Mr. Penguin Sings the Opera: The Story of a Black and White Tie Event

Once there was a penguin named Emperor born on the Antarctic coastline in the Southern Hemisphere. Unlike most penguins, he loved to sing—even if his penguin friends and family didn’t appreciate his talent. 

“Aaah, aaah, la di da, la di da, la di da di da,” he sang, floating on the ice in the cold ocean water. 

“Oh, Emperor, is that you singing again?” Pete, one of his brother penguins teased him. “Penguins don’t sing.”

“Penguins do sing!” Emperor argued. “I am a penguin, and I sing. That’s the only proof you need.”

Then, one cold winter day when the sun was shining bright, he came across a pamphlet drifting in the ocean.

“What’s this?” he said, grabbing it with his beak and pulling it onto his thick ice raft. 

As he waddled to his igloo on the Antarctic shore, he spread the pamphlet across the ice-room table.

“‘The Marriage of Figaro’ by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the Metropolitan Opera House on Broadway at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City,” Emperor said, reading the pamphlet aloud. 

As he studied the booklet, he noticed a male vocalist named Alberto Matteo dressed in a black and white outfit.

“He’s dressed like me in a penguin suit with tails,” Emperor exclaimed. “We both love to sing! I’m born to sing the Opera. I’m already wearing my own penguin suit. I must go to New York City to Lincoln Center!”

“What’s that Emperor?” Blubber, his father said, snatching the pamphlet from him. “This man is dressed like a penguin!”

“Papa, he sings the Opera, and so do I,” Emperor said, “I’m leaving for New York City in the morning!”

“What do you mean you’re leaving?” Oceana, his mother cried. “You’ll never make it! You’ll drown in the ocean.”

“Your voice is so beautiful,” said Carol, one of his sister penguins. “The whole world deserves to hear it!”

“Why can’t you just be a penguin like the rest of us?” his father grumbled. “Why do you have to be special?”

“You just bring me so much joy!” his mother said in tears. “You can’t leave us! You’re my baby.”

“I must be courageous and fulfill my destiny,” Emperor proclaimed. “Once I build an igloo in New York City and start a career, then the whole family can visit me in North America. Maybe you can even live there with me!”

The next morning, the Antarctic penguin community stood on the shoreline and waved goodbye to Emperor.

“Goodbye, everyone, goodbye!” he called, tearing up a bit, as he watched his family and friends shake their heads at him. 

“I hope you make it to New York City in one piece,” his father chided him. “Who wants to sing the Opera?”

“I’m dressed in a penguin suit, too, but I don’t want to sing the Opera,” his brother Pete said. “I’ll miss you!”

“I love you so much!” his mother called. “I hope your ice raft doesn’t melt when you sail through the tropics.”

“I’m going to come visit you in New York City,” Carol cheered. “Send us a message when you get there.”

After saying farewell, Emperor set off on his ice raft with the pamphlet toward the Atlantic Ocean. Although the dark nights were lonely and stormy, he stayed on course for North America through the winds. 

“I’m bound for the Metropolitan Opera House where I’m going to sing the Opera like Alberto Matteo,” he sang. 

“You have such a lovely voice,” said a dolphin that suddenly swam to his side in the waves. “My name is Delfina Dominique. I like to sing, too. I’ve never met a penguin that can sing. What are you doing out here by yourself?”

“I’m on my way to New York Harbor to sing at the Metropolitan Opera House on Broadway,” Emperor said. 

“Well, of course you are,” Delfina said. “I’ll swim with you until you get there to keep the sharks away!”

Delfina’s dolphin family jumped out of the waves, singing, and making merry noises in the ocean. 

Every time a shark came near Emperor’s ice raft, the dolphins defended him with their hard noses, and Emperor just kept singing. “I’ll take the solos,” Emperor said, making up a new song with his adopted ocean family. 

On one especially long day, an albatross smoking a cigar landed on his ice raft without introduction or warning. 

“Oui, oui! My name is Jack. Might I just rest my wings awhile?” the bird said. “I’ve flown for days without landing.”

“Excuse me, sir, but this is my ice raft,” Emperor said, standing up straight and eyeing the bird. 

“Any sailor that meets an albatross in the ocean is bound for disaster!” Delfina told Emperor in a whisper.

“Oh no! I have to make it to New York City. I can’t be delayed by a silly old bird,” Emperor said firmly.

“I’m the luckiest of all the albatross because I just met you,” the bird said. “I have nowhere else to land, so it’s better that we just get along on this journey. Besides, I can swoop down and grab fish from the ocean for you.”

“If you insist,” Emperor said, considering how tasty a fish or three might feel in his stomach. 

As Delfina and her dolphin family kept the sharks away, Jack fished for supper for Emperor. 

“I wonder how many octaves I have in my voice,” Emperor said, practicing his scales. “I’ve got at least three!”

He looked at his ice raft, noticing it had shrunk in half since leaving Antarctica. “I do hope I make it soon!”

“You can always ride on my back,” Delfina said, “but I think your ice raft will last. It’s soon winter in New York.” 

            Persevering through miles of endless ocean waves, Emperor arrived weeks later in the New York City Harbor. Although his ice raft had shrunk in the warmer Northern ocean water, he still had enough to stand on.  

By that point, he had practiced hours and hours of Opera singing on the Atlantic Ocean waves. He floated around the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, paddling to shore alongside the Staten Island Ferry. 

“I’m so sad to say goodbye to you and your family, Delfina,” Emperor said, bending over to hug her in the ocean.

“I’m going with you to the Opera,” Jack said, accidentally cracking what was left of the ice raft. “I’m good luck!”

“Oh, I don’t know about that, Jack,” Emperor said, balancing himself in the Harbor. As Jack popped a fish into Emperor’s mouth, he climbed up the steps of the New York Harbor pier. “I’ve arrived in one piece!”

