“Wow! It skips!” the bear said when he saw Little Pine coming down the trail.

“Hi, Mr. Bear! I’m Little Pine. Welcome to the Festival!” Little Pine said.

“You move! I mean, you don’t just bend in the wind. I saw you skipping right down the trail!” the bear said.

“Well, don’t tell any humans! Only their children know, and by the time they grow up, they think they made it up. We work hard to keep it that way. They can be unpredictable, those human grown-ups, you know. Our number one rule is never to let them see us move—except, as you said, to let our branches dance in the wind.”

The bear blinked and then smiled. “Oh my! Where are my manners! Thank you for your welcome. I’m Tuffy, a healing bear. And I’m delighted to be here for your Festival season.

“I totally understand about the humans, by the way. My kind has the same rule, and only the wee ones know that we’re alive. The big ones think we’re toys.”

“What do you mean when you say you’re a healing bear?” Little Pine said. “And where did you get that big apple?”

Tuffy Bear laughed. He liked this little tree. “Well,” he said, “all bears have healing power. A hug from a bear can do wonders to soothe anything that ails you. That’s because we’re all made with love. But some bears have special healing powers. We get to go to humans’ hospitals and are given as gifts to people of all ages who are sick or injured and scared. We let them know that they are loved, and that everything will be okay, no matter what. We whisper comforting stories in their ears when they sleep so they will have sweet dreams.

“Of course we help all kinds of critters; not just the humans. Wherever there’s hurting, we’re at work.

“I brought this big apple from my special supply. It’s a tradition among healing bears to give them to those who have recovered their health. We tell them ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away.’ They’re always happy to hear that and pay us back with hugs and smiles. This one is going to be my Festival gift. But I brought a whole sack of them with me. You never know when somebody is going to need a healing bear, after all. I wanted to be ready.”

“That’s a wonderful talent you have,” Little Pine said. “Grandmother Bear told me that my special gift is Friendship, and I am proud to have you as my new friend.”

“Oh, you’ve met Grandmother Bear, then. Do you happen to know where I can find her? I want to let her know that I’m here,” Tuffy said.

“Sure. See that path down by the pond? Follow it to its end. It will lead you to our Grandfather Pine’s area where all the visiting bears are staying. Grandmother Bear will be there. She’s greeting all the bears and helping them settle in. My mother told me that she’d heard quite a few have arrived now, and that they’re having great fun.

“I’d go with you, Tuffy, but I think Mother Elf and the Gingermans need my help this morning. Maybe I’ll stop by this afternoon and see how you’re doing.

“Oh, and before you go, here’s a little welcome present,” said Little Pine, reaching in his pocket for a fun bubble.

Tuffy looked at it with big eyes. It was wiggly and shimmering and so very pretty. “Why, thank you! What is it?”

“Take it! You’ll see!” giggled Little Pine.

And when Tuffy took the bubble it burst into an enormous shower of apple blossoms that filled the air with music and a wonderful perfume. And whenever they landed on Tuffy, they turned into kisses, and sang ‘Thank you! Thank you!’ making Tuffy so happy that he almost cried.

“Have a beautiful day, Tuffy,” Little Pine said, touched by the sight and turning down the trail to the Elf house. “And if you see Sugar Bear, tell her I said hello!”

Little Pine fell asleep thinking about Sugar Bear. What a sweet creature she was! He wished bears like her would come to live in his woods. Then maybe, when he was bigger, they would climb his branches, hugging him with their furry limbs. Bear hugs, he thought, must be wonderful. Especially if the giver was a bear like Sugar Bear.

Soon he was sound asleep, his mind full of nothing but star-spangled sky. He drifted there for quite a while before he began to dream.

At first the dreams were replays of the day’s events. He dreamed he was in Mother Elf’s kitchen and that fragrant freshly-baked treats were stacked in towers that reached to the ceiling and pressed against all the walls, making them bulge. As fast as the elf brothers could haul them away to hide in the tree hollows, Mother Elf and Jeffrey Gingerman would pull more of them from the oven. He dreamed he was running through the forest with the elves, helping them hide the maple leaf candies and the winterberry muffins in every nook of every tree. And then he dreamed about the fun bubble exploding and the elves laughing as they rode its light streams around and around the decorated tree by their tool shop.

