The Manger on Fifth Avenue: Christmas Magic from Saks Fifth Avenue

Raymond Cole liked to “go big” at the holidays, but he had never attempted anything quite like The Living Manger. As the Saks Fifth Avenue window designer in New York City, he always got attention for his work, but this year was the biggest celebration yet. Instead of using mannequins and props, he hired real people and animals to pose for him. Of course, this didn’t come without its hiccups every now and then. 

“The Little Drummer Boy is missing!” Raymond said during a last-minute rehearsal on Christmas Eve. He stormed through the display and looked for the child. “Did he break a drumstick?”

Waiting for the Living Manger window display to go live on this Christmas Eve afternoon, shoppers on the street stopped to watch the window. Raymond hated when the shoppers came early to his window premieres. The display was about to launch at any moment, but all Raymond felt was complete chaos. 

“Draw the curtain until I’m ready!” Raymond yelled. Since his assistant Athena had her hands full snapping photos for behind-the-scenes memorabilia, Raymond ran to the window. “I’ll have to do it myself.” He covered with window with relief.

Every holiday season, the New Yorkers gathered outside the Saks windows on Fifth Avenue to celebrate the season. During the weeks ahead of the premiere, Raymond advertised in all the major city publications. He set up exterior speakers to play holiday music and lights to flash. This year, he even had fireworks on the schedule.

“Where is the drummer’s mother?” Raymond called. He grabbed his camera and took a few behind-the-scenes photos of his own. “We’re paying that boy by the hour to play the drums!”

Not only was Raymond well-known for his window displays, but also his portrait photography. Most of all, he loved to take photos of his wife, Ramona. He missed her when he had to work, but especially during holidays like this Christmas Eve. She was always so supportive of him. 

“I haven’t seen the Drummer Boy,” Athena, his assistant, informed him, as she organized the cameras and lights. “Maybe he ran inside Saks?”

“I will find him!” Raymond said. “The only thing worse than this craziness is when I took portraits of kids sitting on Santa’s knee, and they would cry and pick their noses.”

Athena rolled her eyes at Raymond and smiled. 

“Otherwise, please make sure to take photos of all the characters in the displays for housekeeping purposes,” Raymond told Athena. “I have too many other things to do.”

“I’ll do my best in between everything else that I’m already doing!” she replied. 

Despite his love for portraits, the holidays were Raymond’s busiest season with Christmas and Hanukkah themes in his window designs. This year, Raymond created a magical manger, complete with Mary, Joseph, a real baby Jesus, live animals, Three Wise Men, Shepherds, Angels, and an actual child drummer. Mannequins were usually used in Christmas displays, so nothing like this had ever been done before at Saks with real people and animals. 

At any moment, the animals were being delivered by the local zoo: an ox, a donkey, a camel, sheep, horses, pigs, and a dove. He made sure to keep several pooper scoopers on hand for droppings from the zoo animals. 

“I found this boy running through the jewelry department, banging his drum!” the Saks Fifth Avenue manager called to Raymond from down the hall. He walked the Little Drummer Boy to the window display. “Don’t let him out of your sight!”

The little boy looked up at Raymond and smiled. Raymond did the best he could to control his temper. He couldn’t let his emotions run away from him. 

“Stand right there and keep drumming!” Raymond explained to the child. “Have fun! Everyone is going to be watching. People will love you!”

“Raymond, can I talk to you a minute?” Athena whispered. “Stay calm, but the baby Jesus has gone missing, too!”

“What do you mean that the baby Jesus has gone missing, too?” Raymond repeated in a slow voice. “We just tracked down the Little Drummer Boy! All Jesus has to do is nap!”

“We might have a case of kidnapping!” Athena insisted. “I called the police to make a report.”

“Kidnapped! What is the world coming to?” Raymond said. “If this kid was kidnapped, we are in so much trouble!”

“I think the mother is at L’Avenue at Saks for lunch!” Athena said. “The police might think we stole the baby. He has got to be around here somewhere.”

“If we could at least find him by the time the curtain rises,” Raymond said. “Maybe a shopper took him!”

