Stellilalagoogoos and the Christmas Flower
Once upon a time there was a little fairy named Stelli-LaLa-GooGoos. She was about this tall (show about 2 inches) and she lived in a magical forest in a little house with her mother. Throughout the forest there were beautiful flowers of all different colors. The fairies in the forest loved to drink the juice from the flowers.
Everyday, Stellilalagoogoos went out exploring in the forest. She took her best straw with her to drink flower juice. One day she was out exploring and she saw, in one of the most remote part of the woods, an amazing, glittery, white flower with a broad stripe of red at the edge of each petal. It had a deep green stem and shimmery green leaves. It sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight.
Certainly this was the most beautiful flower Stellilalagoogoos had ever seen. So, she decided to have a drink. She got her straw (hold up a fist) and she stuck it down into the middle of the flower (slam your fist against the open palm of your other hand). And then she started to suck up some juice (put your lips to the top of the fist and make sucking noises).
At first it tasted like warm gingerbread then, fresh whip cream. Next it began to taste like rich hot chocolate with whip cream and hot buttered toast strips. This taste then faded into warm sugar cookies. Finally the juice began to get sweetly minty like a wonderful candy cane. All this rich warm sweet juice made Stellilalagoogoos very sleepy. She fell quietly asleep on the petals of this glittery yummy flower.
Stellilalagoogoos slept long and deeply with images of sugarplums dancing in her head. When she awoke she felt warm and full. She looked over the edge of the flower’s petals and what she saw took her breath away. There beneath the flower were beautifully wrapped packages with bows and tags on them.
Quickly, Stellilalagoogoos flew down to the packages to see what was written on the tags. Each package had a tag told for whom the package was intended. Stellilalagoogoos flitted around from package to package searching for one with her name on it. She found one for her mother. She found one for her friend Jackimorgan. She found one for her neighbor Hughberkbunk. She even found one for Sabannieblanch, the ornery old lady who lived in the furthest tree in town. In fact, she found a present there for every person in the fairy village, except her.
There was no present for Stellilalagoogoos. Stellilalagoogoos was very sad. It didn’t seem fair that everyone got a present but her. Still she wondered what was in the packages and there was no one nearby to open theirs. Nobody in town even knew there were presents waiting. Stellilalagoogoos decided she would just have to deliver the presents.
First she took Jackimorgan his. He was so excited to get a package. He ripped the paper off and found a train set. “Oh just the thing I wanted most in the world!” he said. He gave Stellilalagoogoos a giant hug and thanked her over and over with a smile on his face that lit up the whole room. It made Stellilalagoogoos feel warm inside to see her friend so happy.
One by one, Stellilalagoogoos delivered the presents to each person in the fairy village. Each person got the thing they wanted most in the world. Her neighbor Hughberkbunk got speedy ice skates, and her best friend Nikkibuff got real makeup.
Stellilalagoogoos had been a bit nervous to take the ornery old lady Sabannieblanch her package. But as soon as Sabannieblanch saw the package her whole face changed from a sour expression to surprise and wonder. Her present had been a doll she had wanted ever since she was a tiny little fairy girl. She cried when she saw it and gave Stellilalagoogoos a big hug and a kiss on her forehead. She told Stellilalagoogoos to come over to visit anytime.
With each delivery, Stellilalagoogoos found her heart feeling warmer and warmer, happier and happier. It was so much fun to see what was in each person’s package and she loved making them so happy.
The last package Stellilalagoogoos delivered was to her mother. When Stellilalagoogoos handed the small, golden wrapped package, her mother got a big smile on her face. “I see you have found the Christmas flower today,” said her mother.
“Christmas flower?” asked Stellilalagoogoos. “Is that what that red and white flower is called?”
“Oh yes,” replied her mother. “And you are very lucky to have found it. It only blooms one day a year and often no one finds it. When someone does and drinks from its nectar, everyone in the town gets the best gifts.”
“Well almost everyone,” said Stellilalagoogoos, remembering that she did not get a package. “There wasn’t a gift for me.”
“Oh yes, there was a gift for you,” said her mother. “It may not have been wrapped in a box or had a tag but you got the best gift of all.”
Stellilalagoogoos was confused. But her mother did not explain. Instead she opened her package. Inside was a beautiful golden locket. It had a picture of Stellilalagoogoos on one side and a picture of her mother on the other. “Just what I have always wanted,” said her mother. “Now even when you are not at home I can always hold you close to my heart.”
Stellilalagoogoos’ mother gave her the biggest tightest hug of all. Just then, Stellilalagoogoos realized what her present was. She got to spend a whole day making everyone in town happy. She got to play Santa for everyone she knew. “You know Mama,” said Stellilalagoogoos, “I think you are right. I think I did get the best gift of all. Today has taught me that the best gift of all is the gift of giving.”