Finally the dreams faded and once more he drifted through a deep darkness lit only by twinkling stars. He floated there for a long time before a faint pink light began to fill the space. He dreamed that the pink was filled with rosy pine needles and streamers of some kind, and then, as the vision came into focus, he saw a beautiful bird in its center. Its wings were lavender and pink with a whisper of pale gold, and its body was pale gold, too, and reflected the lavender and pink. He had never seen anything like it in the woods. It must be a creature of the dream world, born of the starlit sky.

“Greetings, Little Pine,” it said to him in his dreams. “I am a messenger of the Great Yes, sent to tell you that the song of your heart fills your woods with joy. You lift the spirits of all you encounter with your cheerfulness and your respectful manner. And we thank you for that.

“It may seem to you that you are nothing but a little tree, one of many in a woodland full of trees. You do not think of yourself as important or special, and that is part of your sweetness.

“But your cheerfulness matters a great deal, Little Pine. It helps to balance the hurt and suffering in the world, and more of that exists than you will ever know. Because your heart sings with friendship and love, Little Pine, you add to the healing of the world.

“I have come to thank you for being exactly who you are, and to tell you that you are known, and loved, more than you can even dream. Carry on, dear child, with your mission of joy. Be undaunted in the face of darkness. Even as you celebrate the life-giving of the Great Light’s return, we celebrate the light in your heart. May it shine brightly forever.”

And with that, the vision began to fade, and Little Pine felt his heart float high, high into the nighttime sky. And when he woke the next morning, he was bursting with gladness.

The day’s light was dimming quickly when Little Pine said goodbye to the elves. He was thinking about how fun it would be to tell his mother about his day’s adventures as he turned homeward. Then he remembered that he was supposed to stop by the Elf house to pick up treats for her.

Mother Elf had a fancy package wrapped and ready when he knocked on the door. Little Pine thanked her and said he had to hurry home or he would be late for supper. “Wait until you hear about the elves adventure today! Be prepared for extra laughter!” he said as he told Mother Elf and the Gingermans goodbye.

He had taken only a step or two away from the door when he heard a little, “Hello!” coming from the decorated tree at the bottom of the porch.

“Oh! Hello!” he said. “I’m Little Pine. Welcome to our woods!” He recognized the creature as a bear, even though he didn’t know they could be all white.

“Thank you, Little Pine. I’m Sugar Bear, and I’ve come for your Festival. Would you happen to know where I can find Grandmother Bear?”

“I’m so glad you could come, Sugar. This is a wonderful time of year for us, and your company will make it even more fun.

“Our oldest pine, Grandfather Pine, has invited all the bear guests to stay with him. So far, Grandmother Bear is the only bear I’ve met, until you. But Grandmother said a lot of bears are coming from all over.

“Walk with me and I’ll show you the path to Grandfather’s end of the pond. It’s right on my way home.”

Little Pine and Sugar Bear ambled down the trail chatting with each other. Sugar said she loved the snow. It matched her fur and when she walked through it, she felt as if she were a giant snowflake. She liked to catch the big, lacy flakes like the ones that were falling around them on her tongue. “Me, too!” said Little Pine, and the two of them laughed as they walked along with their tongues out, catching the flakes.

“I got three that time,” said Little Pine.

“I got four!” sang Sugar Bear with glee.

Sugar Bear hadn’t met the elves yet, she said. The only creature she saw was a squirrel who directed her to their home. She was just about to knock on their door when Little Pine came out.

“Where did you get the big candy cane?” Little Pine asked.

“Oh, I brought it with me from home to give as a gift at the Festival,” Sugar said.

“It’s beautiful,” Little Pine said. “And I’m sure you’ll receive something wonderful in exchange. The gift-giving is a special part of the Festival ceremony. You’ll see.”

It was almost dark when they got to the branch in the trail where the path led around the pond to Grandfather Pine’s home.