Meanwhile, Raymond peered through the curtain to see the shoppers gathered on the street who waited to see the unveiling of the completed display. As New York City Police Department Officers arrived with guns and badges, Raymond grew frantic that the crowd would leave. Somehow, Raymond had to bring order to the chaos that ensued.  

“We are going to search the entire department store,” the police officer announced as he walked into the set of the window display with several other personnel. “The department is on it!”

“I found this plastic baby in the toy section,” Athena sighed. She unwrapped a possible stand-in baby Jesus from its cardboard box.

“No! This is the Living Manger. We can’t use a plastic baby doll. We have to find the missing baby,” Raymond said. He peered through the curtain again. “Oh, look at the people on the street! They came for holiday cheer! We need to give it to them. If they only knew what was going on behind the curtain!”

Until the Living Manger went live, Raymond was relieved that the shoppers could see his other windows that had already opened. Saks Fifth Avenue featured his Silver Hanukkah Star and Golden Dreidel Windows. He also had a Snow Castle Window, a Santa Workshop Window, and New Year’s Eve Gala Window. Just when Raymond was about to have a breakdown, the mother of the missing baby walked into the window with a shawl over her shoulder. 

“The police officer told me that you were looking for my son!” Mary Louis said. “He was hungry. I was just breastfeeding him in the restaurant. I couldn’t feed him in the window. He’s asleep now.” She lifted up the shawl from her shoulder.

“Everyone is expecting for a baby to be in the straw,” Raymond said. “Next time, maybe bring a bottle to feed him? We almost called the FBI!”

The mother of the fictional baby Jesus, named George, pulled a bottle of prepared milk from her bag. Raymond tried hard not to glare at her and smiled instead.   

“I will try not to make any more disruptions,” Mary promised. She peered through the curtain. “The crowd looks ready to see the manger!”

“I’m glad we have all this straightened out now!” the police officer cheered. “This will be the best Christmas ever!”

“Places, please!” Raymond called through his bullhorn. “We are about to go live in minutes!”

While snapping photos, Athena ushered the actors into their places in the window, including the baby Jesus in his cradle, along with Mary, Joseph, the Three Wise Men, Shepherds, Angels, and the Little Drummer Boy. Then, the animals from the zoo strutted into the window. Raymond positioned each of them in their own space. They left their own unique footprints on the floor. 

“Don’t anyone touch the baby Jesus!” Athena said. “Hands off! He’s not a prop.”

Raymond sat in his director’s chair ready to go. He had waited long enough. The window was as good as it would ever get. 

“At the count of five, we are going live!” Raymond said. “One! Two! Three! Four! Five! We are live!”

With that, Raymond raised the curtain. Then, he pushed a button on the wall, which started the outside music that included “Jingle Bells,” “Deck the Halls,” and “Joy to the World.” Red, green, and white fireworks went off with a bang, and strobe lights flashed inside and outside the window. The window was officially up and running.

“Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone!” Raymond said on a microphone from inside the window. He watched the animals closely and hoped they wouldn’t spook at the noise from the opening announcements. He hoped everyone enjoyed his neutral color palette with metallic accents. 

“We did it!” Athena said to Raymond. She admired the baby Jesus fast asleep in his cradle. He nestled in the straw in peace, almost like a real baby Jesus. 

“Now, we just have to keep this scene going every day until the holidays are over!” Raymond said. “I know we can do it!” 

Then, Raymond’s phone rang. He looked at the Caller ID with excitement. 

“It’s Ramona!” he noticed. “She probably wonders why it took so long for the Living Manger to go live!”

As he looked out the window, he saw her on the street in the crowd of shoppers. She held her cell phone to her ear. 

“Raymond, the Living Manger window looks marvelous!” she gushed. “How on earth did you do all of this! You make it look effortless!”

“Oh, honey, we hardly lifted a finger!” he fibbed. Among other things, he thought she didn’t need to know about the missing baby or the zoo smell. “It came together all at once. Merry Christmas! I love you.”