“I’m going to send word to your family back home that you made it safely to New York,” Delfina said. 

“Tell them that I love them and ask them to come see me perform,” he called as she swam away. “Thank you!”

As Emperor waddled his way into the big city, Jack searched for fish to pop into his mouth from fish tanks at the local seafood markets. “It’s almost just like fishing in the ocean,” Jack said to Emperor, not realizing his crime.  

“I’m here everyone!” Emperor said to passersby, eventually reaching Times Square. “I was born in a penguin suit to sing the Opera. Don’t you love my one-of-a-kind bowtie? I knew I was bound for something special!”

However, most of the pedestrians shook their heads wondering what a penguin was doing on the sidewalk.

“Did you get out from the zoo?” one passerby said. “Maybe I should call the Central Park Zoo to get you!”

“You can go live in the Zoo, but I am destined for the Metropolitan Opera House,” the penguin said.

He waddled down the street as fast as he could to escape the New Yorkers and their screeching cars. Jack swooped down and temporarily picked Emperor up to escape an out-of-control motorist. 

“I’ve found it at last!” the penguin said, standing in front of the Opera House’s five arched windows and fountain.

Walking to the front doors, he tried to budge them open until a manager said: “Sorry, we’re closed. Come back tomorrow for tickets. We open at 10 o’clock in the morning. I’m sure we can help you then . . .”

“Well, you see, I’m bound for the stage of the Opera House,” the penguin called through the glass. “Can you please tell me how to audition? I’ve been practicing for hours on my ice raft. I can start performing next week.”

Jack, who flew a little too close to the glass windows, knocked his head and nose-dived to the sidewalk.

“Penguins don’t sing buddy! You’re living in a fantasy,” the manager said, turning off the lights. 

“Mister, as a matter of fact, penguins do sing,” Emperor said, crooning in front of the Opera House.

It was the most beautiful baritone voice to ever come out of a penguin, more pleasing than most human voices. 

“He sings better than I do,” Jack said, popping his head up from the pavement. “Maybe this city is not for me!”

As the penguin kept singing, a crowd gathered near the fountain, watching with skepticism.

“Is that a penguin? I thought penguins lived in Antarctica. Maybe he should go back there,” an onlooker said.

“But his voice is so gorgeous and stunning,” another listener said, closing her eyes to his melody. 

“Maybe he’s a child in a penguin suit,” someone else from the crowd said. “You never know these days!”

Then, the manager burst through the doors of the Opera House, saying: “Come back tomorrow morning for an audition. You deserve a chance! Everyone should get a fair shot. A penguin who can sing might just attract crowds. Just don’t bring that bird with you! Didn’t anyone ever tell you that an albatross is bad luck?”

“Thank you very much, sir!” Emperor said. “One day, I will sing with Alberto Matteo. It’s my destiny!”

“I’m the best luck there is!” Jack said, screeching at the manager. “I’m nothing but good luck!” 

“We’ll see about that,” the manager said. “Let’s take one thing at a time. I can get the penguin an audition.”

“By any chance, could I spend the night sleeping in the Opera House, please?” the penguin said to the manager. 

“You want to sleep here now? Isn’t an audition enough?” the manager said, scratching his beard.

“I’ve come all the way from Antarctica on my ice raft, and I haven’t had a chance yet to build an igloo,” the penguin said in the most earnest tone imaginable. “I’m afraid to spend the night alone in New York City.”

“If anyone ever finds out that I did this for you, I could get fired!” the manager said, cracking the door open.

“Please, I beseech thee with the utmost gratitude for your fine service to singers everywhere!” Emperor said.

Before the manager could agree, the albatross flew through the door, swinging it open for Emperor to enter.

“Fine! Go pick a soft chair in the audience! Just try not to snore! Be up and ready by 9 o’clock,” the manager said. 

“Sir, I’m forever grateful for your kindness to me, a humble penguin,” Emperor said, rushing to find a chair. 

“And make sure that bird stays out of trouble,” the manager said. “I don’t want to clean up any bird droppings!”

After a cozy night sleep in the Opera House auditorium with Jack at his side, Emperor awoke with anticipation.

He stood inside the stage door, sweating nervously and sipping ice water while waiting for his audition. 

“I will now sing the part of Count Almaviva from ‘The Marriage of Figaro,’” Emperor said, clearing his throat. 

After the penguin finished singing a gorgeous passage from the Opera, he bowed and stood with pride.

“If you don’t mind me asking, are you a penguin?” the casting director said, taking notes on his clipboard.

“Yes, sir, I am definitely a penguin,” Emperor said, straightening his tail with the best of manners. 

“At least you’re already dressed to sing the Opera,” the casting director said, adjusting his glasses and squinting at Emperor. “It seems like it might be meant to be. You wouldn’t believe the fashion problems that we have around here. I’ve had to find penguin suits and tailcoats last minute to fit vocalists, and it causes nightmares.”

“I can only imagine the problem that improper attire might cause,” Emperor said, flaunting his suit. 

“Mr. Penguin, you’re hired. You’ll start today as Alberto Matteo’s understudy. He’s the best,” the director said.

“Sir, I knew it was meant to be! I was born with this suit—born to sing, even though no one has known it but me until now,” Emperor said. “I can’t wait to start! Please tell Mr. Matteo that he’s my hero and inspiration.”

“Put me down!” Mr. Matteo yelled, as Jack carried him by the collar to Emperor’s side. “Penguins don’t sing!”

“Now, sing once more, Emperor,” Jack said as he dropped Mr. Matteo right in front of the penguin. 

“Is that really a penguin?” Mr. Matteo said. “Are you kidding? How could a penguin be my understudy?”

“I already got the job, stupid bird!” Emperor said to Jack, swatting at his albatross wings. 

Then he opened his mouth to croon out a lovely vocal passage with perfect pitch and vibrato. 