“It’s an easy path to follow,” Little Pine said. “Even in the snow, you shouldn’t have any trouble. But if you like, I’ll be happy to go with you.”

“Oh, I can see in the dim light very well, Little Pine, and you need to get home for supper. I’m sure I will be fine. But thank you for your offer. I’ll look forward to seeing you again.”

“I’ll look forward to seeing you, again, too,” Little Pine said. “And before you go, I have a present for you.”

He reached in his pocket and pulled out a fun bubble. It glowed with light and wiggled in his hand. “What’s this?” she said as he handed it to her. But before he could even answer, the bubble burst, and dozens of tiny white birds appeared, twinkling with an inner light, and singing “Follow me! Follow me!” as they headed down the path toward Grandfather Pine’s home.

And that’s just what she did.

“Calling all elves! Calling all elves!” Little Pine sang out as he walked to the tree where Josie told him they were resting after eating their lunch. “Here I come, ready or not!”

The elves loved to play hide and seek. It was one of their favorite games. They weren’t any good at it though because it was so much fun that they couldn’t help but giggle, and the sound always gave them away. But Little Pine pretended that he didn’t hear them.

“Where could they be?” he said as he walked around the decorated pine lifting its branches. “Are they here? No, not here. Maybe they’re under here. No. They’re not here either. Where or where could they be!”

His efforts only made them giggle harder, despite their best efforts.

Finally he lifted the branch where they were hiding. “There you are! I found you at last!” he said.

“Oh, Little Pine, you’re just too clever for us,” said the oldest of the three. “Merry Festival!”

Little Pine laughed. “Merry Festival to you, too. How’s your work going? You did a splendid job with this tree. It’s absolutely gorgeous!”

“Thanks, Little Pine,” the middle brother said. “We have acres and acres to go yet. But right now we’re stuffed. Josie Gingerman brought us a huge, wonderful lunch.”

“Yes,” Little Pine said. “I met her on the trail. I met her husband, Jeffrey, at your house earlier, baking goodies with your Mom. Before they finish, their Festival treats are going to be piled as high as the ceiling!”

“We’re going to hide them all over the woods as soon as we finish decorating the drums,” the youngest elf said. “We learned that bears like to dig in the hollows of trees to find treats, and we want to make sure that everywhere they look they’ll find one. Of course we’re not going to hide them all! We’ll have plenty for all the other critters for the Festival Day celebration, too. Not to mention that we need a good supply to keep us working elves whistling as we work!”

“Well, yes,” said Little Pine. “I know that’s important. There’s nothing sadder than a hungry elf.”

The elves giggled at his teasing. “Say, what’s in your basket?” asked the youngest elf.

“Oh, I’m glad you asked,” said Little Pine. “It’s something very special—just for you three. It’s a present from the Spirits of Fun. A giant Tweety Bird brought it on a big red UFO!”

The elves laughed at his story. A Tweety Bird! A UFO! That Little Pine sure could make up some amazing tales.

“Really!” Little Pine laughed, as he pulled the glistening purple and gold fun bubble from his basket. “But I can’t just give it to you. You have to catch it.”

Little Pine had remembered Tweety Bird’s warning to stand back and he took six giant steps backwards and held the bubble in front of his chest as if he were going to hurl a basketball into a hoop. “Ready?” he said.

The three elves leaped to their feet, full of anticipation. “Ready!” they sang.

“Okay, then. One—Two—Three!” shouted Little Pine, tossing the bubble with all his might.

It floated directly above the elves and then slowly descended right over their heads. All together the three of them leaped into the air, grabbing for the bubble. And when their hands touched it, it exploded in fireworks and confetti and streamers that shot out in every direction. And every streamer and piece of confetti whistled a tune, and the fireworks turned to dancing light that whooshed around the three elves to the sound of Festival music and laughter.

Never had the elves been so surprised! For a moment, they couldn’t even move. But then each one grabbed a ribbon of circling light and rode it around and around the tree in big circles, laughing until they all finally fell to snowy ground below.

Little Pine had laughed so hard at the sight that he fell down beside them, holding his sides. “What a show!” he said, catching his breath.