With that, the baby Jesus started to cry as a dove landed on its cradle. The pig nipped at the Little Drummer Boy’s arm, and the donkey dropped poop on the floor. A shepherd dozed off while standing, and his sheep ran away down the hall. The halo on the lead angel bent in half, and a camel chewed one of the wise men’s robes. The Bethlehem Star looked like it could fall from place at any second. The horse was the calmest animal of the bunch, but it kept smacking Mary and Joseph with its tail. The young ox was hornless but still looked like he had the potential to be mean.  

Raymond thought that the drama at the manger on Fifth Avenue never ended! But what would Christmas be without a little chaos?

As he looked out the window, he saw an animal rights protest group appear with signs. Then, he watched as Ramona shuffled them down the street in Raymond’s defense. 

“Christmas is the happiest time of the year!” Raymond said, as he sat down in his director’s chair. He watched while snow started to fall from the sky. “The best is yet to be!”

 

            Copyright 2021, 2025 Jennifer Waters

THE UNICORN CURE synopsis

LOGLINE 

When a fragile young princess loses her unicorn protector, she discovers that true magic is the light that never leaves her.

 

PITCH

When Penrose, a powerful unicorn, is attacked by beasts of the forest and gives his life to save Sunshine, a princess in the Scottish land of Gras, all hope seems lost until Penrose appears in her bedroom as a mystical being. For the rest of her life, Sunshine is protected by the invisible intervention of Penrose and his magical alicorn, once even throwing a dragon into a sea to defend her. Like an angelic being, no one can see him but Sunshine. Because of his strength, she becomes a majestic queen for her parents and her people. 

 

SYNOPSIS 

Twelve-year-old Sunshine lives in the land of Gras whose best friend is a unicorn named Penrose. Because her father is King of Gras and her mother is the queen, she lives in a Scottish medieval castle. Penrose goes with her everywhere, protecting her from harmful beasts in the enchanted forest. She loves to play with him in her rose garden and splash with him in the hot, bubbling mineral springs. Only the rhinoceros is known to have a similar horn on its head, and this unicorn’s alicorn has a red tip. More than once, his horn has pierced the heart of beasts of the forest in Sunshine’s defense. Although she is a princess, she has many jealous enemies, trying to prevent her destiny to rule Gras as queen. Sometimes, she spends the night with Penrose in his unicorn lair next to her family castle. She brushes his silky white coat with her own golden hairbrush and braids his long flowing tail. On days when Sunshine is sick, Penrose helps her get well quickly. His horn has magical healing qualities, and he grinds it against a rock and mixes its powder in tea as a potion to cure her ailments. 

 

Days later, his horn grows back to its regular shape, as if he has never used it as medicine. When Sunshine swims in a river or lake, he dips his horn in it first, cleansing it for her. He always makes sure that she is never poisoned by the evils of the forest. In fact, the cup itself from which Sunshine drinks is made from Penrose’s unicorn horn. On the base of the cup is inscribed: “But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.” So, whatever Sunshine drinks is purified by Penrose’s purifying healing powers and virtues.

 

One afternoon, Sunshine and Penrose take a nap together by the river in the beautiful forest. The unicorn curls up next to her in the tall grass, neighing, and falling asleep with its head on her lap. That particular afternoon, beasts have been watching the pair from a distance, waiting to pounce. As Sunshine and Penrose rest, the beasts circle, and when Penrose is fully asleep, the creatures descend. Penrose rises to his feet. Although it is devastating, Penrose throws himself in front of the beasts, giving Sunshine a chance to flee. As she runs into the distance, she sees the beasts slaughter her most majestic best friend. She cries all night until she can no longer produce tears, and she feels sick to her stomach. She sobs. Then, a sudden voice booms in her bedroom, shaking the walls. There stands Penrose in all his glory and stately heroism. She runs across the room and throws her arms around his neck, kissing his cheeks as she wept. Almost like an angelic being, Penrose accompanies Sunshine until the day she dies, but only she sees him. “I have as it were the strength of a unicorn,” Sunshine sings, rising from bed each morning in her castle. As queen of Gras, she sits on an ivory throne made of Penrose’s magical alicorn, reigning until age one hundred twenty.