“Gorgeous!” Mr. Matteo said, gasping in awe. “Absolutely amazing! I suppose everyone has to follow their dreams. It’s just like when I had to leave Italy to sing in America. I’ll teach you everything I know.” 

Months later, with the help of the Dominique dolphin family, Emperor’s own family arrived in the New York City Harbor on their own ice rafts, eager to see him perform. The penguins waddled into the Opera House and sat in the front row for one of Emperor’s best performances. “We’re so proud of you!” his family cheered. 

“Mama, Papa, Pete, Carol!” Emperor said, rushing from the stage after his performance. “I love you so much!”

As time passed, Emperor the Penguin became as famous as Alberto Matteo, not only for his voice, but his suit. 

It all started because Emperor had enough courage to go on a journey alone on an ice raft through unchartered waters.

Copyright 2019 Jennifer Waters

https://soundcloud.com/jen-waters/mr-penguin-sings-the-opera-narrated-by-jen-waters

Popsicles: The Story of Rainbow Ice Pops on a Stick

Popsicles, popsicles, oh, what a treat!

How wonderful to eat something so sweet!

The ice in the freezer cools my tongue.

I’ve eaten popsicles since I was young. 

On days I am happy, I eat red ice on a stick. 

Red popsicles make your lips look slick. 

The days I am tired, I try the orange kind.

Orange gives you energy and frees your mind.

On mornings it rains, I eat the color yellow. 

I need bright sunshine when the sky is mellow.

On afternoons outside, I enjoy ice that’s green. 

Green is delicious and tastes nothing like a bean.

On nights I feel sad, I eat two color blue. 

One isn’t enough of the melancholy hue. 

When I feel brave enough to be crazy, 

I eat indigo popsicles like a seaside daisy. 

When I can’t sleep, I try the violet flavor.

It puts me to bed with a dream I can savor. 

And when I’m hungry, I have one of each. 

A rainbow of popsicles is a like a day at the beach. 

 

Copyright 2016 Jennifer Waters

BEAUTIFUL BALLERINA SLIPPERS synopsis

LOGLINE: 

With enough faith and courage even a dream of the impossible can come true.

PITCH: 

Christina dreams of exchanging her leg braces for ballerina slippers and confides this to her faithful wooden rocking horse. Her cobbler grandfather makes her some beautiful ballet slippers, but a jealous sorceress casts a dark spell on them, and Christina can never take them off. She doesn’t care. With her braces gone and forgetting the loyal rocking horse, Christina joyfully dances and dances, making the sorceress so jealous she strikes her with a curse. Only Christina’s and her grandfather’s faith—along with the rocking horse’s love—can break the spell and transform Christina and the horse into ballet dancers.

     

SYNOPSIS: 

Young Christina Rose worries she will need to wear leg braces all her life. Grandfather Renato, a shoemaker who fibs to her often, tells her no one ever notices her clumsy legs and puts roses behind her ears every morning. Christina’s parents run a barbershop and never have time for her. Years ago, Grandfather Renato made a wooden rocking horse named Sam—even clumsier than Christina. Every day after school she rides Sam for hours, putting roses behind his scraggily ears. She tells him she must be a ballerina and he’s pleased to think that someday soon the two of them will dance together.

One day Christina tells her grandfather she must be able to walk without braces and that her only true friend is Sam. Her grandfather promises to help. Christina stumbles home and throws her arms around Sam, falling asleep on the rocking horse. Grandfather Renato stays up all night making a pair of pink ballerina toe slippers. Then Grandfather Renato asks the village priest to bless the slippers. But before he can give the shoes to Christina, the village necromancer stops him. Sorceress Lucinda says if he really wants Christina to dance that he will cook the shoes in her witch brew. The only condition . . . she will never ever be able to take the slippers off her feet. Grandfather Renato agrees, thinking that’s better than Christina wearing braces her entire life. At sunset the Sorceress hands him the previously pink slippers, which are now black.

Grandfather Renato hurries to find his granddaughter—who is of course sitting on Sam, her faithful rocking horse. Before he can explain that the slippers can never be removed once put on, she shoves them across her toes and ties the black ribbons as tight as possible. Then the braces fall off her legs, and she dances across her bedroom floor with tears in her eyes. When he tells her that she will never be able to take the slippers off, she says that she would never want to take them off anyhow. As days turn into weeks and months, Christina puts a blanket over Sam and shoves him into the corner. She dances her way through the village to much acclaim and has forgotten that she ever rode Sam and told him secrets. Soon after that the Sorceress—full of jealousy for Christina’s dancing—hangs a black silk tutu on her window at night. She is angry that she never received credit for the slippers.

The next morning, wearing the tutu, Christina collapses in her grandfather’s shop, breaking both ankles. Her grandfather admits the village witch cursed the shoes and says the tutu must be cursed as well. Grandfather Renato carries her to the priest’s cathedral in tears. Her grandfather fears she will die. The priest prays for Christina. As Grandfather Renato tucks Christina into her bed, her parents weep. After her mother says maybe God meant for her to wear braces and her father argues that she never needed to dance, a loud brave voice booms from the corner of the room, saying: “I am the only one who has ever really loved her.” The moment Christina kisses Sam she transforms into a tall slender woman, wearing pink ballet toe shoes. Then Sam changes into a tall fit man in a blue body suit wearing his own gentleman ballet slippers. As they dance across the village, the Sorceress collapses dead in the street, and Grandfather Renato never doubts his faith again. Christina’s parents finally love and accept her. Christina and Sam dance together in beautiful ballerina slippers for the rest of their lives, and so do their children.

Copyright 2022 Jennifer Waters

The Christmas Goose: A Christmas Folktale from London

“Christmas is coming! The goose is getting fat!” sang an old man from a street corner near London’s Tower Bridge. “Please put a penny in the old man’s hat!” Several passersby dropped coins into his hat as he belted out the familiar nursery rhyme. “If you haven’t got a penny, then a ha’penny will do. If you haven’t got a ha’penny, then God bless you!” he sang.

