Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome back to Sleepy Stories. I'm your host, Lucy,
Speaker 1: and my friends and I will be reading you a
Speaker 1: sleepy bedtime story every week to relax you and to
Speaker 1: help you to drift off into a RESTful sleep. From
Speaker 1: time to time, we will also read you a relaxing,
Speaker 1: peaceful meditation that will take you somewhere beautiful and calming.
Speaker 1: Once we have read the stories, we will then read
Speaker 1: them a second time, but this time they will be
Speaker 1: read read even slower. This will help you to relax
Speaker 1: even more. Before we begin, I would like you to
Speaker 1: close your eyes and breathe in and out nice and deeply.
Speaker 1: Take a few seconds to inhale, and then hold your
Speaker 1: breath for a few seconds more, and then release and
Speaker 1: breathe out. Do this a few times if you need to,
Speaker 1: while you listen to the music and you listen to
Speaker 1: my voice, give yourself time to let your body relax
Speaker 1: and your mind settle. It's important that we allow time
Speaker 1: for us to feel safe, cozy, and completely at ease.
Speaker 1: And now it's time for this week's story.
Speaker 2: Snow had a quiet way of arriving in Lantern Hill,
Speaker 2: as though it didn't want to bother anyone. It didn't
Speaker 2: come with howling wind or thick swirls, but with a
Speaker 2: shy hush, like someone tapping gently on a door to
Speaker 2: ask if they might come in. On the first morning
Speaker 2: of December, Elsie Rowan stood with her chin pressed to
Speaker 2: her grandmother's window, leaving foggy patches on the glass. She
Speaker 2: tried faced little hearts in the mist with her fingertip
Speaker 2: and sighed dreamily. If I were snow, she said to herself,
Speaker 2: I'd fall only where people needed Christmas the most. Behind her,
Speaker 2: Nana May clicked her knitting needles together. She had the
Speaker 2: kind of voice that sounded as though it had been
Speaker 2: warmed by TEA careful what you say, Elsie, Snow has
Speaker 2: ears this time of year. Elsie turned, half grinning. Snow
Speaker 2: doesn't listen, Nana. Hmmm, Nana replied with a spark in
Speaker 2: her eye. Only some snow. Before Elsie could question her,
Speaker 2: a single snowflake drifted past the glass. At first she
Speaker 2: thought her eyes were tricking her, but then it came closer.
Speaker 2: It didn't fall fast, the way a snowflake usually does.
Speaker 2: It floated slowly, lazily, glowing faintly, as though a tiny
Speaker 2: lantern had been tucked inside it. Elsie's mouth fell open.
Speaker 2: Another glowing flake followed, and then another. They moved like
Speaker 2: feathers caught in candlelight, everyone shining softly. Nana Elsie whispered, yes, child,
Speaker 2: is that normal? Nana Mae stood up, her joints creaking
Speaker 2: like old floorboards, and peered out the window. Oh, she said,
Speaker 2: with a satisfied nod. We've been sent lantern snow this year.
Speaker 2: Lantern snow. Elsie echoed, Best you go outside. Nana replied,
Speaker 2: you'll see soon enough. Elsie grabbed her scarf, rushed into
Speaker 2: her boots without bothering to untie them properly, and burst
Speaker 2: into the street. The crooked rooftops of Lantern Hill were
Speaker 2: dusted with sparkling white. The baker, mister Miller, was hanging
Speaker 2: his wreath when he spotted the glow. He stared so
Speaker 2: long that he forgot to let go of the ribbon,
Speaker 2: and the wreath dangled sideways, making the door look surprised.
Speaker 2: The Penfold twins, always bickering outside their sweet shop, stopped
Speaker 2: mid argument with a shared gasp. Even Missus Penfolds, famously
Speaker 2: stubborn dog, stopped barking mid sentence. Mid woof the glowing
Speaker 2: snowflakes drifted toward the tall spruce tree in the village square.
Speaker 2: Usually the villagers decorated it a week before Christmas with
Speaker 2: paper stars, old baubles, and sometimes a crooked angel if
Speaker 2: someone could find her in a dusty box. But this
Speaker 2: year the snow beat them to it. The glimmering snow
Speaker 2: settled along the branches, sticking like pearly lights. The tree
Speaker 2: shimmered brighter and brighter, until it looked as though someone
Speaker 2: had bottled starlight and poured it over every needle. Elsie
Speaker 2: stepped closer, awestruck. It's decorating itself. A voice beside her replied,
Speaker 2: or maybe it's choosing who to help. Elsie turned to
Speaker 2: find a boy her age, with messy hair, oversized coat
Speaker 2: and boots that looked ready to give up. She'd never
Speaker 2: seen him before. He introduced himself quietly. I'm tom My mum,
Speaker 2: and I just ended up here temporarily. Temporarily sounded heavy,
Speaker 2: as as if he'd said it many times before in
Speaker 2: many different places. Elsie brightened, I'm Elsie, I live with Nana.
Speaker 2: May you're just in time for the tree lighting. Tom shrugged,
Speaker 2: we're not staying long. My mum says, we never fit anywhere.