Copyright 2022 Jennifer Waters

MINUET synopsis

LOGLINE 

Magic silkworms spin love in the most romantic way. 

 

PITCH

When Velvet Briar Rose needs a dress for the Cotswolds Ballroom Dance, her wicked aunt admits that she has kept the magic silkworms from her and her mother, who spins dresses all days long for little money. Her aunt lies and tells her niece that the silkworms are known to make one dress per lifetime that brings true love. Since her mother has already had the silkworms make a wedding dress, her aunt says that her mother has lost her chance, but Velvet still has one magic dress that can be spun. The aunt reluctantly gives Velvet the jar of worms, thinking she will get them back without her mother knowing. After the silkworms make both Velvet and her mother Emma dresses for the ball, they both have suitors, and the deception of the aunt is known. Without the worms, her husband goes to jail for fraudulent business dealings, and Velvet and her mother are no longer destined for a life of spinning at a wheel. 

 

SYNOPSIS

Night and day, Emma Souster spins thread on a spinning wheel in her home, causing calluses on her hands. Her thread makes cotton frocks for the women of Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds in England. Because she is always too busy spinning for someone else, her daughter, Velvet Briar Rose Souster, wears clothes made from the scraps. Most of the time, Velvet even sews them together herself. Now 15 years old, she needs a pretty dress for the winter Cotswolds Ballroom Dance. When Velvet was two years old, her father died of pneumonia in the winter frost. Heartbroken as could be, her mother never remarried, leaving Velvet and her mother to fend for themselves alone. However, her aunt lives in London, and her uncle is a wealthy banker, so Velvet often spends time on the train visiting her aunt and uncle, hardly making ends meet for herself and her mother. 

 

According to her aunt, a fairy godmother gave magic silkworms to Velvet’s grandmother in her youth, and her grandmother gave them to her aunt for safekeeping, not her mother. Years ago, the silkworms spun a wedding dress for Velvet’s mother, but when her father died the “one-dress-in-a-lifetime” magic of the silkworms’ spinning had already run out for her mother, or so her mother had been told. Velvet promises her aunt not to tell her mother about borrowing the silkworms and will return them on her next trip to London. Her aunt secretly plans to never talk to Velvet again once she gets back the magic silkworms. 

 

Upon returning home, Velvet finds her mother spinning at her wheel. The morning of the dance, she wakes up looking for answers from the magic silkworms. The worms, which she hid under her bedroom floorboards, are gone. As Velvet walks into the cottage kitchen, she finds her mother sitting at the spinning wheel, glowing. The magic silkworms visited Velvet and her mother, making each of them a glorious dress for the dance. As it turns out, Velvet meets a suitor at the dance who courts her, and so does her mother. In the meantime, Velvet’s mother receives word that her sister’s husband has gone to jail for fraudulent business dealings. In fact, Velvet’s disheveled aunt busts into the cottage one afternoon unannounced when Emma is out doing errands at the market. When Emma comes back from town, she walks through the door with her suitor on her arm. The evil auntie runs from the cottage without taking the silkworms with her. To this day, the magic silkworms will spin a dress for anyone looking for love.

Copyright 2022 Jennifer Waters

SHOES synopsis

LOGLINE 

In a magical town where families live inside shoes, a fearless grandmother stops a stomping three-footed giant by crafting custom boots that help him finally feel he belongs.

 

PITCH

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe with a neighborhood of footwear. The Shoes Neighborhood is a place where customers live in their shoes instead of wearing them on their feet, and when a three-footed shoeless giant comes along to squash their homes, even he gets his own special trio of shoes from Grammie and her twelve grandchildren.

 

SYNOPSIS

Over the river and through the woods, there is an old woman who lives in an ankle boot in the Shoes Neighborhood, a neighborhood of footwear. Although her five children—the parents of her twelve grandchildren—live nearby, her grandchildren enjoy staying at her home more than any other place in the entire countryside, including the village candy store. Of course, she is a good grandma—she feeds her grandchildren, clothes them, scolds them, and encourages them when they are sad. They never lack for anything because she is so wise and creative. Gramps passed away a few years ago, but she keeps his shoes by the fireplace for everyone to remember. In this quaint neighborhood of footwear, much like the shoe section at the village clothing store, there is a type of shoe for everyone’s personal taste. Except in the Shoes Neighborhood, the customers live in their shoes.