The old man had been standing on the street corner all morning in the blistering cold, holding out his hat. In between asking for pennies, he sang Christmas carols to attract more charity. He didn’t mind the cold. Since he had no family of his own, he hoped the money might bring a little Christmas cheer to the boy who lived next door. Above the skyline, he could see the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral. 

“This is for you,” said a beautiful woman with long, golden hair. Her face glowed, and she emptied her purse into his hat. She left a trail of what looked like diamonds in the snow. 

“God rest ye, merry gentlemen,” he sang in a deep baritone voice. After he finished the first verse, he kept going for six more. 

Although the old man had no family, he was more concerned for his neighbors than for himself. The father of the family next door had been out of work for more than six months, watching over his sickly son. The mother had passed away from tuberculosis a few years ago during a very hard winter, and the boy had lost hope. 

So, the old man had decided that the rocking horse and train set that he had given the boy last year were not enough—there must also be a goose for Christmas.

“If you haven’t got a ha’penny, then God bless you!” he called to the busy people walking along the Thames River. Most of them carried packages meant for Christmas presents. 

The old man watched people drop a penny here, and a ha’penny there. One after the other, they added up, and his efforts amounted to much.

After several hours of singing on the street corner, the old man had enough money to buy a goose for his neighbors. He imagined that the boy and his father would be so excited. 

While walking home through Trafalgar Square, he tossed the money in his pocket and placed the black top hat on his head. He admired the Christmas tree in the Square with carolers and circled about it as he sipped spiced apple cider. 

On Christmas Eve morning, he set out for Portobello Market in West London for two brilliantly fat Christmas geese: one for himself and one as a gift. Indeed, it would be hard to pick the geese. As lovely as their feathers looked, they must be plucked before cooking. The feathers were often saved for pillows or armchairs. 

“Come here goosey!” the old man said, as he chased after the largest goose at the Village Butcher. “Oh, you can’t get away!”

After he caught the first goose, he noticed the rest of the geese at the shop were much smaller. He wished he could find a larger goose for his neighbors.

“Ouch!” he said, as he grabbed the closest goose next to him. Its feathers poked him in the eye. “I’ve got you now!”

Noticing its shimmering feathers and glowing eyes, he thought it was the best of the group. Its coat almost sparkled, and there seemed to be something very special about it. 

As the old man walked home with the honking geese swung over his shoulders, he debated which goose to gift to the neighbors. 

“I think I’ll give the golden goose as the gift,” the old man said. “I’ll cook the large goose and share the leftovers.”

Happy that the large goose would provide a hearty Christmas meal the next day, he penned the squawking birds up in the kitchen with helpings of grass. Then, he grabbed his coat and top hat and went to Christmas Eve service at All Souls Church in Langham Place. 

The church towered next to the British Broadcasting Corporation, which had played Christmas carols on the radio all day. The old man was looking forward to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s annual message on the BBC radio on Christmas afternoon. There was talk that she might decide to televise her speech next year.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, unto us a son is given,” the All Souls Church choir sang from George Frideric Handel’s Messiah.

The old man thought it was the most beautiful song that he had ever heard and sang harmonies with the choir. Along with the rest of the congregation, he stood to his feet for the Hallelujah Chorus toward the end of the piece. It was tradition to stand for that part of the song, all the way back to King George II. 

After the service, the old man spotted his neighbors a few pews in front of him, and they looked less than festive. 

“Merry Christmas Eve!” the old man said to the neighbor boy. “Early Christmas morning, I will visit you with surprises!”

“We could use a few good surprises,” the boy’s father said, as his son buried his face in his father’s wool coat.

“A penny for your thoughts!” the old man said to the boy. He was so concerned that the boy might not be here for next Christmas. “Now then, it’s going to be the finest Christmas ever. Keep my hat if you’d like. It looks like it’s just your size,” he said, even if it was too big.

“Thank you, kind sir,” the boy said, as the old man placed his hat on the boy’s head.

“We’ll see you tomorrow,” the boy’s father said. Then, he took his son’s hand, and they walked out of the church. 

The old man sat in the pew for a bit and admired the sanctuary decorated with holly, candles, and garland. He worried that he should have done more to help the sickly boy.

As he rested in the pew, the church emptied—all except for one beautiful woman with long, golden hair, and diamond jewels. 

“Don’t I know you?” the old man asked. “I think we met when I was collecting pennies at the Tower Bridge.”

“I’ve seen what you’ve been doing for that boy,” she whispered to him. Then, she sat down next to him in the pew. Even in the church, gem-like diamonds followed her.

“Oh, I’ve just been trying to show a little kindness,” the old man said with a wink. 

“Your generosity will save his life, and he will not leave his father alone at Christmas for the years to come,” she said. “Your hat will protect him from the blistering winter wind, and the golden goose will be his new best friend.”

“Pardon me, but who are you?” the old man said. “It was just a hat.”

When the old man blinked, she disappeared, and he thought maybe he had been speaking to a ghost—or an angel. 

“Where did you go? I wasn’t seeing things. You were definitely sitting here with me,” the old man said. “Come back any time!”

As the man walked home through the snow that night, his bare head felt cold, so he wrapped his scarf extra tight. He would need to buy himself a new hat for Christmas, now that the little boy was wearing his hat instead of him.

The next morning, the old man woke up with the sunrise and prepared the larger goose for cooking. Then, he placed the bird into the oven and seasoned him with black pepper, salt, paprika, dark brown sugar, and dried rosemary.

On the other hand, the golden goose honked as the old man wrapped a bright red bow on its neck. Then, he grabbed a trumpet and toy soldier from beneath his Christmas tree for the boy. He had wrapped the toys weeks ago. 

