Emerald Ella’s task today? To touch the second magical bauble on the Gemstone Glade Christmas Tree. She shakes her dark green body and flutters her wings in excitement. The life of a fairy should not be this much fun.

She chooses a dark green bauble, her own colour but twice the size of her. Tenderly, she strokes it. With a loud pop! it explodes in a cloud of magic green dust.

In Ella’s outstretched hand there appears a warm mince pie, the smell of the perfect Christmas teasing her senses. It has small green crystal sweets on top. Ella laughs and strokes the pie.

With another puff! multiple mince pies materialise and fly towards her friends on the ground below. The fairies jump up and down in delight. It is a mince pie party, and there is one for everyone. Each pie is crowned by crystal sweets that are the colour of their recipient. The fairies giggle. The magic of Christmas lights up the glade with festive cheer.

Ella slowly eats her pie, and then frowns. There is something metal in the middle. Carefully, she retrieves a golden coin. A tree is engraved on it.

“Look!” she shouts to her friends. “Magic money!”

They all find their coin, and then begin to dig. When all the coins are planted, the fairies join hands and sing. “Magic money tree! Magic money tree!”

Will the money trees have grown by the spring? Check back in three months and see!

Meanwhile, the fairies continue to dance. A fairy party never really ends.

The remaining baubles on the tree wink in the winter sunlight, secrets safe within.

Dolomite Daisy flies gleefully to the largest bauble on the Gemstone Glade Christmas Tree: a shining gold snowflake. She is the first fairy to test the magic of the tree. Hesitantly, she touches the shimmering snowflake.

It disappears with a whoosh! In its place, a small golden cloud appears, floating gracefully to hover over Daisy. She looks up in awe and anticipation, and is not disappointed.

Tiny golden snowflakes fall from the cloud, raining on Daisy like a heavenly shower. The flakes melt somewhere deep inside, and cover her in gold glitter. She feels refreshed, washed from the inside out. Daisy’s wings turn golden, glitter going everywhere as they flutter.

Daisy laughs as glitter forms the shape of a snowflake on her chest. The healing properties of gold swim through her crystalline veins. Ten years drip off Daisy like melting snowflakes, as a youthful bloom lights up her face.

The golden cloud disintegrates, and is gone with one final spray of glitter which lands in the fountain below. A golden promise of a better tomorrow kisses Gemstone Glade, as the magic of Christmas begins in earnest.

An expectant breeze plays with the tree branches. Something is coming. It is the hour for Gemstone Glade to welcome Christmas, a magical time of year in that most magical of glades.

A large Christmas tree appears high in the sky, as snowflakes begin to fall: a secret promise of a winter wonderland. Large angels with rainbow wings escort the tree safely to the ground. Majestic and king-like, it stands by the fountain. The angels begin to decorate the tree with large baubles, every colour of the rainbow competing for that special place: the top of the tree.

Then Amethyst Angelina flies regally in to the glade, holding her head high and landing on top of the tree. The Gemstone Glade fairies hold their breath in collective awe. This fairy princess hardly ever comes here; she is real royalty, with special magical powers beyond the dreams of the other fairies.

Angelina looks like an angel from heaven, as she sits smiling on top of the tree. Her purple wand and diamond tiara shine with inner light. “Let Christmas begin!” she chants. “Each day you may touch one of the very special baubles, and then let magic enfold you in its festive arms!”

The fairies cheer. This is set to be the best – the most magical – Christmas ever. As it snows, Angelina smiles, snowflakes in her eyes. The scene could not be more special. The fairies begin to dance. Let the festivities commence!

(c) Can Stock Photo / neillockhart

All was at peace in Gemstone Glade, a soft breeze playing with the tree branches and a magical fragrance in the air. Expectancy hugged the glade in its arms.

Then the rain began to fall.

Liquid crystal raindrops dropped like a waterfall of living colour, jade, aventurine,
amethyst, citrine, rose quartz. When the raindrops hit the ground, they turned in to
coloured snails with a shell of pure quartz. The snails circled the glade, leaving magical
coloured snail tracks in their wake.

As the rain stopped, the snails very slowly headed towards the forest. They had work to do, the secret life of snails on a mission.

Behind, they left trails of glowing colour on the ground.

The fairies arrived, and began running up and down the snail trails in glee. The peace was shattered: fairy playtime had arrived!

But behind the trees, all was at peace, a quiet magic taking place unaware.