Speaker 2: People don't really listen, not even at Christmas. Elsie blinked.
Speaker 2: Something inside his voice hurt a little. Well, she said,
Speaker 2: Maybe this snow is different, Maybe it's listening. Oh sure,
Speaker 2: Tom muttered, magic snowflakes that make everything better. Before Elsie
Speaker 2: could answer, the lantern snow began swirling gently, moving in
Speaker 2: a slow spiral above the tree, and then, clear as
Speaker 2: a bell, A soft voice seemed to echo through the air,
Speaker 2: not let loud, not frightening, but as though the world
Speaker 2: itself was humming. Lanterns of winter, lanterns of light carry
Speaker 2: kindness through the night. The villagers gasped. The tree glowed
Speaker 2: even brighter. Tom stepped back, startled. Elsie whirled around, expecting
Speaker 2: to see a singer, but there was no one, only
Speaker 2: the glowing flakes shining in the branches. Then she noticed
Speaker 2: Nana May standing calmly at the edge of the square,
Speaker 2: smiling like this was not frightening or surprising at all.
Speaker 2: Looks like it's starting, Nana called, cheerfully, What starting, Elsie
Speaker 2: shouted back. You'll find out at midnight, Nana replied, Bring Tom.
Speaker 2: Magic works best when shared Tom blinked rapidly. Magic Nana
Speaker 2: winked and disappeared down the street, leaving them utterly bewildered.
Speaker 2: Throughout the afternoon, Lanton Hill buzzed with nervous chatter. Was
Speaker 2: the tree bewitched? Were the lights a trick? Was it
Speaker 2: a sign of a wonderful Christmas? Or a very strange one?
Speaker 2: Missus Penfold's dog tried to eat a glowing flake and
Speaker 2: sneezed sparkles for ten minutes, which did little to calm
Speaker 2: anyone's nerves. By evening, the lantern snow still shimmered faintly,
Speaker 2: as though the entire village had its own heartbeat. At midnight,
Speaker 2: Elsie and Tom crept from their houses, wrapped tightly in scarves,
Speaker 2: crunching through the gentle snow. They weren't alone. A few
Speaker 2: villagers stood nearby, pretending they hadn't come to watch the
Speaker 2: something magical. They leaned against lamp posts, studied menus stuck
Speaker 2: to closed cafe doors, and pet bark of the dog
Speaker 2: for no reason at all. Nana May waited beneath the
Speaker 2: shimmering tree, holding a small wooden box. She looked like
Speaker 2: a tiny wizard wrapped in wool you made it, she said, proudly.
Speaker 2: What's in the box? Tom asked cautiously. This, Nana said,
Speaker 2: as she opened it is how we grow Christmas. Inside
Speaker 2: were acorns, ordinary brown acorns. Tom frowned, that's it, acorns,
Speaker 2: Nana chuckled. Ah, you see acorns, I see lantern seeds.
Speaker 2: These grow only when kindness is planted. She picked one up. Immediately,
Speaker 2: a glowing snowflake floated down and rested on it. The
Speaker 2: acorn shimmered faintly, as though it had swallowed a spark.
Speaker 2: Lantern snow comes, Nana said, when people forget what Christmas
Speaker 2: is for. It's not about lights or gifts or perfect dinners.
Speaker 2: It's about belonging. She turned to Tom. These seeds grow
Speaker 2: not in soil, but in choices. You earn them with wishes,
Speaker 2: not for yourself, but for someone else. Elsie held her breath.
Speaker 2: Tom stared at the glowing acorn. He looked at the
Speaker 2: windows of the houses around him, some dark, some lonely.
Speaker 2: His voice came out very small. I wish my mum
Speaker 2: could laugh again, he whispered, like she used to, not forced,
Speaker 2: not tired, really laugh. I don't know how I just
Speaker 2: miss it. The acorn in Nana's hand glowed brighter. A
Speaker 2: wish for someone you love, she said, softly, that's real magic.
Speaker 2: Nana placed the acorn into Tom's hand. It was warm,
Speaker 2: almost alive. Then she turned to Elsie, and you, my girl.
Speaker 2: Elsie thought of the quiet houses, the people who kept
Speaker 2: to themselves, the way the village seemed friendly yet distant,
Speaker 2: like everyone lived together but separately. I want everyone here
Speaker 2: to feel like they belong just for tonight, even if
Speaker 2: they've never felt it before. Her acorn glowed as brightly
Speaker 2: as Tom's. Then you both have work to do, Nana said,
Speaker 2: with a nod. Plant your wishes through kindness. You'll know
Speaker 2: where to go. The lantern snow will guide you, and
Speaker 2: it did. The glowing flakes drifted from the tree and
Speaker 2: floated through the village, hovering near certain windows, waiting like tiny,
Speaker 2: watchful lanterns. Tom and Elsie followed them. At missus Kettle's house,
Speaker 2: Tom knocked, she answered, grumpily, wrapped in an old shawl.
Speaker 2: Before she could bark at them, Tom pointed at her
Speaker 2: loose window latch. I can fix that for you, he said, quickly.