“Merry Christmas!” the old man said, as he knocked on his neighbor’s door. Then, the neighbor boy opened the door, wearing the old man’s hat. 

“It’s just my size,” the little boy said with a grin, though it drooped over both eyes.

“Good day to you!” his father said to the old man.

As the goose waddled into the neighbor’s house, the little boy threw his arms around him, giggled, and laughed. 

“We can just cook him up and eat him for Christmas dinner!” the father said and clapped his hands together. 

“Noooooo! Father, he’s my new pet!” the little boy said. “We can’t eat him! His feathers are so soft. He’s warm in the winter.” With a touch, the goose calmed the boy. 

“Don’t worry, I have another goose cooking,” the old man said, as the little boy’s father sighed. “Let them be friends.”

“Are these for me?” the little boy said, as he noticed the gifts that the old man held under his arms. 

“Very much indeed,” the old man said. He walked into the family’s home and sat next to the dwindling fireplace. “Father Christmas gave me the presents to give to you!”

The little boy grabbed the packages and ripped the wrapping paper off. 

“Thank you for your generosity,” the father said, as he wiped a tear from his eye. 

“Excellent! I love the toys,” the little boy said. He blew the trumpet long and hard. Then, he gave the old man a big hug. “I’ve always wanted a toy soldier.”

As the old man looked out the window, he spied the beautiful woman from the church as she walked down the street. The trail of gem-like snow followed her again. 

“Merry Christmas!” the old man said. He swung open the front door, but the woman had vanished before he could find her. 

All that remained was a trail of sparkling snow that resembled perfect diamonds. The wind blew them toward the old man, and at first, he thought they were icicles. He caught them in his hand, not realizing they were actual diamonds until they felt hard as rocks and would not melt. In awe, he put them in his pocket and whispered a prayer of thanksgiving. 

“Thank you, Lord,” the old man said, then sang from The Hallelujah Chorus, “And He shall reign forever and ever.” 

“Who was that?” the little boy asked. “She was so pretty that she looked like an angel.”

“I spotted a friend out the window!” the old man said. “She just might be an angel. Now come along. We can listen to Her Majesty the Queen’s Christmas message on my radio.”

In the weeks ahead, the Christmas Goose and the little boy became such good friends that the little boy never felt sick again. There was something magical about the goose. In fact, it lay dozens of goose eggs, more than would be expected. And as legend has it, when no one was looking, the goose even laid a golden egg, or two, or three, or four. When the golden eggs were sold, they made enough money to buy every toy in the toy store. 

As for the diamonds, they turned out to be real, and the old man had no explanation other than the beautiful woman was an angel. Of course, only an angel would know how icicles became diamonds. The diamonds provided enough money for the father to take care of his son. He never lacked money for doctors or medicine, and his son grew strong and healthy. His son also became an expert trumpet player. 

Then, his father remarried a beautiful wife from the choir at All Souls Church. During the wedding, the old man was sure that he saw the beautiful woman with long, golden hair, as she left another trail of diamonds. It was all because of an old man with a hat who asked for pennies during Christmas. 

And so, on every Christmas, when pennies drop into a stranger’s hat or geese honk in the street, some say you can still hear the echo of the old man’s baritone voice: “If you haven’t got a ha’penny, then God bless you!”

 

Copyright 2016, 2025 Jennifer Waters 

Swedish Christmas Dance: A Christmas Folktale from Sweden

Long ago, on a snowy Christmas Eve, one of Father Christmas’ reindeer lost his way and found himself far from home in Sweden.  

“How in the world did I end up in Sweden on Christmas Eve?” said Prancer the reindeer, as he stood up in the snow. “Ouch, my head hurts, and it’s the most important night of the year!”

Prancer stood up and kicked the snow, almost losing his balance. 

He wandered into the nearest village.

“I’m such a failure,” he mumbled to himself. “I hope Father Christmas comes back for me. I can’t be sure at all which way he went or where the sleigh is now. He said Denmark was first on his list, and Sweden would be the last stop.”

As Prancer walked through the village, he noticed Christmas trees decorated with white lit candles and silver ornaments that caught the starlight. Lighting candles on Christmas trees was an old tradition in the village, and the people kept watch on the trees, making sure the candles did not catch the evergreens on fire. 

“Who is that?” asked a 12-year-old girl, who noticed the reindeer from her front window. A party bustled inside her home with many guests, but she sat alone, looking for Father Christmas. She had hoped to see him blaze across the sky. 

When she saw the reindeer, she ran out in the snow in a white dress with a red sash around her waist. A crown of unlit candles sat on her head in a wreath of Lingonberry branches with green leaves and dark red berries. Lucia always dressed this way for the St. Lucia Day festival, bringing light into the darkest nights of winter. 

She was curious as to why the reindeer was alone.  

“Did Father Christmas send you?” she asked the reindeer in a soft voice. 

Then, she gently touched his nose and examined his antlers, which looked large enough for him to be able to fly. 

“I got separated from Father Christmas and his sleigh,” Prancer said with a grunt.

He startled the girl, who didn’t expect that he could speak. She was taken aback for a moment, but then excited to have a new friend. 

“Oh, my name is Lucia Johansson,” she said. “Would you like to spend Christmas Eve with my family?”

“Thank you! I’d love to spend Christmas Eve with you. I hope Father Christmas comes back for me by morning,” he said. “How did I get lost at such an important time? I must’ve hit a star, crashed onto the ground, and got knocked out.”

“I hope you can dance,” Lucia said. She brushed snow off his tender body. “In Sweden, we dance around the Christmas tree!”

“I usually fly,” Prancer said. “I forgot to tell you that my name is Prancer. Almost like my brother Dancer. He can dance!”

“Lucia, what are you doing outside in the cold?” her father called. “Why are you talking to the reindeer? Come back inside for the party!”

She realized that her father must not have heard her speaking to Prancer. 