 

As much as everyone likes the Shoes Neighborhood for its cleverness and class, it has one enemy: Its long-standing rival, the Three-Footed Giant, whose feet never fit in shoes, because shoes come in a pair, and he has larger-than-life triple feet; so not only is the size a problem, but also his number of feet. The whole ground shakes every time he comes near the Shoes Neighborhood. As the Three-Footed Giant plods his way through the streets, the thigh-high boot home falls over, the roller skate home loses a wheel, and the stiletto home breaks its heel. Several porch sandal straps fall to the ground from a local residence, swinging back and forth with no place to attach. It is not a pretty sight, and neighbors run from their homes in tears and fright, afraid that their shoe house will be next to fall apart. In an attempt to soothe the Giant, Grammie and her grandchildren make him his own trio of shoes. Hurrying to work before he returns, they start by measuring his footprints. As the twelve grandchildren work for five straight nights in a row, they make the Three-Footed Giant individual army boots, matching his three distinct footprints, each of which has varying numbers of toes. When the army boots are painted and laced, Grammie inspects the shoes with her spectacles. She paces about the boots, gearing up for her showdown with the Giant, anticipating the next time he comes ‘round. 

 

Days later, when the Three-Footed Giant comes back to the Shoes Neighborhood, Grammie has been baking, and he smells her blueberry muffins. Grammie bursts through the front door of her home, and she parts the trees in her yard, showing him his new trio of army boots. She tells him that the shoes are for him and that they are a perfect fit. After much fussing, fidgeting, and rolling on the ground, the Three-Footed Giant shoves his feet into the boots. Filled with gratitude, he breaks down sobbing like a two-year-old child. Against her will, the Giant scoops Grammie up in his palm and places her at his heart. He tells Grammie that he loves her, and she responds, saying the same. He wants to bring all his friends with awkward feet to her for shoes.  From then on, the Shoes Neighborhood is known as the most generous place for people with misshapen feet.

Copyright 2022 Jennifer Waters

Christmas Crackers: A Christmas Folktale from Clerkenwell

It was Christmas 1847 in Clerkenwell, London, and Tom Smith’s cake shop was unusually crowded at the holidays. The gold-painted lettering on the green and black wooden signboard read: “T. Smith’s Wedding Cakes & Crackers – Confections for Christmas.”

“Christmas crackers!” called Mr. Smith, a prominent wedding cake baker, to a shop full of customers eagerly waiting for the noisemakers. 

Crates and baskets held the crackers wrapped in shiny foils. They were tied with ribbons and sealed with wax. Although Mr. Smith baked crackers—savory biscuits or water biscuits—his customers stood in line for a different kind: festive novelties that snapped when pulled at both ends. 

Brass bells jingled every time the oak shop door opened. Mistletoe hung above the entrance, as if waiting for couples to kiss. Red and green garlands hung across the ceiling. 

The smell of freshly baked bread filled the air. Scents of vanilla, chocolate and cinnamon added to the romantic atmosphere. The dark wood shelving held dried fruits, tins of sweets, and candied orange peels. Mr. Smith always made sure to offer trays of cake samples under glass domes on his walnut counter. 

Behind the counter sat large, tiered wedding cakes. He specialized in sugar flowers and piped lace. He loved to add tiny bride and groom figures to his creations. Candlelight flickered from inside the shop during winter nights, next to a small gas lantern.

“Come get your Christmas gift!” Mr. Smith said in his white apron, as he handed the green, red, and gold crackers to his customers by the door of his shop. “These crackers contain romantic fortunes filled with Christmas magic.”

He had been trying to attract new customers that passed by on the narrow cobblestone street. It bustled with foot traffic and horse-drawn carts. Inside the shop, his assistants in waistcoats rang up the brass cash register and wrapped gift boxes. They also offered samples and refilled shelves. Customers laughed when fortunes were read.

