Once upon a time, a beautiful forest loved its king until a brutal wind tried to destroy the trees and animals with its breath.
“The Polar Forest is so lovely,” the Christmas Frost King said, as his servant stood next to him. “There is nothing grander in all creation!”
He sat on his throne in his Ice Palace on the night before Christmas Eve in the North Pole. Like many times before, the Nasty North Wind came to ridicule him with insults. The North Wind blew out every candle that night, even the ones meant to shine for Christmas.
Despite the threats of the Wind, the Frost King had always protected and defended the forest and its animals in the winter months. Some people knew him as Father Christmas because he brought gifts and candies to people all over the world during the winter holiday celebrations.
“Your forest is not that special,” the Nasty North Wind said to the Christmas Frost King. He blew through his throne room with a gust. He blasted the Christmas Frost King’s Ice Palace so hard that many in the King’s household thought it would soon topple.
“The trees of the Polar Forest love me, and they also love my animals,” the Christmas Frost King declared. Then, he waved his ice scepter, the magical staff made of ice that gave him authority over the forest. “I know the trees love me.”
“I know you believe that your forest is good, but none of your trees are pure in heart,” the North Wind cackled. “Nothing is truly loved. I once protected ice flowers, snowflakes, and frost art—the most delicate and beautiful things of winter. Each year, by spring, they would melt and nothing came from my efforts.”
“You are full of lies!” the Frost King argued. “You stir up strife everywhere you go!”
“Not so much! I could destroy your forest with one breath,” the Nasty North Wind taunted. “Let me test the Forest to see if it is full of love and compassion!”
“Test the Forest?” the Christmas Frost King bellowed. “Why does my Forest need to pass a test?”
“Why would you want to protect a forest full of trees that do not love you?” the Nasty North Wind said. Then, he roared through the throne room with a flurry.
“Fine, you may test the trees of the Polar Forest to see if they are full of love,” the Frost King said. He had so much pride in his forest that he could not imagine that it would betray him.
“None of the trees will care about the animals of the forest,” the Nasty North Wind ridiculed the King. “They will forget that they ever loved and served you!”
“You have my permission to test the trees, but not to kill them, and only for the winter season,” the King said. “There must be limits to your test!”
“Fine, I will abide by your limits,” the Nasty North Wind agreed. “Limits, limits!”
“Mock me if you must,” the Frost King said, “but the Spruce, Pine, and Little Juniper will stand tall. Be gone—and return only when the test is complete.”
The Christmas Frost King slammed his ice scepter against the palace wall and sent rays of light into the North Wind, which caused him to shrink.
“We shall see if you are right,” the Nasty North Wind roared. “And we shall see who is full of love.”
“When you are wrong, you will be banished to the South Pole,” the Frost King said. “I will not be mocked. My forest will prove full of love. Now leave me.”
The Christmas Frost King spent a sleepless night worried that the Forest would not forgive him for the suffering it was about to endure. However, he knew if the trees proved true, the North Wind would be silenced once and for all.
In the upcoming days, the Nasty North Wind set out through the Polar Forest and sent the worst storms in years. The sleet was like knives, and the rain was like pellets. The snow rose in blinding white walls that no one could see past, and the ice was so hard that it would never crack. Branches froze and snapped like twigs. Hollows filled with snow and ice.
Of course, animals like the Gray Wolf and the Brown Grizzly Bear were able to hide in the mountains and caves. However, a creature like the Littlest of Little Birds could not even fly fast enough to escape the wind to shelter.
“This is how I will win this battle against the Christmas Frost King,” the Nasty North Wind snapped through the air. “No one will even care what happens to the Littlest of Little Birds,” the Wind said, as he trapped the Bird in a downward spiral.
When Christmas Frost King saw the Nasty North Wind attacking the Little Bird, he felt great sorrow in his heart and doubted his decision to let the Polar Forest face such a great test. Had his pride doomed the ones he most wished to protect?
At first, the Birch Tree caught the Littlest of Little Birds in his arms and hid the Bird for a few hours, until the Nasty North Wind laid bare its branches of leaves. With the Wind biting at the branches that held the Little Bird, the Birch Tree let the Bird go back into the winter storm.
“I’m sorry, Little Bird. I’m so fragile,” the Birch Tree whispered. “I’m just not strong enough. I’ll snap!”
Within minutes, the Oak Tree took the Little Bird into his arms, but the Nasty North Wind plucked its branches of leaves. It tormented the strongest tree in the forest until its pride released the Littlest of Little Birds back into the freezing storm.
“I cannot be seen in such disgrace,” the Oak Tree declared. “Go now, Little Bird. I must protect my own reputation.”
By this point, the abandoned Little Bird was closer and closer to death.
“Everyone is against me, but I will survive!” the Bird cried. “One of these trees will help me!”
Then, the Willow Tree, which was known to weep openly, grabbed the Bird and hid her. Its long branches curled like arms. The weeping Willow cried with the Bird until her limbs froze stiff with ice. The tree was unable to move, only feel.