“Come inside from the cold,” she said to Prancer. Then, he followed her inside the home. 

When Lucia opened the front door, a room full of people ate from a smorgasbord, including pickled herring, salads, lutfisk, boiled potatoes, and rice dessert. Lucia grabbed a lussekatt bun from the table for a snack. They were one of her favorite holiday treats. She also gave one to the reindeer.

“You brought the reindeer with you!” her father said. “Oh, well, I guess it’s Christmas!”

Lucia was relieved that her father allowed Prancer to stay at the party. It was such a special night for anyone to spend without a family. She could not imagine being without her two sisters, Ana and Maria. 

“Thank you for having me,” Prancer said to Lucia, as she realized the other guests could not hear him talk. For a moment, she wondered if she was imagining his voice. 

“What a wonderful home,” he continued to speak, making Lucia sure that she did hear him talk to her. “I miss my home and my family.”

Lucia felt sad for him and decided that her family would be his family until he could return home. A Christmas tree with white lit candles glowed in the home, and the light illuminated the guests’ faces. Angels, flowers, and stars hung from the tree, and under it stood a hand carved Christmas goat. 

As the party went on, guests brought more food to eat, including turkey, roast beef, Christmas ham, cheese, meatballs, sausages, stuffed cabbage rolls, jellied pigs’ feet, pork ribs, vegetables, bread with butter and mayonnaise, liver pate, and sweet pastries. Next to a Christmas cactus and candles, a manger scene sat as a centerpiece on the table on cotton wool snow with the various animals. 

“O Helga Natt, o helga stund för världen då Gudamänskan till jorden steg ned!” sang the guests at the party. Lucia loved to listen to the Christmas carols in Swedish. “Stilla Natt” had always been her favorite. She knew all three verses. 

“Do you have any flowers for me to eat?” Prancer asked. “Oh, how I love to eat red tulips!”

“Not in the winter, but I can get you Christmas cookies instead,” Lucia said, as she placed her candle headpiece on the table. 

“Lucia, what is a reindeer doing in our home?” her mother said, as she laughed. “Is he a gift from Father Christmas?”

“It’s just for tonight, Mother,” Lucia said. She wondered if she told her mother the truth about Prancer if she would believe her. “It’s holiday fun!”

“Well, the neighbors might have sent him!” her mother said. “Where else would he have come from?”

All of a sudden, Lucia’s extended family joined hands while thumping their feet and danced in a ring. Each one held a lighted candle. The dancers sang: “We fain would like to start up a judge’s dance now, but he’s not at home for the present.”

“Dance with me, Prancer!” Lucia said, as she threw her arms around his neck. 

“I would love to dance with you,” Prancer said. “Jump on my back!”

She jumped on his back, and the duo went round and round the table. 

Prancer and Lucia trotted down the halls of the house. They went through each room and up and down each staircase.

“I wish you could stay with me forever!” Lucia said to Prancer. Then, she kissed him on the cheek. 

“You’re so sweet, but my whole family will be worried,” he said. “I have a feeling that good ole’ Father Christmas is running behind tonight because of me. I messed everything up.”

“Maybe by morning Father Christmas will find you,” Lucia said. “Why don’t we sleep next to the Christmas tree and wait for him? You can keep watch out the window for him on his sleigh. If you see him, then you can wake me up.”

Tears filled Prancer’s eyes at the thought of never seeing Lucia again. Lucia wiped them away with her hands. She wondered what it would be like to lose her family. 

As Christmas Eve went on and the other guests went home, Lucia’s family exchanged a few gifts and ate Christmas cookies and rice dessert. 

“Father Christmas didn’t come yet!” Ana, one of Lucia’s sisters, said to her parents. “I’ve been good this year. I want my gifts from Father Christmas.” 

“I’m sure he’s on his way,” Lucia said, as she looked at Prancer. “Maybe he’ll come tomorrow instead of tonight.”

“He always comes on Christmas Eve with gifts!” said Maria, her other sister. She blew her nose and cried. “What’s the party for without him?”

“I’m really sorry. Father Christmas is flying so slow because I’m not there,” Prancer whispered to Lucia. He curled up beneath the Christmas tree and buried his head in his forearms. Lucia’s mother, father, and the three sisters sat with Prancer.

“The neighbors didn’t exactly send the reindeer, did they?” Lucia’s father said. “He’s a lost Christmas reindeer, isn’t he? Is he from Father Christmas’ sleigh?”

“Maybe by morning, he will be able to find his way home,” Lucia told her father with a smile. She was sure that he did not hear Prancer whisper. It would have startled him for sure. 

While Lucia’s parents and sisters went to sleep in their bedrooms, Lucia snuggled up with Prancer. He was softer than any teddy bear or pillow.   

Then, early in the morning, when it seemed that Father Christmas would never complete his rounds on Christmas Eve, there was a thud in front of Lucia’s house, several whinnies, and a large, red glowing reindeer light. 

“Are there any good children in this house?” Father Christmas called. 

A man in a velvet red suit with a long, white beard knocked on the front door with a sack of gifts. Lucia was excited for the presents, but sad that Prancer would now leave. 

“Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas! I have extra Christmas gifts for your family!” Father Christmas announced. “You took care of one of my most precious reindeer.”

“Father Christmas! You found me,” Prancer said. “I’m so sorry. I hit a star and fell to Earth and lost you!”

“No worries at all,” Father Christmas replied. “Now go join your brothers.”

Then, Lucia realized that she was not the only one who could hear Prancer speak. Father Christmas spoke to Prancer as though he was like a son. She thought that maybe only she and Father Christmas could hear his voice. 

“I have seven other reindeer, but I had to go after the lost one until I found you!” Father Christmas said to Prancer. “We flew all night. I didn’t forget you.”