Waiting for his own true love, he kept baking wedding cakes. Another day, another tier, and another stack of crackers! 

“Yipee!” he said, as customers opened his crackers. They made one explosive crack after the other. He watched as the men and women were excited to find their romantic fortunes. “Do you believe in true love?” he asked his customers. “I do, but I just haven’t found it yet.” 

His tiered wedding cakes sat delicately in his large bay window, fogged with condensation. The cakes stood on fine china next to a Christmas tree decorated with the colorful crackers and handmade ornaments. The cakes were several tiers high with swirling icing and intricate design. Sculptors sculpted with clay, but he baked cakes.

“I will have a wedding cake just like this one when I get married!” announced an elegant woman who walked in the shop. She wore a long red velvet dress with ruffles. Her black coat, bonnet, and leather gloves were covered with snowflakes from the winter storm. 

“When is the date?” Mr. Smith asked his beautiful customer. He adjusted his high-collared shirt, rolled up his sleeves, and wiped the flour from his hands. “I need to make sure to get your order on my calendar, so it’s done in time.”

He noticed that the sun shone a little brighter through the shop bay window. As the snow fell on the sidewalk, there was not a cloud in the sky. 

Customers experimented with the crackers, and the noisemakers crackled like logs put on a fire in a twist of paper. Mr. Smith thought his marketing genius seemed to be a big hit!

“Oh, I’m not engaged yet,” she explained, as she took off her bonnet and shook her brown curls. She had a twinkle in her eye. “But I will be engaged soon. Very soon. I just need the right man.” 

“Oh, I see. Maybe he will come as a Christmas gift!” Mr. Smith said, as he handed her a sample of his chocolate wedding cake from the counter. “Please enjoy a piece of cake.”

“Thank you very much indeed,” the lovely woman joked. “What are these shiny toys?” 

“Those are Christmas crackers!” he answered with a laugh. “I put love fortunes in the crackers that always come true every time.”

“Love fortunes!” she gasped and grabbed a handful. She dumped the change from her pockets on his counter. “I need all the love messages that I can get! Especially if they come true. I’ve been having a terrible day until now.”

“I’m considering putting sweets, jewelry, and small toys in some of them for fun,” Mr. Smith said. “I thought expanding the merchandise might increase business,” he continued, as she opened her first cracker with a pop. 

“It says, ‘You’ve just met your true love!’” the brunette woman whispered. Then, she looked up at Mr. Smith. 

“Charlotte Thompson, is that what it says?” he stammered and scratched his head. She’d been visiting his shop often and always flirted with him. “Does that mean me?” 

“Yes, kind sir, I think it does mean you,” Miss Thompson said, as she smiled at him. 

Of course, Mr. Smith had known this woman since childhood, and she had been in love with him for years. She made him so nervous that he never knew how to react to her advances. He was a stubborn bachelor, but he knew that he needed to settle down with a good wife. 

Before Mr. Smith could say anything else, Charlotte threw her arms around him and kissed him. The cake baker thought her outrageous behavior must be from the Christmas magic found in the noisemakers. She had never acted so impulsively.

“Marry me!” she exclaimed, as the enchantment must have been spreading all throughout the shop. “Marry me! And I’ll take every cake in your shop for the rest of my life.”

At first, Mr. Smith tried to fight back, but after a moment, he figured there was no use in fighting with a gorgeous woman who loved him and his sweets. 

“Christmas crackers! It’s Christmas magic,” Mr. Smith said. He kissed her back in front of his entire shop of customers. A line had formed out the door, watching his romance unfold. 

He appreciated Charlotte even if she drove him crazy with her whimsical disposition. Since he was too analytical and rigid at times, she was everything he needed. She charmed him with her charisma. “Will you be my Mrs. Smith?” he asked her.

“Of course, I will,” the wife-to-be agreed, as she painted his lips with icing. “Taste the icing!” 

He laughed and thought how wonderful it felt to be loved. Not everyone in the world had such a special person in their life like Charlotte, who always showed up at the right time. He was already shopping for a diamond ring in his mind. 