“That’s the best present we every got!” said the oldest brother.

“The Spirits of Fun said to tell you it was meant to return to you some of the joy that you unfailingly bring to others,” said Little Pine, “and because you keep the Great Light in your hearts all year long, even in the darkest season.

“And you know what? I think that they were right.”

A light snow began to fall as Little Pine skipped down Holly Trail in the direction Mother Elf suggested. When he heard laughter and whistling, he knew he was on the right path. Those elves couldn’t do a thing without whistling happy tunes. Besides, this was where they built their workshop to keep their tools, a likely place to find them.

He was just nearing it when Josie Gingerman appeared. He knew who she was right away, of course, because she looked so much like her husband, Jeffrey.

“Hi, Josie Gingerman!” he waved, “Welcome to the Festival! I’m Little Pine.”

“Happy Festival to you, too, Little Pine! It’s nice to meet you. I just gave your elf friends some lunch. They were hoping to see you. They’re taking a break in that tree over there, just outside the workshop door.”

“Oh, good! I met your husband at the elves’ house a few minutes ago. He and Mother Elf are up to their elbows in treats. It was so nice of you to come and help.”

Josie laughed. “Well, we hear you’re expecting a hungry crowd,” she said. “And we were born to help others. It’s our biggest joy. Life just seems more wonderful when you can put a smile on somebody’s face. And we discovered that our baking talents give us a great way to make smiles. ‘Happy tummies make happy faces,’ Jeffrey always says.

“I’m not sure what my talent is yet,” Little Pine said. “But I know that making people smile makes me smile, too.”

“Usually we find that our best talents are tied to the things that we like to do best. What do you do enjoy doing most, Little Pine?” Josie asked.

“Hmmmm,” Little Pine said thoughtfully. “I like learning the songs that the waterfall sings. When I sing them to my mother at night, she laughs. And I like telling her stories about my adventures. I like to dance in the wind, too. I can do that even when humans are near and I see them smile when they watch me dance. But I think that most of all I like visiting my friends. I know almost everybody in the whole woods.”

“Ah,” said Josie, “visiting is a wonderful talent. It heals loneliness and lets others know that someone cares about them. One of the happiest sounds I know is a friendly tapping at my door.”

“I never thought of it as a talent before, Josie,” Little Pine said. “It just seems as if my day isn’t complete if I haven’t visited with a friend or two.”

“That’s beautiful, Little Pine. I’d say Friendship is your special gift.”

Little Pine got a big grin on his face. “I’ll bet it’s one of your gifts, too,” he told Josie.

The snowflakes were getting bigger now, falling in pretty lacy flakes. “Can you find your way back to the elves’ house okay? Would you like me to go with you?”

“Oh, I’m sure I can find it,” Josie said. “Besides, your elf friends are waiting for you.”

“Well, have a happy day, Josie. It was a special treat just to meet you. Oh, and before you leave, here’s a little Welcome present,” said Little Pine, reaching into his pocket for a happy bubble. He handed it to her, wondering what this one held.

Josie took the bubble and, like all the others, it burst into song and a thousand glittering smiles of every shape and size floated among the snowflakes in the air.

Josie laughed and hugged Little Pine goodbye. “Stop by on your way home for some treats for your mother,” she said.

“Thank you! I’ll do that, Little Pine said. Then he watched her head down the trail with twinkling smiles falling all around her.

Little Pine could see lights twinkling as he made the last bend in the trail leading to the Elves’ house. How wonderful! They had decorated already! He began skipping merrily up the path.

He was admiring all the sparkling lights and bright ribbons when suddenly a creature unlike any he’d ever seen before emerged from behind one of the trees. He stopped in his tracks, holding perfectly still, and stared at it, wondering if it was a tiny human, wondering if it had seen him skipping. He was quaking in his roots.

“Hi there! You must be Little Pine! Don’t be scared. I’m Jeffrey Gingerman, Mother Elf’s cousin. She told me a little tree like you might come to call.”

Little Pine didn’t dare breathe. This little guy sounded friendly. And if he was a cousin of Mother Elf’s, he couldn’t be a real human, could he? But he sure looked an awful lot like one.