As the story goes, Prancer made sure to be especially alert when flying on Christmas Eve and never got lost again. Christmas was on time every year after that because of a Swedish girl who took in a stranger. Each Christmas Eve after that, Lucia watched for a flash of red light in the sky and hoped Prancer might visit again. God Jul!

 

Copyright 2016, 2025 Jennifer Waters

Winter Masquerading: Christmas Magic from the Waldorf Astoria

“Do you have your dress for the Christmas Masquerade Ball?” Margaret’s father asked, as he drank his breakfast coffee. Sitting under a large chandelier in the dining room, he finished his eggs on gold-plated dinnerware. A sleek chrome Toastmaster, the latest electric pop-up toaster, gleamed on the counter. 

Mr. Bayard, a former United States Senator, had put marrying his daughter to an upstanding man on the top of his Christmas wish list. It was definitely on the list above a new, hand-knit stocking or box of candy canes. 

“Father, I still need to find a proper gown,” Margaret said, as she sipped her tea. “I’m thinking about Dior’s New Look.” She already knew who she wanted to marry, James Miller, even if her father disapproved of him. 

“I just want to make sure that you look your best when meeting new people,” her father said, as he opened The New York Times across the table. Every morning, Margaret watched him read the newspaper for the latest on Eisenhower, Truman, and the United Nations.

“Must you really present me to high society, especially at Christmas?” the 21-year-old asked. “If I have to attend, at least I can wear a mask.”

“We need to find you someone who is good enough for you,” her father said. “No one is good enough for my beautiful daughter.”

“Not good enough? He’s a swell guy,” Margaret said. “Don’t give me the third degree! I’m simply wild about him. James has been my best friend my entire life.”

“He’s not the son of a former President of the United States, or a diplomat, or nobility or any ambassador or governor,” her father said, as he folded the morning newspaper into a stack on the table. “Your mother would want better for you.”

“Mother would want me to marry James,” Margaret said. “She always loved him and said he reminded her of you.” 

“She’s been gone now almost a year. I can hardly believe it,” Margaret’s father said. He looked out the window. “James has exemplary military service, but I want the best for you.”

Hiding her disappointment in her mother’s death, Margaret changed the subject. She always tried to be strong for her father. He seemed so lonely since her mother passed away.

“Besides, James is in law school,” she said. “He was a Marine. I’m sure he could be a Senator one day. Just because his father wasn’t a Senator means nothing.”

Margaret picked up the golden invitation to the Christmas Masquerade Ball that sat on the table. She put it in her purse. Then, she flipped through Life Magazine and The Saturday Evening Post to see if she could find any dress ideas. 

Not only would the event be held in the Grand Ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria on Fifth Avenue, but there would also be a week of parties leading to the Christmas Eve Ball. She would be escorted by one military cadet and one civilian, but neither of her choice. 

“Fine, I will go!” Margaret said. “And I’m not telling James a thing about it . . .”

“By the end of the evening, you’ll practically be engaged to someone else,” her father said. “You’ll have a suitor by morning.” 

As Margaret finished her breakfast, she remembered that she must meet James in Central Park by noon. She grabbed her white cashmere sweater and forest green wool princess coat and headed to the door. 

“I promised James that I would go on a carriage ride with him through Central Park today,” Margaret said to her father. “He loves me.”

“Don’t be late!” her father chided. “You might lose your glass slipper or something.”

When Margaret arrived in Central Park in a yellow Checker Cab, she found James as it started to snow. She fluffed the flared skirt of her coat and adjusted the high black velvet collar and fur cuffs.

“You look lovely,” he said, as he kissed her cheek. 

The couple climbed in the carriage and bundled themselves in a red blanket as the driver started the ride. Jingle bells jostled as the stately brown horse pulled the carriage through the winding trails of Central Park. 

“Marry me, darling!” James said to her. He pulled a small red box from his pocket. He opened it to a heart-shaped diamond that glistened in the winter sunshine. “I’ll love you my entire life. Please let me have the honor of being your husband,” he said.

“Yes, yes, yes!” Margaret said. She threw her arms around him and kissed him deeply. “But we mustn’t tell father until after Christmas . . .”

Margaret slipped the ring on her left hand, put the ring box in her purse, and enjoyed the rest of the journey. As the horses stopped at the end of the ride, Margaret stepped from the carriage. She held James’ hand tightly. 

Then, a large gust of wind lifted the invitation to the Christmas Masquerade Ball, and it flew from her purse onto the sidewalk. James picked it up and shoved it in his pocket.

Of course, Margaret didn’t notice the missing invitation. She was so enamored with her ring that she could hardly speak. Later that evening when she returned home, she hid the engagement ring in its box in the bottom of her purse. 

“Where did that invitation go?” she said to herself. “Oh, Father probably has an extra one. I hope James didn’t see it.”

As she entered the brass-gated elevator up to her father’s penthouse apartment, she considered where to get a Christmas ball gown. The operator pressed the top floor. 

When she stepped from the elevator, her father’s Victrola played Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas.” She also loved Judy Garland’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” from the film Meet Me in St. Louis and Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song.” 

When Christmas music wasn’t playing, Margaret liked to listen to the Andrews Sisters. James once gave her their “Winter Wonderland” record and sheet music for her collection. He was always doing kind things like slipping ribbon candy into her pocket. 

She ran into the kitchen to grab some homemade fudge with a Coca-Cola. Christmas stockings from Woolworth’s hung over the fireplace. Their Christmas tree glowed with bubble lights, silver tinsel, and ornaments. 

Her father had started to collect toys for the younger cousins, like a Lionel electric train set, Slinkys, Tinkertoys, a porcelain doll, and a Shirley Temple doll.

“I will tell James that I have to go to this horrid ball to please my father, and I’m not interested in anyone else,” she said to herself. “James will understand somehow. Then, I will announce my engagement to James on New Year’s Day. That seems the best idea . . .”