“Get your Christmas crackers!” Mr. Smith said to the other customers in the shop. “They’re going fast! Soon all the wedding chapels will be full.”

Their shop became known as a miraculous place where romantic messages read by customers in the Christmas crackers proved true every time, even if there were a few bumps along the way. 

“You can kiss me whenever you want,” Miss Thompson told Mr. Smith in front of their customers. “No mistletoe needed!”

“I’d like a flurry of kisses,” Mr. Smith replied. He kissed her as the shop door opened and blew in snow from the latest storm.

“My snowflake wishes have all come true, and so can yours,” Charlotte announced.

With one final “CRACK!” from a Christmas cracker, the love story between Mr. and Mrs. Smith became legendary. Each year at Christmas, the lasting love of the Smiths was so overwhelming that it caused their Christmas crackers to spread all over the world.

The magic of the fortunes sparked one romantic love story after the other. And so, Mr. and Mrs. Smith lived happily ever after with wedding cakes, Christmas crackers, and marvelous love all around them.

 

Copyright 2021, 2025 Jennifer Waters

A Merry Christmas Parade: The Story of a Holly, Ivy, and Mistletoe Float

Holly, ivy, and mistletoe floats!

Down the street they go, so get your coats!

If you want to meet good ‘ole Santa Claus

At the end of the parade, make it your cause.

Stand by the side of the street and cheer!

Run behind the parade until he is near. 

Jump on his sleigh and tell him your wish. 

Slip in and give him a kiss with a swish. 

He’s sure to listen if you ask really nice. 

If you’re desperate for gifts, maybe ask twice.

Spell your name and give him your address. 

A Christmas carol would surely impress. 

You could bring a card with your picture inside. 

Then, sit on his lap for the rest of the ride. 

A Merry Christmas Parade is the best!

Santa is always looking for a new guest. 

            

Copyright 2021 Jennifer Waters

The Pohutukawa Tree: A Christmas Folktale from New Zealand

“Did you see that shadow by the cave?” Amelia whispered into the wind. “I think it was Mom.” As the wind blew off the ocean on a crisp December evening, she pulled her father’s jacket over her shoulders. The sleeves hung down on the ground. 

“There’s a story that the people around these parts of New Zealand believe,” Mr. Brown said. “I’m not really sure if I believe it, but I’ll tell you anyhow. Maybe it will cheer you up!”

“I think I just saw Mom’s spirit standing outside those caves,” his 12-year-old daughter said. She had been so sad that her mother had passed away that she could think about nothing else. Sometimes, she could not sleep, just wanting her mother to hold her again. 

“If the folklore is true, the shadow might have been the spirit of the warrior Tawhaki,” Mr. Brown said, as he looked out over the coast. The moonlight shone on the water. “He’s an avenger and guardian of justice. Sometimes, grieving people can see him. He might be fighting to bring your mother justice. The car accident wasn’t her fault.”

Amelia teared up and wiped her nose on his jacket sleeve. She had been so afraid after her mother’s death, not knowing what really happened to her. 

“I miss Mom every second,” the girl cried. “Why did she have to go so soon?”

The wind blew hard against the large tree with red flowers that clung to the cliff of Cape Reinga. Then, Amelia noticed her mother’s scarf in her father’s pocket. He carried it with him wherever he went. Once when he wasn’t looking, Amelia saw him pull it out and press it against his face. He closed his eyes, as if he was trying to remember her scent. 

“Let me tell you a version of the ancient Māori legend,” her father said, as he took his daughter’s hand. “Your mother used to love this story. We came to visit this place before you were born. She thought it was magic, and I wasn’t so sure, but it’s said that these caves are where spirits pass as they travel onto heaven.”

“Then, maybe I really did see Mom,” she said. “Let’s go inside. I have to see her. Just once more.”

“It’s such a nice night outside, honey. I’m not sure that we should really go inside the caves,” her father said, as he walked along the cliff with Amelia. He wiped a tear from his cheek. “This red tree was known as the New Zealand Christmas tree, and it seems to guard the entrance to the caves that wrap around the cliff.”