“Oh, it’s okay, Little Pine,” Jeffrey said, as if he was hearing Little Pine’s thoughts. “I’m not a human. I’m made of gingerbread. Look—no nose, no ears. See?”

“Whew!” breathed Little Pine, convinced the little fellow wasn’t a human. “Hello, Jeffrey Gingerman! You had me scared for a minute. But I am glad to meet you!”

“I just came out to gather a couple more eggs,” Jeffrey said. “The cardinals and jays are laying some in this nest here just to help us out. Grab a couple and c’mon in. Mother Elf and I are baking.”

A few minutes later, the two of them brought the fresh eggs into Mother Elf’s kitchen. “Little Pine! How nice to see you!” Mother Elf smiled. “I see you have met Cousin Jeffrey.”

Little Pine laughed shyly and said, “Good Morning, Mother Elf. Yes, Jeffrey gave me quite a scare for a moment. I thought he might be a human who saw me skipping.”

“I’m sorry you were frightened, Little Pine. But I don’t think you have to worry about humans today. Besides, the crows surely would have warned you if a human was nearby. Your scare probably made you a little hungry. Would you like to sample a maple sugar leaf?”

Suddenly Little Pine noticed that the table was heaped with candies and muffins and cakes and pies.

“Wow! You sure are baking up a storm, Mother Elf!”

“Well,” she laughed, “We need extra treats for the Festival this year. We got word that a lot of bears are coming, and that they love their sweets. Actually, that’s why Jeffrey and Josie are here. They’re expert bakers and when I put out the call to the Elf family that I could use some help, they came right away.”

Little Pine took a bite of the maple sugar leaf that Mother Elf had handed to him. “Mmmm!” he smiled. “This is delicious!”

“Jeffrey made them. They’re quite a special treat, aren’t they!”

“They’re wonderful! Jeffrey, thank you! And say, who is Josie? Will I meet her, too?”

“I’m pleased that you like the candies, Little Pine. Josie is my wife. She’s gone out to take a basket of cookies to the elves. They’re hard at work decorating the stumps, you know. I’m sure you’ll meet her later.”

“How did the two of you learn to make such wonderful treats?” Little Pine asked.

“Oh, we were both born in kitchens in a big human bakery. When we popped out of our ovens, a fairy came by, waved her wand over us, and we came to life. It was Festival season then, too. And the fairies were looking for creatures who might want to help prepare. So they brought us to life and put us in the woods.

And every year, we do everything we can to help fill the Festival season with cheer. The return of the Great Light means the Light of Life to us. So it’s a special time, and our great honor is to add to its sweetness for all.”

“That’s a beautiful story, Jeffrey,” Little Pine said. “I can’t wait to tell it to my mom tonight. But first, I want to find the elves. I have a present for them. Oh! And I have presents for you, too!”

And with that, Little Pine reached into his pocket and brought out two of the magical happy bubbles. He gave one to Mother Elf and one to Jeffrey. And when they took them, the bubbles burst and the air filled with music and with the fragrances of vanilla and cinnamon, ginger and oranges, honey and chocolate and everything sweet and good to eat.

Mother Elf and Jeffrey laughed in surprise and did a little happy dance all around the kitchen. Mother Elf told Little Pine where the elves might be found, and he set off down the trail, delicious smells following him all the way.

After breakfast, Little Pine put the big fun bubble that the Spirits of Fun had sent for the elves in a pine cone basket and set off to find them.  That wasn’t always easy, particularly this time of year.  They could be anywhere in the woods decorating the stumps of fallen trees with bits of fungus and moss.  On Festival Day, all the squirrels and chipmunks would come to use the stumps as drums during the Grand March and the elves always made sure that the drums looked as wonderful as they sounded.

Little Pine stuffed his pockets with more of the fun bubbles to pass out to anyone else he met along the way.  He would go to the elves’ house first.  Even if they were out working, he could give a fun bubble to Mother Elf, and she might know where he could look for them.  Besides, she would probably be baking treats for the festival, and she just might offer him a taste or two.