For the next week, Margaret searched for the perfect gown and outfits for the week of parties leading up to the Ball. 

She found an ideal half-mask—covering her eyes, cheeks, and nose with red accents, gold leaf, and music note paper. It reminded her of the time she danced with James to Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong’s song “Cheek to Cheek.”

As the week of festivities approached, Margaret used the rotary telephone on the hallway table to call James and tell him that she was fulfilling her father’s last wish before they got married. She would attend the Christmas Masquerade Ball without him. 

“I understand,” James said. “I wish I could go with you, but it’s okay.”

“It’s my last big hurrah with father before we marry. New Year’s Day we’ll announce our engagement,” she said. “I only have eyes for you. I love you.” 

“What did you do with the ring?” James asked, as she looked at it on her slim finger.

“Oh, I’m hiding it from father for now,” she said. “I’ll show him after Christmas.” 

Margaret hung up the phone, took the box with her engagement ring from her purse, and hid it underneath the mattress in her bedroom.

“Father will never find the ring now,” she said, as she made sure it was tucked between the mattress and the box spring.

In the days leading up to the Ball, she sipped wine at the parties and tried to be interested in the superficial conversation. She really wanted to be at “Miracle on 34^th Street” at the cinema with James. She loved to spend the afternoon dancing with him to her Philco radio. 

“Most of this is gossip and very uninteresting,” Margaret said to herself, as she eavesdropped on the couple next to her. 

“Oh, they are definitely dating,” the one socialite woman said to another.

On the night of the Ball, she slipped into her Christian Dior red and black lace Christmas gown and pulled her hair up in curls. The dress had a cinched-waist and a full skirt. She clipped on pearl earrings and grabbed her satin clutch. 

Then, she slipped on her bell-shaped black velvet opera coat. Its satin lining hung at her ankles. Her long satin gloves perfected the outfit. 

“I’m ready for the Ball, Father,” Margaret said. She kissed her father on the cheek. “You will see. I’m about to prove you wrong. James is my true love. There is no one else for me. You can introduce me to all the men in the world.”

“What a doll face! You’ll knock their socks off in that dress,” her father said, as he adjusted his black tuxedo with pocket squares. “I’m ready, too! I’m just not so sure that there might be a better match for you than James.”

As Margaret arrived in a limousine with her father at the Waldorf Astoria, the men turned their heads at her astonishing beauty. 

She put on her half-mask, and her identity was disguised by music note paper and gold leaf. Her red lips stunned with her Max Factor lipstick. She smelled like roses with Elizabeth Arden perfume. 

“Maybe I should have worn an ugly dress,” she mumbled, as she noticed the bar on the corner with a jazz piano. “Everyone will want to dance with me now . . .”

When she entered the Grand Ballroom, she was escorted by two masked gentlemen: one military cadet and one civilian. 

After all the guests arrived, a moderator called the debutantes by name with their escorts to the front of the Ballroom: “Please welcome Margaret Bayard, daughter of former United States Senator George Bayard and his deceased wife, Jill.”

Walking forward, Margaret gained her composure and breathed deep. The cadet held onto her arm tighter than the civilian. 

After the introduction, the cadet in his white formal uniform said in a deep voice: “You’re so beautiful. May I have this dance?” 

“Oh, well, yes,” Margaret sighed. “How kind of you to ask!”

Now, the white and gold mask of the cadet covered his entire face, only allowing Margaret to see his eyes and lips. There was something familiar about how he held her. 

During the dance, Margaret felt awkward and thought about James the entire time. She imagined he would be so uncomfortable if she saw the cadet dancing with her. 

They waltzed, and he dipped her at all the proper moments. Near the end of the Ball, the cadet bowed to Margaret before leaving and never revealed his true identity. 

“Wait!” Margaret called, as she handed him her mask and hoped he would do the same. Part of her wondered if her father might be right, and she should at least properly introduce herself to the cadet, just in case things did not work out with James. 

However, she could not imagine marrying someone other than her childhood friend.

“Where’s he going?” Margaret’s father said, as he stepped from the shadows. “You must have been having a wonderful time. The cadet will find you because he knows who you are now. You took off your mask. Don’t worry about James.” 

“Father, leave me alone,” Margaret said, as she started to cry. She ran out of the Waldorf Astoria for a taxi and rushed home.

“Who was that man?” Margaret whispered to herself. “What will I say to James?”

As Margaret rushed into the elevator of her father’s home, she ascended to the penthouse and stumbled for her keys. 

In the hallway, she found James, as he sat on the bench at the front door. He wore a cadet white formal uniform and held her music note mask from the Ball. He also held the white and gold mask of the mysterious cadet that she had danced with during the evening. 

“Where did you get those masks?” Margaret said. “Why are you all dressed up? Wait a minute . . . Oh my gosh!”

“It was me all along, Margaret!” James said, as he threw his arms around her. “I couldn’t let you dance with anyone else.”

“I told my father that I was going to prove him wrong,” Margaret said, as she rested her head on James’ shoulder. “My father sent me to the Christmas Masquerade Ball, and he sent me right back to you,” she said, and then she kissed him. 

As Margaret and James kissed in the hallway, her father exited the elevator. 

“So, it was you after all,” her father said, as he threw up his hands. “What was I thinking? I tried to break the two of you up, and you just ended up together anyhow.”

“I forgive you father,” Margaret said. “I tried to do what you wanted, but it was not my destiny.”

“Can I please have your blessing for your daughter’s hand in marriage?” James asked. 

“If you insist,” her father said. “I would have a lot to teach you as your father-in-law.”

“James might also have a lot to teach you, Daddy,” Margaret said, as she ran to hug him.

By Christmas next year, Margaret and James were married, and the first dance at their wedding was to Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong’s “Cheek to Cheek.” For the rest of their lives, they danced to Ella’s “At Last” in every spare moment.

Copyright 2016, 2025 Jennifer Waters