Speaker 2: Snow's coming in. She hesitated, Well, I suppose if you're
Speaker 2: already here. While Tom fiddled with the latch, Elsie made tea.
Speaker 2: She placed a paper snowflake on Missus Kettle's mantle, beside
Speaker 2: an old photograph of her husband Bill. Missus Kettle stared
Speaker 2: at it silently, her eyes softened. He loved making those,
Speaker 2: she whispered. The lantern flakes above her house pulsed gently,
Speaker 2: then drifted away, as if satisfied. Next the penfold twins
Speaker 2: in the sweet shop sat crying quietly between boxes of
Speaker 2: tangled lights. We heard Mum and Dad talking. One mumbled
Speaker 2: they might sell the shop. Tom suggested something bold. Start
Speaker 2: a kindness jar. People can buy a sweet for someone
Speaker 2: who can't afford one. Make generosity part of the shop.
Speaker 2: The boy's sniffed, eyes widening that could work. Glowing flakes
Speaker 2: sparkled around the jars of sweets before drifting onward. At
Speaker 2: mister Hanley's house, Elsie shyly handed him a small, hand
Speaker 2: and made card that simply said thank you for fixing
Speaker 2: things for everyone. He blinked, stunned, no one's ever thanked
Speaker 2: me for that, not properly. He pinned the card above
Speaker 2: his workbench. Lantern flakes floated away joyfully, Finally they reached
Speaker 2: Tom's cottage. Several glowing flakes circled the door eagerly. Elsie
Speaker 2: squeezed his arm, this is your seed, your wish. Tom nodded,
Speaker 2: His breath turned to mist in the cold air. He
Speaker 2: took a deep breath and went inside. He found his
Speaker 2: mother by the table with a single candle lit. He
Speaker 2: sat with her, and for the first time in a
Speaker 2: long while, he told the truth that he liked Lantern Hill,
Speaker 2: that he wanted to stay, that he missed her laughing,
Speaker 2: and he would try to help, not just hope. She listened, stunned.
Speaker 2: Then she began to laugh, not the tired kind, but
Speaker 2: a rich, warm laugh that filled the little cottage like sunlight.
Speaker 2: And outside, the lantern flakes over their roof shone so
Speaker 2: brightly they looked like tiny stars dancing. The next morning,
Speaker 2: Lantern Hill felt different. Missus Kettle opened her curtains wide,
Speaker 2: the penfolds set up their kindness jar. Mister Hanley whistled
Speaker 2: while fixing a child's sled. Tom's mother chatted with the
Speaker 2: baker about a job. Nana May cooked enough soup to
Speaker 2: feed half the village, and when evening came, the whole
Speaker 2: town gathered at the spruce tree, now fully glowing with
Speaker 2: both lantern snow and the warmth of real kindness. Elsie
Speaker 2: stood between Tom and Nana. The air hummed with laughter, carols,
Speaker 2: and Barker's excited barking. The villagers seemed closer, as if
Speaker 2: the cold had pushed them together rather than apart. Nana
Speaker 2: leaned down and whispered, you see, loves, Christmas isn't made
Speaker 2: of snow or trees or presents. It's made of people
Speaker 2: of belonging. You lit lanterns inside hearts. That's magic. No
Speaker 2: snow can melt. The glowing flakes lifted from the branches,
Speaker 2: drifting up into the sky like a sky full of
Speaker 2: tiny lanterns returning home. Elsie watched them go. Do you
Speaker 2: think they'll come back next year? Magic never copies itself,
Speaker 2: Nana said, next year will bring something new. But the
Speaker 2: light you planted that stays. Tom smiled at Elsie, his
Speaker 2: eyes were brighter than any snowflake. From that night on
Speaker 2: Lantern Hill was never quite the same. It wasn't the
Speaker 2: glowing snow that changed it, but the way people remembered
Speaker 2: how to look out for one another, the way kindness
Speaker 2: settled in like a lantern that refused to go out.
Speaker 2: And sometimes if you looked out of your window on
Speaker 2: a quiet December night, you could swear you saw a
Speaker 2: tiny flicker in the dark sky, like a snowflake carrying
Speaker 2: a light, reminding the village that belonging is the brightest
Speaker 2: Christmas gift of all. Snow had a quiet way of
Speaker 2: arriving in Lantern Hill, as though it didn't want to
Speaker 2: bother anyone. It didn't come with howling wind or thick swirls,
Speaker 2: but with a shy hush, like someone tapping gently on
Speaker 2: a door to ask if they might come in. On
Speaker 2: the first morning of December, Elsie Rowan stood with her
Speaker 2: chin pressed to her grandmother's window, leaving foggy patches on
Speaker 2: the glass. She traced little hearts in the mist with
Speaker 2: her fingertip and sighed dreamily. If I were snow, she
Speaker 2: said to herself, I'd fall only where people needed Christmas
Speaker 2: the most. Behind her, Nana May clicked her knitting needles together.