He was just two bends of the trail away from the Elf house when a flicker of color caught his eye.  And what he saw stopped him in his tracks.  “Wow! Hello!” he said to one of the prettiest little creatures he ever saw.  “My name is Little Pine.  Who are you?”

“Hello, Little Pine,” the fragile creature smiled.  “I’m Princess Rose, one of the flower fairies of the roses.  It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Have you come for the Festival?” Little Pine asked.  “I hope you’re not looking for your roses.  I’m afraid they’re all sound asleep this time of year.”

“Yes, Little Pine, I am here for the Festival.  And while it’s true that all the wild roses are deep in their winter dreams, in the nearby land where humans live, some roses grow even this time of year.  The humans keep them warm and fed in their own little indoor gardens. 

“Humans have a special place in their hearts for flowers, and they’re especially fond of roses.  They give them as gifts to each other to celebrate all kinds of lovely things—love, friendship, achievements, the birth of babies.  And they give them as gifts of comfort in times of sorrow.

“They have their own versions of the Festival of Light and they will be sending roses to each other by the thousands.   My job is to encourage the roses to bloom their brightest and to give off their best perfumes. I thank them for the beauty and joy they add to the world.

“But while I was in the area this year, I thought I’d stop in and visit your woods.  Your Festival is quite famous, you know.  I’m looking forward to seeing it.”

“That’s wonderful!” Little Bear said.  “Maybe you would like to be a part of the Grand March.  It happens at the very start of Festival Day, the day the Light returns.  All the creatures of the woods parade through the trees to the waterfall, and from there around the pond to the feet of Grandfather Pine, our eldest tree. When everyone is there, they join in a song about the triumph of the light.  Do you think that you would like to join us?”

“That would be splendid, Little Pine!  Yes, I’ll gladly accept your gracious invitation, thank you.  I’ll see you again before them, I’m sure.  But right now I have to be off.  I’m meeting some of the other flower fairies for tea.”

“They’re welcome to be in the Grand March, too,” said Little Pine.  “Please be sure to extend an invitation to them.  I offer it on behalf of all the creatures of the woods.”

“Why, thank you!  I’ll do that, Little Pine.  Until we meet again, may your eyes see beauty and your heart feel love.”

“Same to you, Princess Rose.  Oh!  And here, take this,” Little Pine said, reaching into his pocket for a fun bubble.

As soon as he handed it to her, it burst into a shower of laughter and sparkling pink, coral, red, white and yellow lights that looked like tiny roses.   “Happy Festival, Princess!” said Little Pine as he skipped off down the trail.

“Happy Festival, Little Pine!” she laughed. Then she fluttered her rosy wings and flew away, a shower of laughing lights trailing behind her.

Mother Pine woke just after sunrise to the sound of uproarious laughter from her son. “Little Pine!” she said, bending down to talk to him, “What’s so funny?”

Little Pine was still brushing sleep and happy tears from his eyes. “Oh, Mom! I had such a dream! At least I think it was a dream,” he chortled, still wiggling with laughter.

“A great big UFO flew down from the sky. It was bright red and had pretty blinking lights all over it, and a giant Tweety Bird was riding on it singing all these funny whistling songs!”

“A Tweety Bird! A UFO! Oh, my!” laughed Mother. “Then what happened?”

“It landed! Right beside me! And Tweety unstrapped his seat belt and flew over to me chirping my name. ‘Little Pine! Wake up!’ he said, ‘I have a message for you!’”

“A message? What did he say?” Mother Pine asked.

“Well, I sat right up and asked him that very thing,” said Little Pine, “and then he made this deep bow and cleared his little birdie throat, and then he whistled a sort of Pay-Attention sound. ‘I bring you greetings, Little Pine, from the Spirits of Fun to let you know they are thinking of you and wish you a Festival Season filled with merriment and good cheer.’ Then he took a big green box from the UFO, tied with a bright red ribbon, and told me it was a gift for me from the Spirits of Fun.”

“Oh my!” said Mother Pine. “Did you open it?”

“Oh, yes,” said Little Pine. “Tweety insisted. So I took the lid off the box, and it was filled with all these sparkling bubbles.”