Sam felt the sand beneath his fingers, warm and firm, a mini spa in his hands. He smiled softly as he added the final touches to the sandcastle, then sat back and admired the magical mansion glinting in the sun.

He ran happily to his family, laden with ice cream from the beach shop. The cold creamy taste massaged his throat. “Look what I made!” he cried in delight.

Sam turned, his smile dimming in disbelief. The sandcastle was gone. Tears pricked his eyes with cold confusion.

**

The Rose siblings flew around Gemstone Glade, spinning in the fountain then flying high over the trees.

“Look!” shouted Rose Ralph. “A sandcastle!”

Rose Ravenna swooped down, landing by the castle doors. “It’s beautiful!”

Rose Raquelle joined her. They flitted through the sand turrets, laughing.

“Where did it come from?” asked Rose Ralph as he joined them.

“Like everything in Gemstone Glade,” said Ravenna. “The lost and the looked for, the hearts that need healing, they all end up here.”

The fairies giggled, as they lay within the turrets and stared at the sky.

“This is bliss,” intoned Ravenna.

“But it’s not ours,” said Ralph. “Someone somewhere is missing this.”

Ravenna sighed. “You’re right. It’s time to weave our rose magic!”

They gathered round the castle, sending rays of rose quartz healing to it. “Return to your owner!”

**

Sam’s house slept under a summer night blanket, the moon high in the sky. Sam tossed and turned fitfully, then suddenly woke up. Had he heard a bell?

He put on the light and gasped.

His sandcastle was in the middle of his bedroom. And on top of each turret, shone a rose quartz crystal.

He laughed with delight, sleep forgotten like last year’s winter coat.

He thought he heard laughter, then all was silent. The house slept as he began to play.

Tomorrow could wait.

The rose quartz winked under the bedroom light, in secret collusion to stop time.  This special moment might last forever.

© Can Stock Photo / ia_64

Pink Sapphire Pauline has been busy. Over the last few weeks she has been collecting bird feathers, dying them pink and infusing them with healing pink sapphire energy. Today she is ready to release them at Gemstone Glade, home to birds of all shapes and sizes who will be looking for bedding for their nest.

A blue tit calmly watches her as she plays with her feathers and then throws them happily in to the air. He knows that, soon, he will have the best nest in the whole forest for his future babies. But some feathers will travel further.

A mystic wind is at work. Stray children, crying alone in their bedroom, will look up and behold a feather falling on to them. Its healing energy will dry their tears and gift them hope.

Pink Sapphire Pauline laughs with joy. A feeling of release seizes her heart and joy lights up her soul. It is so good to give to the Universe. Now it is her turn to receive.

A golden eagle flies overhead, shedding a beautiful feather which falls in Pauline’s lap. She gasps with delight. She will sleep with this feather tonight; and just like the children she has helped today, her dreams will be bountiful with bliss.

The sun will set tonight on a Gemstone Glade with the sweetest dreams ever.

(c) Can Stock Photo / Anke

Emerald Ella flies happily in to Gemstone Glade, ready to play in the refreshing waters of the fountain. As she circles it, she notices for the first time a stone with a mysterious symbol beneath the fountain rim. Intrigued, she flies closer, her wings glowing green in the Spring sun.

She cautiously touches the stone, and her hand feels hot. The stone is moving as if by magic! Steps are revealed, falling in to a dim darkness below.

Emerald Ella takes exactly three seconds to decide to explore. She glides down the steps, bathed in a soft blue light coming from torches in the wall. The steps wind down and down. When will they end?

Twenty minutes later she reaches a large underground cavern, blue light shining on a large pool in the middle of the room. She gasps. Tiny mermaids are sleeping on large leaves that rock gently in the water. Why this is a mermaid nursery!

Their tails are different colours: peach, pink, blue, green, magenta. Each wears a gold necklace with a stone matching the colour of their tail.

Emerald Ella feels blessed to have found this secret place. Slowly, she retreats back up the stairs, and carefully replaces the stone behind her. She looks up. The fountain waters have turned blue, the same shade as the in the lair below. Ella dives in, and swims within blue healing bliss. She is so glad that she came to the glade today, it never fails to deliver magic and miracles. Today will not be forgotten, as she feels the dreams of the mermaid babies in her heart.

The glade glows with light. Rainbows twist together and grow larger. The silence is alive with the music of colour.

Unicorn Rainbow Roma approaches the fountain, and as her horn touches the surface it turns all the colours of the rainbow. Roma gently taps her horn in the water. A quartz crystal appears with a rainbow inside. It carries the heart of all the colours of the rainbow, a magical elixir of joy.