Speaker 2: She had the kind of voice that sounded as though
Speaker 2: it had been warmed by TEA careful what you say, Elsie,
Speaker 2: Snow has ears this time of year. Elsie turned half
Speaker 2: grinning snow doesn't listen, Nana. Hmmm, Nana replied, with a
Speaker 2: spark in her eye. Only some snow. Before Elsie could
Speaker 2: question her, a single snowflake drifted past the glass. At
Speaker 2: first she thought her eyes were tricking her, but then
Speaker 2: it came closer. It didn't fall fast, the way a
Speaker 2: snowflake usually does. It floated slowly, lazily, glowing faintly, as
Speaker 2: though a tiny lantern had been tucked inside it. Elsie's
Speaker 2: mouth fell open. Another glowing flake followed, and then another.
Speaker 2: They moved like feathers caught in candlelight, everyone shining softly. Nana.
Speaker 2: Elsie whispered, yes, child, is that normal? Nana may stood up,
Speaker 2: her joints creaking like old floorboards, and peered out the window. Oh,
Speaker 2: she said, with a satisfied nod. We've been sent lantern
Speaker 2: snow this year. Lantern snow, Elsie echoed. Best you go outside.
Speaker 2: Nana replied, you'll see soon enough. Elsie grabbed her scarf,
Speaker 2: rushed into her boots without bothering to untie them properly,
Speaker 2: and burst into the street. The crooked rooftops of Lanton
Speaker 2: Hill were dusted with sparkling white. The baker mister Miller
Speaker 2: was hanging his wreath when he spotted the glow. He
Speaker 2: stared so long that he forgot to let go of
Speaker 2: the ribbon, and the wreath dangled sideways, making the door
Speaker 2: look surprised. The Penfold twins, always bickering outside their sweet shop,
Speaker 2: stop mid argument with a shared gasp. Even Missus Penfolds,
Speaker 2: famously stubborn dog, stopped barking mid sentence mid wolf. The
Speaker 2: glowing snowflakes drifted toward the tall spruce tree in the
Speaker 2: village square. Usually the villagers decorated it a week before Christmas,
Speaker 2: with paper stars, old baubles, and sometimes a crooked angel
Speaker 2: if someone could find her in a dusty box. But
Speaker 2: this year the snow beat them to it. The glimmering
Speaker 2: snow settled along the branches, sticking like pearly lights. The
Speaker 2: tree shimmered brighter and brighter, until it looked as though
Speaker 2: someone had bottled starlight and poured it over every needle.
Speaker 2: Elsie stepped closer, awestruck. It's decorating itself, A voice beside
Speaker 2: her replied, or maybe it's choosing who to help. Elsie
Speaker 2: turned to find a boy her age with messy hair
Speaker 2: oversized coat and boots that looked ready to give up.
Speaker 2: She'd never seen him before. He introduced himself quietly. I'm
Speaker 2: Tom My mum and I just ended up here temporarily
Speaker 2: temporarily sounded heavy, as if he'd said it many times
Speaker 2: before in many different places. Elsie brightened, I'm Elsie. I
Speaker 2: live with Nana May you're just in time for the
Speaker 2: tree lighting. Tom shrugged, We're not staying long. My mom says.
Speaker 2: We never fit anywhere. People don't really listen, not even
Speaker 2: at Christmas. Elsie blinked. Something inside his voice hurt a
Speaker 2: little well. She said, Maybe this snow is different. Maybe
Speaker 2: it's listening. Oh sure, Tom muttered, magic snowflakes that make
Speaker 2: everything better. Before Elsie could answer, the lantern snow began swirling, gently,
Speaker 2: moving in a slow spiral above the tree, and then,
Speaker 2: clear as a bell. A soft voice seemed to echo
Speaker 2: through the air. Not loud, not frightening, but as though
Speaker 2: the world itself was humming. Lanterns of winter, lanterns of
Speaker 2: light carry kindness through the night. The villagers gasped. The
Speaker 2: tree glowed even brighter. Tom stepped back, startled. Elsie whirled around,
Speaker 2: expecting to see a singer, but there was no one,
Speaker 2: only the glowing flakes shining in the branches. Then she
Speaker 2: noticed Nana May standing calmly at the edge of the square,
Speaker 2: smiling like this was not frightening or surprising at all.
Speaker 2: Looks like it's starting, Nana called, cheerfully, What starting, Elsie
Speaker 2: shouted back. You'll find out at midnight, Nana replied, Bring Tom.
Speaker 2: Magic works best when shared. Tom blinked rapidly, magic Nana
Speaker 2: winked and disappeared down the street, leaving them utterly bewildered.
Speaker 2: Throughout the afternoon, lantern Hill buzzed with nervous chatter. Was
Speaker 2: the tree bewitched? Were the lights a trick? Was it
Speaker 2: a sign of a wonderful Christmas? Or a very strange one?
Speaker 2: Missus Penfold's dog tried to eat a glowing flake and
Speaker 2: sneezed sparkles for ten minutes, which did little to calm
Speaker 2: anyone's nerves. By evening, the lantern snow still shimmered faintly,
Speaker 2: as though the entire village had its own heartbeat. At midnight,
Speaker 2: Elsie and Tom crept from their houses, wrapped tightly in scarves,
Speaker 2: crunching through the gentle snow they weren't alone. A few
Speaker 2: villagers stood nearby, pretending they hadn't come to watch something magical.