“Bubbles?” asked Mother Pine.

“Yes! They were all different colors and sizes and kind of squishy. I had no idea what they were, but they were awfully pretty. Tweety laughed at the expression on my face and told me they were magic bubbles, each one holding a hug or a tickle, a wink, or a laugh or a smile. I could fold them all in my pockets and pass them out to everyone I met, all Festival long.”

“What a wonderful gift!” Mother Pine said, smiling.

“And at the very bottom of the box, two especially large bubbles were jiggling, one was purple and gold, and Tweety said it was meant for the Elf Family. He said to stand back when I gave it to them because it was ready to burst with glee. Isn’t that funny? Imagine the elves enveloped in bursting glee!” Little Pine erupted in laughter just thinking of it, and Mother laughed, too.

When Little Pine caught his breath, he reached into his pocket and, almost as if he didn’t believe it would truly be there, he pulled out a large bubble, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. His mother’s eyes opened wide in surprise. Up until this moment, she was sure that his dream had been only a dream.

“And this one,” Little Pine said, “this one, Mom, is for you.”

He lifted the bubble up to her boughs, and when she accepted it, the bubble burst and a beautiful melody filled the air with a sound like a thousand birds singing. “He said it would fill you with love and laughter all season long,” Little Pine said, looking at his mother’s surprised and glowing face.

“Why, I think it will do just that, Little Pine. Thank you! And thank you, Tweety and Spirits of Fun. What a fine, fine way to start this beautiful day.”

Then she and Little Pine settled down for a breakfast of winterberry muffins. And all the while, little bursts of color and laughter popped all around them.

For weeks now, the days had been growing shorter and shorter. Little Pine used to play for hours after dinner, but now the sun set as he was eating. He didn’t mind. His leaf-friends had already gone for the year and most of the forest critters were hibernating or spending their time in their burrows or nests. Besides, he seemed to enjoy sleeping more now that the nights were long.

During the day, he explored the woods on his own or stopped by the elves’ home to ask them to play. Now that the days were growing cold, he seldom saw humans. He kept an eye out for them anyway, of course. He knew the rule: Always stand perfectly still whenever a human might see you.

Sometimes he would see a chipmunk or rabbit or squirrel on his travels, and if he was lucky, he might even see one of the deer. They were all his friends, and he liked telling his mother about his chats with them over dinner. He liked to visit the waterfall to listen to it sing, too, and his mother always laughed when he sang her the songs he learned there.

Mother Pine loved dinner time. She looked forward to hearing about the adventures Little Pine had enjoyed during the day. Today, she had just finished setting out maple seed stew when she heard Little Pine racing toward home shouting, “Mother! Mother! Wait ‘til I tell you who I met today!”

She made him rinse his boughs in the rain log and sit down. Then she smiled and said excitedly, “Well? Who did you meet, Little Pine?”

“A bear!” Little Pine said. “A beautiful bear standing in front of one of our cousins, and the cousin was all decorated with ribbons and lights! The bear said she was Grandmother Bear, and that she was here to begin preparing for the Festival of Light.” The words tumbled from Little Pine so fast that Mother Pine could only laugh at his excitement. “I didn’t know Festival time was coming already! I hadn’t even thought of it yet. No wonder the elves have been so hard to find. They must already be busy.

“I never saw a bear in the forest before, Mom. But Grandmother Bear said they lived nearby and many of them were coming for the Festival this year. Some were even traveling a great distance. Isn’t that wonderful? Bears! Imagine!”

Mother Pine was delighted with the news. She hadn’t seen a bear since she was a little pine herself. She knew, of course, that the Festival was approaching. She had intended to mention it to her son this very night. It was a happy time for them both, marking the return of the sun and the beginning of the season of snow and their long winter sleep.

They talked about past Festivals as they cleared away the dinner. Then Mother Pine tucked her son in for the night and wished him sweet dreams. He gave her a big hug and said he could hardly wait to see what surprises his dreams that night would bring. And with a smile on his face, he fell asleep, whispering, “Grandmother Bear! Imagine that! A real, beautiful bear!”