The Nasty Wind blasted its branches so hard that it could not keep the Bird in its shelter any longer. It ushered the Bird back into the forest with tears.
“My sorrow is too great. I’m so anxious,” the Willow Tree said. “Please forgive me.”
In the distance, the Aspen Tree gave in to peer pressure and decided to follow the crowd.
“None of the other trees helped you,” the Aspen said. “Why should I?”
The Maple Tree justified his selfishness through logic and reason.
“It’s no use,” the Maple Tree said. “You’re already too weak.”
“I want a world with love,” the Littlest Bird whispered. “I’m willing to love . . .”
She quietly sang a forgotten carol to herself: “In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan. Earth stood hard as iron. Water like a stone. Snow had fallen. Snow on snow, snow on snow. In the bleak midwinter, long, long ago.”
“Where are these grand trees that you mentioned, Christmas Frost King?” the North Wind called. The Little Bird had lost most of its feathers by now, had a hard time flying, and could no longer sing with its sore throat.
“You are shallow and empty!” the Christmas Frost King answered. “Brace yourself because the time is coming when I will question you, and you shall answer me.”
As the North Wind travelled through the forest, it blew so hard that it picked up the Little Bird, and she bounced right to the Spruce Tree, Pine Tree, and Little Juniper Tree.
“I offer my thick branches to protect you, Little Bird,” the Spruce Tree said. He opened his arms to the Little Bird.
“I will give my life for the smallest animal in the forest,” the Pine Tree vowed, as he stood between the Bird and the Wind.
“My needles will be your nest, and my berries your food, even if I am small,” the Little Juniper Tree proclaimed to the Bird.
Although the Nasty North Wind blasted gales and gusts, which were deathly, the Christmas Frost King watched the Polar Forest stand tall. He felt vindicated for allowing the Nasty North Wind to test his forest in the first place.
When the Three Evergreen Trees—the Spruce Tree, the Pine Tree, and the Little Juniper Tree, who are green in every season—defended the Little Bird, it caused all the other evergreen trees of the Polar Forest to do the same. In fact, the Polar Forest then defended every large and small animal throughout the wintertime storms.
The harder the Wind blew against the Evergreens, the more resolute the trees became to defeat him, even when he plucked their needles.
As the weeks passed, the Christmas Frost King was relieved for his forest when the snow started to melt. Flowers popped through the soil. When the temperature rose, the frost became less severe. Skunk cabbages began to bloom, and butterflies fluttered. Even the wood frogs began quacking. The Nasty North Wind’s test was finally finished.
“I lived to see the springtime,” the Little Bird cheered. No longer suffering from a sore throat, she sang a song in the sunshine. “I can sing again! Sing a love song!”
Meanwhile, the Nasty North Wind returned to the Christmas Frost King in bitter defeat, and the Frost King felt triumphant and victorious for his faith in the Polar Forest.
“Now I will question you: Who do you think you are to challenge my authority?” the Christmas Frost King announced. He stood to his feet with power, never prouder of his forest. “For the rest of your days, you will not touch any spruce, pine, or little juniper trees on Earth. You will never again pluck needles from my evergreens!”
“I cannot believe that the Polar Forest passed the test,” the Nasty North Wind moaned.
“I banish you to the South Pole, except for the winter season,” he declared. “Each fall when the season turns to winter, you may visit the Northern Hemisphere, but only for three months with peaceful winds. You will also never attack my palace again. Be gone! Never return to me, arrogant tempest! I hope you get tired of freezing the world and bring warmth instead.”
“I bow to your greatness, Christmas Frost King,” the Nasty North Wind said. He departed for the South Pole. His once large uproar was a small breeze.
The Frost King hoped the Nasty North Wind was ashamed and embarrassed of his behavior. In celebration, he felt like throwing a springtime festival.
“Find me the Littlest of Little Birds,” the Christmas Frost King charged his servant. “I need her song in my court.”
Just before the Little Bird was about to fly away into the spring sky, the servant found the Bird resting in the Spruce Tree.
“Your presence is requested by the Christmas Frost King,” the servant explained, as he gathered the Little Bird into his arms.
“Thank you, my lord,” the Littlest of Little Birds said. All the way to the palace, she sang beautiful melodies that sounded like they should be performed by an orchestra.
“I will place a star in the sky to honor your bravery,” said the Christmas Frost King, in hopes that it would help heal her. “And I need you to perform a spring concert for my forest.”
“Sir, it would be an honor to sing for you and the forest,” she chirped with joy.
For the rest of her days, the Little Bird sang in the court of the Christmas Frost King, winter, spring, summer, and fall with bright candles lit year-round.
“Your song has healed the forest,” said the Christmas Frost King.
“And my heart,” said the Littlest Bird. “I will sing until I can sing no more.”
And so, in the Polar Forest of the Christmas Frost King, love endured—not wrapped in ribbons and placed under trees, but given freely, even when the world forgets.
Copyright 2016, 2025 Jennifer Waters
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