Speaker 2: They leaned against lamp posts, studied menus, stuck to closed
Speaker 2: cafe doors, and pet bark of the dog for no
Speaker 2: reason at all. Nana May waited beneath the shimmering tree,
Speaker 2: holding a small wooden box. She looked like a tiny
Speaker 2: wizard wrapped in wool. You made it, she said, proudly.
Speaker 2: What's in the box? Tom asked cautiously, This, Nana said,
Speaker 2: as she opened It is how we grow Christmas. Inside
Speaker 2: were acorns, ordinary brown acorns. Tom frowned. That's it, acorns,
Speaker 2: Nana chuckled. Ah, you see acorns, I see lantern seeds.
Speaker 2: These grow only when kindness is planted. She picked one up. Immediately,
Speaker 2: a glowing snowflake floated down and rested on it. The
Speaker 2: acorn shimmered faintly, as though it had swallowed a spark.
Speaker 2: Lantern snow comes, Nana said, when people forget what Christmas
Speaker 2: is for, It's not about lights or gifts or perfect dinners.
Speaker 2: It's about belonging. She turned to Tom. These seeds grow
Speaker 2: not in soil, but in choices. You earn them with wishes,
Speaker 2: not for yourself, but for someone else. Elsie held her breath.
Speaker 2: Tom stared at the glowing acorn. He looked at the
Speaker 2: windows of the houses around him, some dark, some lonely.
Speaker 2: His voice came out very small. I wish my mom
Speaker 2: could laugh again, he whispered, like she used to, not forced,
Speaker 2: not tired, really laugh. I don't know how I just
Speaker 2: miss it. The acorn in Nana's hand glowed brighter. A
Speaker 2: wish for someone you love, she said, softly, that's real magic.
Speaker 2: Nana placed the acorn into Tom's hand. It was warm,
Speaker 2: almost alive. Then she turned to Elsie, and you, my girl.
Speaker 2: Elsie thought of the quiet houses, the people who kept
Speaker 2: to them, solves the way the village seemed friendly yet distant,
Speaker 2: like everyone lived together but separately. I want everyone here
Speaker 2: to feel like they belong just for tonight, even if
Speaker 2: they've never felt it before. Her acorn glowed as brightly
Speaker 2: as Tom's. Then you both have work to do, Nana said,
Speaker 2: with a nod. Plant your wishes through kindness. You'll know
Speaker 2: where to go. The lantern snow will guide you, and
Speaker 2: it did. The glowing flakes drifted from the tree and
Speaker 2: floated through the village, hovering near certain windows, waiting like tiny,
Speaker 2: watchful lanterns. Tom and Elsie followed them. At missus Kettle's house.
Speaker 2: Tom knocked, she answered, grumpily, wrapped in an old shawl.
Speaker 2: Before she could bark at them, Tom pointed at her
Speaker 2: loos goose window latch. I can fix that for you,
Speaker 2: he said quickly. Snow's coming in. She hesitated, Well, I
Speaker 2: suppose if you're already here. While Tom fiddled with the latch,
Speaker 2: Elsie made tea. She placed a paper snowflake on missus
Speaker 2: Kettle's mantle, beside an old photograph of her husband Bill.
Speaker 2: Missus Kettle stared at it silently, her eyes softened. He
Speaker 2: loved making those, she whispered. The lantern flakes above her
Speaker 2: house pulsed gently, then drifted away, as if satisfied. Next
Speaker 2: the penfold twins in the sweet shop sat crying quietly
Speaker 2: between boxes of tangled lights. We heard Mum and Dad talking.
Speaker 2: One mumbled they might sell the shop. Tom suggest tested
Speaker 2: something bold. Start a kindness jar. People can buy a
Speaker 2: sweet for someone who can't afford one. Make generosity part
Speaker 2: of the shop. The boy's sniffed eyes widening. That could work,
Speaker 2: glowing flakes sparkled around the jars of sweets before drifting onward.
Speaker 2: At mister Hanley's house, Elsie shyly handed him a small
Speaker 2: handmade card that simply said thank you for fixing things
Speaker 2: for everyone. He blinked, stunned. No one's ever thanked me
Speaker 2: for that, not properly, He pinned the card above his workbench.
Speaker 2: Lantern flakes floated away joyfully. Finally they reached Tom's cottage.
Speaker 2: Several glowing flakes circled the door. Eagerly. Elsie squeezed his arm,
Speaker 2: This is your seed, your wish. Tom nodded, His breath
Speaker 2: turned to mist in the cold air. He took a
Speaker 2: deep breath and went inside. He found his mother by
Speaker 2: the table with a single candle lit. He sat with her,
Speaker 2: and for the first time in a long while, he
Speaker 2: told the truth that he liked Lantern Hill, that he
Speaker 2: wanted to stay, that he missed her laughter, and he
Speaker 2: would try to help, not just hope. She listened, stunned.
Speaker 2: Then she began to laugh, not the tired kind, but
Speaker 2: a rich, warm laugh that filled the little cottage like sunlight.
