to gold.

Beryl sets the toy on the ground as the other fairies gather around. A rainbow forms around the little fountain, playing with the waters, and then rising up and towards the Christmas Tree, finally disappearing in to the star on top. Where has it gone?

The toy starts to play soft music and the fairies begin to dance. The Christmas Party has begun early.

The Christmas angels are busy yet again, gently descending from a cloud of festive green and red. They hold a huge advent calendar in their hands, a wooden plaque with enticing doors. They gently place it near the Christmas tree, a new friend to play with, and attach log holders behind it, ensuring it is firm and secure before stepping back in happy admiration.

A green, gold and red mosaic of little doors, the advent calendar shines with a hidden light. A different crystal adorns each door. Reindeer and sleighs are pictured behind, Christmas stockings and logfires too. It is a picture of pure Christmas joy.

Fairies flock to the glade and stare in excitement. “Who shall go first?” they whisper. “Tourmaline Tina!” shouts someone. She blushes. “Very well then.”

The first door is bedecked with a tourmaline crystal: purple, green and blue. Tina opens the door cautiously.

A vial of white dust confronts her. “Why it must be magic snowdust!” she cries, taking the little bottle and sprinkling its contents all around.

The dust forms a cloud, growing bigger and then erupting in to tiny white fairies. “Snow fairies!” cries Tourmaline Tina in delight.

They fly around the glade, taking it all in with the joy of infants. Some fly higher, with a few reaching the star on top of the Christmas Tree, and disappearing inside. Where have they gone?