Quietly she makes more crystals, popping on to the surface of the fountain like popcorn. As she touches each crystal in turn, they disappear.

All over the world, children will wake up with a magical crystal under their pillow, tiny dreams in ice.

A new day will dawn, and it will be special.

Roma returns to the forest, taking her rainbows with her. All is at peace in the glade once more.

Ruby Rihanna cheers ecstatically as she is chosen by ballot to open door number twenty-four of the Gemstone Glade advent calendar. The door is plain, dark blue with tiny stars, a night sky waiting to be unleashed.

Rihanna flies gracefully to the door, taking her time, as she wants to enjoy every micro-second. The door creaks open as her heart hiccups with joy.

Inside a star turns brightly. It is a sister star to the one on top of the Gemstone Glade Christmas Tree, and it is bigger than Rihanna. She laughs with drunken delight. It is entrancing, an enigma that shines with inner beauty.

The star flies slowly out the door, and Rihanna jumps on. They fly to the Christmas Tree – and then are going through the star at its top!

They come out the other side, through a star on top of a sister Christmas Tree. Rihanna gasps. They are in a starlit glade, velvet indigo blue and lit by crystal candles in the trees. In the middle of the glade is a large telescope, a small speaker next to it.

Curious, Ruby Rihanna flies to the telescope. Through it, she can see the stars much more clearly. As she navigates the sky, the speaker comes on and recites details about each star.

She stops at Planet Sparkle. “This planet is inhabited by crystal fairies,” entones the low voice of the speaker. Rihanna’s wings flutter in excitement. “You can visit this planet by entering the crystal teleport now.”

Rihanna notices a large hollow quartz crystal next to the telescope. Nervously, she flies inside. The crystal spins, and all Rihanna can see are stars all around. Then the spinning stops, as Rihanna realises she is now in a different crystal: this one is malachite green.

There are crystalline fairies waiting for her. They are smiling with the warmest welcome she can imagine. “I am Agate Annabel,” says their leader. “We are delighted to be visited by one of our own kind!”

Rihanna is shown around their town, complete with crystalline houses, crystalline fountains, crystal flypods (where do they go?), and crystalline rivers. It is so beautiful she feels that her heart may break. But it doesn’t. Instead, she is the happiest she has ever been.

Will Rihanna ever return to Gemstone Glade? We will find out next year. In the meantime, we wish you a very merry Christmas from all the crystalline fairies. We hope you find the brightest star in the sky, and take a piece of it home today. Have the happiest festive holiday that your heart can deliver, and more. May next year see all your dreams come true. Happy Christmas from all at Gemstone Glade.

Garnet Graeme glows red with excitement. He zooms to door number twenty-three of the Gemstone Glade advent calendar, crystal palms sweating with acute anticipation.

The door is covered in tiny crystals, shining softly in the low winter light. Eagerly he swings it open. Inside is a large patchwork stocking!

Back at ground level, the fairies clap their hands in delight. Garnet Graeme sticks his hand deep into the stocking. He discovers several tiny polished crystals. He shares them among the others. All different colours, they sparkle with the joy of Christmas.

Then they begin to change, from pebble crystals to little birds. Together, the birds flap their new wings and fly from the fairy hands. They take their place on the Gemstone Glade Christmas Tree.

Graeme again sticks his hand in to the stocking. He finds several tangerines. Again, he shares them among the group. Greedily, the fairies eat, throwing the tangerine peel carelessly to the ground.

Suddenly, the tangerine peel begins to move. The pieces assemble together in a small cloud, taking on the shape of a bird of prey. Gracefully the orange bird flies around the glade, and then takes off over the trees.

Graeme’s hand returns to the stocking. Right at the bottom, rests another crystal. Graeme clutches it tightly, and as his hand returns the fairies behold a clear crystal ball.

The fairies crowd round. Within the ball, they see a miniature Gemstone Glade. Unicorns are drinking from the fountain. Suddenly, a red-tunicked Santa Claus appears. He dumps the stocking – their stocking – on the ground, then is gone.

Next the fairies see themselves, encircling the stocking and eating tangerines. They laugh with bemusement. The crystal ball turns cloudy.

“I will keep this,” declares Garnet Graeme. “Who knows what this ball will one day reveal?”

Then it is time to dance, the start of the fairy Christmas festivities in earnest. A unicorn enters the glade, and quietly watches them. It begins to snow, and the scene is complete.