Speaker 2: And outside, the lantern flakes over their roof shone so
Speaker 2: brightly they looked like tiny stars dancing. The next morning,
Speaker 2: Lantern Hill felt different. Missus Kettle opened her curtains wide,
Speaker 2: the penfolds set up their kindness jar. Mister Hanley whistled
Speaker 2: while fixing a child's sled. Tom's mother chatted with the
Speaker 2: baker about a job. Nana May cooked enough soup to
Speaker 2: feed half the village, and when evening came, the whole
Speaker 2: town gathered at the spruce tree, now fully glowing with
Speaker 2: both lantern snow and the warmth of real kindness. Elsie
Speaker 2: stood between Tom and Nana. The air hummed with laughter, carols,
Speaker 2: and Barker's excited barking. The villagers seemed closer, as if
Speaker 2: the cold had pushed them together rather than apart. Nana
Speaker 2: leaned down and whispered, you see, loves Christmas isn't made
Speaker 2: of snow or trees or presents. It's made of people,
Speaker 2: of belonging lanterns inside hearts. That's magic. No snow can melt.
Speaker 2: The glowing flakes lifted from the branches, drifting up into
Speaker 2: the sky like a sky full of tiny lanterns returning home.
Speaker 2: Elsie watched them go. Do you think they'll come back
Speaker 2: next year? Magic never copies itself. Nana said, next year
Speaker 2: will bring something new. But the light you planted that stays.
Speaker 2: Tom smiled at Elsie. His eyes were brighter than any snowflake.
Speaker 2: From that night on Lantern Hill was never quite the same.
Speaker 2: It wasn't the glowing snow that changed it, but the
Speaker 2: way people remembered how to look out for one another,
Speaker 2: the way kindness settled in like a lantern that refused
Speaker 2: to go out. And sometimes if you looked out of
Speaker 2: your window on a quiet December night, you could swear
Speaker 2: you saw a tiny flicker in the dark sky, like
Speaker 2: a snowflake carrying a light, reminding the village that belonging
Speaker 2: is the brightest Christmas gift of all. Snow had a
Speaker 2: quiet way of arriving in Lantern Hill, as though it
Speaker 2: didn't want to bother anyone. It didn't come with howling
Speaker 2: wind or thick swirls, but with a shy hush, like
Speaker 2: someone tapping gently on a door to ask if they
Speaker 2: might come in. On the first morning of December, Elsie
Speaker 2: Rowan stood with her chin pressed to her grandmother's window,
Speaker 2: leaving foggy patches on the glass. She traced little hearts
Speaker 2: in the mist with her fingertip and dreamily. If I
Speaker 2: were snow, she said to herself, I'd fall only where
Speaker 2: people needed Christmas the most. Behind her, Nana May clicked
Speaker 2: her knitting needles together. She had the kind of voice
Speaker 2: that sounded as though it had been warmed by TEA.
Speaker 2: Careful what you say, Elsie. Snow has ears this time
Speaker 2: of year, Elsie turned, half grinning. Snow doesn't listen, Nana. Hmmm,
Speaker 2: Nana replied, with a spark in her eye. Only some snow.
Speaker 2: Before Elsie could question her, a single snowflake drifted past
Speaker 2: the glass. At first she thought her eyes were tricking her,
Speaker 2: but then it came closer. It didn't fall fast, the
Speaker 2: way a snowflake usually does. It floated slowly, lasily, glowing faintly,
Speaker 2: as though a tiny lantern had been tucked inside it.
Speaker 2: Elsie's mouth fell open. Another glowing flake followed, and then another.
Speaker 2: They moved like feathers caught in candlelight, everyone shining softly. Nana.
Speaker 2: Elsie whispered, yes, child, is that normal? Nana Mae stood up,
Speaker 2: her joints creaking like old floorboards, and peered out the window. Oh,
Speaker 2: she said, with a satisfied nod. We've been sent lantern
Speaker 2: snow this year, lantern snow. Elsie echoed, best you go outside.
Speaker 2: Nana replied, you'll see soon enough. Elsie grabbed her scarf,
Speaker 2: rushed into her boots without bothering to untie them properly,
Speaker 2: and burst into the street. The crooked rooftops of Lantern
Speaker 2: Hill were dusted with sparkling white. The baker, mister Miller,
Speaker 2: was hanging his wreath when he spotted the glow. He
Speaker 2: stared so long that he forgot to let go of
Speaker 2: the ribbon, and the wreath dangled sideways, making the door
Speaker 2: look surprised. The Penfold twins, always bickering outside their sweet shop,
Speaker 2: stopped mid argument with a shared gasp. Even Missus Penfold's
Speaker 2: famously stubborn dog stopped barking mid sentence mid wolf. The
Speaker 2: glowing snowflakes drifted toward the tall spruce tree in the
Speaker 2: village square. Usually the villagers decorated it a week before
Speaker 2: Christmas with paper stars, old baubles, and sometimes a crooked
Speaker 2: angel if someone could find her in a d dusty box.
Speaker 2: But this year the snow beat them to it. The
Speaker 2: glimmering snow settled along the branches sticking like pearly lights.
Speaker 2: The tree shimmered brighter and brighter, until it looked as
Speaker 2: though someone had bottled starlight and poured it over every needle.
Speaker 2: Elsie stepped closer, awestruck. It's decorating itself. A voice beside
Speaker 2: her replied, or maybe it's choosing who to help. Elsie
Speaker 2: turned to find a boy her age, with messy hair,
Speaker 2: oversized coat, and boots that looked ready to give up.
Speaker 2: She'd never seen him before. He introduced himself quietly. I'm
Speaker 2: Tom my mum and I just ended up here temporarily.
Speaker 2: Temporarily sounded heavy, as if he'd said it many times before,
Speaker 2: in men any different places. Elsie brightened. I'm Elsie. I
Speaker 2: live with Nana. May you're just in time for the
Speaker 2: tree lighting. Tom shrugged. We're not staying long. My mum says.
Speaker 2: We never fit anywhere. People don't really listen, not even
Speaker 2: at Christmas. Elsie blinked. Something inside his voice hurt a
Speaker 2: little well, she said, Maybe this snow is different, Maybe
Speaker 2: it's listening. Oh sure, Tom muttered, magic snowflakes that make
Speaker 2: everything better. Before Elsie could answer, the lantern snow began swirling, gently,
Speaker 2: moving in a slow spiral above the tree, and then,
Speaker 2: clear as a bell, a soft voice seemed to echo
Speaker 2: through the air. Not loud, not frightening, but as though
Speaker 2: the world it's self was humming. Lanterns of winter, Lanterns
Speaker 2: of light carry kindness through the night. The villagers gasped.
Speaker 2: The tree glowed even brighter. Tom stepped back. Startled, Elsie
Speaker 2: whirled around, expecting to see a singer, but there was
Speaker 2: no one, only the glowing flakes shining in the branches.
Speaker 2: Then she noticed Nana May standing calmly at the edge
Speaker 2: of the square, smiling like this was not frightening or
Speaker 2: surprising at all. Looks like it's starting, Nana called, cheerfully.
Speaker 2: What starting, Elsie shouted back. You'll find out at midnight,
Speaker 2: Nana replied, Bring Tom. Magic works best when shared. Tom
Speaker 2: blinked rapidly. Magic Nana winked, and this disappeared down the street,
Speaker 2: leaving them utterly bewildered. Throughout the afternoon, Lanton Hill buzzed
Speaker 2: with nervous chatter. Was the tree bewitched? Were the lights
Speaker 2: a trick? Was it a sign of a wonderful Christmas
Speaker 2: or a very strange one? Missus Penfold's dog tried to
Speaker 2: eat a glowing flake and sneezed sparkles for ten minutes,
Speaker 2: which did little to calm anyone's nerves. By evening, the
Speaker 2: lantern snow still shimmered faintly, as though the entire village
Speaker 2: had its own heartbeat. At midnight, Elsie and Tom crept
Speaker 2: from their houses, wrapped tightly in scarves, crunching through the
Speaker 2: gentle snow. They weren't alone. A few villagers stood nearby,
Speaker 2: pretending they hadn't come to watch something magical. They leaned
Speaker 2: against lamp posts, costs, studied menus, stuck to closed cafe doors,
Speaker 2: and pet bark of the dog for no reason at all.
Speaker 2: Nana May waited beneath the shimmering tree, holding a small
Speaker 2: wooden box. She looked like a tiny wizard wrapped in wool.
Speaker 2: You made it, she said, proudly. What's in the box?
Speaker 2: Tom asked cautiously. This, Nana said, as she opened it
Speaker 2: is how we grow Christmas. Inside were acorns, ordinary brown acorns.
Speaker 2: Tom frowned, that's it, acorns, Nana chuckled. Ah, you see acorns,
Speaker 2: I see lantern seeds. These grow only when kindness is planted.
Speaker 2: She picked one up Immediately, a glowing snowflake floated down
Speaker 2: and rested on it. The acorn shimmered faintly, as though
Speaker 2: it had swallowed a spark. Lantern snow comes, Nana said,
Speaker 2: when people forget what Christmas is for, it's not about
Speaker 2: lights or gifts or perfect dinners. It's about belonging. She
Speaker 2: turned to Tom. These seeds grow not in soil, but
Speaker 2: in choices. You earn them with wishes, not for yourself,
Speaker 2: but for someone else. Elsie held her breath. Tom stared
Speaker 2: at the glowing acorn. He looked at the windows of
Speaker 2: the houses around him, some dark, some lonely. His voice
Speaker 2: came out very small. I wish my mom could laugh again,
Speaker 2: he whispered, like she used to, not forced, not tired,
Speaker 2: really laugh. I don't know how I just miss it.
Speaker 2: The acorn in Nana's hand glowed brighter. A wish for
Speaker 2: someone you love, she said, softly, that's real magic. Nana
Speaker 2: placed the acorn into Tom's hand. It was warm, almost alive.
Speaker 2: Then she turned to Elsie, and you, my girl. Elsie
Speaker 2: thought of the quiet houses, the people who kept to themselves,
Speaker 2: the way the village seemed friendly yet distant, like everyone
Speaker 2: lived together, but separately. I want everyone here to feel
Speaker 2: like they belong just for tonight, even if they've never
Speaker 2: felt it before. Her acorn glowed as brightly as Tom's.
Speaker 2: Then you both have work to do, Nana said, with
Speaker 2: a nod. Plant your wishes through kindness. You'll know where
Speaker 2: to go. The lantern snow will guide you, and it did.
Speaker 2: The glowing flakes drifted from the tree and floated through
Speaker 2: the village, hovering near certain windows, waiting like tiny, watchful lanterns.
Speaker 2: Tom and Elsie followed them. At missus Kettle's house, Tom knocked,
Speaker 2: she answered, grumpily, wrapped in an old shawl. Before she
Speaker 2: could bark at them, Tom pointed at her loose window latch.
Speaker 2: I can fix that for you, he said quickly. Snow's
Speaker 2: coming in. She hesitated, Well, I suppose if you're already here.
Speaker 2: While Tom fiddled with the latch, Elsie made tea. She
Speaker 2: placed a paper snowflake on missus Kettle's mantle, beside an
Speaker 2: old photograph of her husband Bill. Missus Kettle stared at
Speaker 2: it silently, her eyes softened. He loved making those, she whispered.
Speaker 2: The lantern flakes above her house pulsed gently, then drifted
Speaker 2: away as if satisfied. Next, the penfold twins in the
Speaker 2: sweet shop sat crying quietly between boxes of tangled lights.
Speaker 2: We heard Mum and Dad talking. One mumbled they might
Speaker 2: sell the shop. Tom suggested something bold. Start a kindness jar.
Speaker 2: People can buy a sweet for someone who can't afford one.
Speaker 2: Make generosity part of the shop. The boy's sniffed, eyes
Speaker 2: widening that could work. Glowing flakes sparkled around the jars
Speaker 2: of sweets before drifting onward. At mister Hanley's house, Elsie
Speaker 2: shyly handed him a small, handmade card that simply said
Speaker 2: thank you for fixing things for everyone. He blinked, stunned,
Speaker 2: No one's ever thanked me for that, not properly, He
Speaker 2: pinned the card above his workbench. Lantern flakes floated away joyfully.
Speaker 2: Finally they reached Tom's cottage. Several glowing flakes circled the
Speaker 2: door eagerly. Elsie squeezed his arm. This is your seed,
Speaker 2: your wish. Tom nodded. His breath turned to mist in
Speaker 2: the cold air. He took a deep breath and went inside.
Speaker 2: He found his mother by the table with a single
Speaker 2: candle lit. He sat with her and for the first
Speaker 2: time in a long while. He told the truth that
Speaker 2: he liked Lantern Hill, that he wanted to stay, that
Speaker 2: he missed her laughter, and he would try to help,
Speaker 2: not just hoe loop. She listened, stunned. Then she began
Speaker 2: to laugh, not the tired kind, but a rich, warm
Speaker 2: laugh that filled the little cottage like sunlight, and outside,
Speaker 2: the lantern flakes over their roof shone so brightly they
Speaker 2: looked like tiny stars dancing. The next morning, Lantern Hill
Speaker 2: felt different. Missus Kettle opened her curtains wide, the penfolds
Speaker 2: set up their kindness jar. Mister Hanley whistled while fixing
Speaker 2: a child's sled. Tom's mother chatted with the baker about
Speaker 2: a job. Nana May cooked enough soup to feed half
Speaker 2: the village, and when evening came, the whole town gathered
Speaker 2: at the spruce tree, now fully glowing with both lantern
Speaker 2: snow and the warmth of real kindness. Elsie stood between
Speaker 2: Tom and Nana. The air hummed with laughter, carols, and
Speaker 2: Barker's excited barking. The villagers seemed closer, as if the
Speaker 2: cold had pushed them together rather than apart. Nana leaned
Speaker 2: down and whispered, you see loves. Christmas isn't made of
Speaker 2: snow or trees or presents. It's made of people of belonging.
Speaker 2: You lit lanterns inside hearts. That's magic. No snow can melt.
Speaker 2: The glowing flakes lifted from the branches, drifting up into
Speaker 2: the sky like a sky full of tiny lanterns returning home.
Speaker 2: Elsie watched them go. Do you think they'll come back
Speaker 2: next year? Magic never copies itself, Nana said, next year
Speaker 2: will bring something new. But the light you planted that stays.
Speaker 2: Tom smiled at Elsie. His eyes were brighter than any snowflake.
Speaker 2: From that night on Lantern Hill was never quite the same.
Speaker 2: It wasn't the glowing snow that changed it, but the
Speaker 2: way people remembered how to look out for one another,
Speaker 2: the way kindness settled in like a lantern that refused
Speaker 2: to go out. And sometimes if you looked out of
Speaker 2: your window on a quiet December night, you could swear
Speaker 2: you saw a tiny flicker in the dark sky, like
Speaker 2: a snowflake carrying a light, reminding the village that belonging
Speaker 2: is the brightest Christmas gift of all.
Speaker 3: St it.
Speaker 4: Boil Sta Mo