“But what if we can find Mom?” the girl cried. “What if she is waiting for us?”

“I’m not sure about that, but as the rest of the story goes, and not all the versions of it agree, this Pohutukawa tree emerged from here on Christmas Eve many years ago. Its burning red flowers are said to symbolize the blood of a warrior who died attempting to avenge his father’s death. His name was Tawhaki.”

“Oh, I think Mom just waved at us,” Amelia whispered. She watched the shadow outside the caves. “Can we please go inside?”

“It’s so dark in the caves,” he said, as he looked up at the stars. 

“Well, what’s the rest of the story?” his daughter asked. 

“Supposedly the warrior tried to get help in heaven on his mission to avenge his father, and then he fell to earth, causing the red flowers to bloom,” Mr. Brown said. “They say he still roams the earth, trying to avenge his father’s death. He hunts injustice and secretly tries to bring justice to those in need of it. Legend has it that he also guides souls on their journeys from earth to heaven through the caves. Now, I bet you thought it was just a tree?” her father said. “Sometimes, I think it still might just be a tree.”

“I always knew there was something special about the tree,” she told him, as she walked toward the entrance to the caves. “It’s so pretty.”

“I hope the story is true,” the father said. “Either way, everything will be all right.”

“Since Mom died last summer, I’ve seen the same shadow following me sometimes,” Amelia said. “Maybe it’s the warrior. I thought it might be Mom’s shadow. I wasn’t sure where it came from. I was too scared to tell you.”

“Really? Well, I wake up at night, and I think I hear her calling me. Sometimes, I think I’m going crazy,” her father said. “The legend of Tawhaki is really just a lot of folklore . . . and it makes you feel better for a while when you pretend it could be true.”

“Maybe I could talk to Mother one last time,” Amelia cried. “I dreamed I met her in the caves by the tree.”

“I want to believe that’s true, Amelia. I really do,” Mr. Brown said with trembling in his voice. “What if I’m wrong? If Tawhaki exists, he will help your mother. One way or another, justice at the court case regarding her car accident will prevail.”

“The shadow following me could have been Tawhaki,” Amelia said with a worried expression. “I’d rather it was Mom following me though.”

“You have no reason to be afraid,” Mr. Brown said. “If Tawhaki exists, he is probably trying to avenge her death, like the death of his father. According to the myth, he fights to bring justice.”

“Oh, I just saw a shadow again, next to the tree,” Amelia said with a gasp. “Did you see it, Dad?”

“No, I didn’t see it,” Mr. Brown said with a sigh. “If you want to, we could walk through the caves just this one time, but then that’s enough, and only for a few minutes.”

“I would like that,” Amelia said, as she dug in her bag for a flashlight to light their way.

Then, Amelia and her father walked into the heart of the caves. The walls were tight, and they had to squeeze through several spots. 

“Maybe we should turn back, Amelia,” her father suggested. “I don’t want to get stuck in here.”

“No, we’re going to find Mom,” Amelia said, as she felt the clammy walls beside her. Then, she slipped and landed hard. “Ouch! I just know we’ll find her.”

“The air’s getting thinner,” her father murmured in the dark.

“Oh, come on!” Amelia said, as she pulled her father’s hand. “Just a little bit farther.”

“I love you, Amelia,” her father said. He took a deep breath and squeezed through the next tight spot. 

As they descended deeper into the caves, Amelia froze. Light shimmered. Her mother stood before her surrounded by a bright glow. Tears filled Amelia’s eyes. When she looked at her father, he had no reaction, and she realized he was not able to see the spirit of her mother. She didn’t try to convince him. 

“Did you see Mom, Amelia?” her father asked, as Amelia watched the spirit of her mother bend over and kiss her cheek. “I don’t see her anywhere!” he said.

Amelia ignored her father. Her mother’s kiss burned like fire, and Amelia was sure it was real. Then, her mother kissed Amelia’s father, but he must have not felt the fire on his cheek. Amelia’s mother slipped off her diamond wedding ring and pressed it into Amelia’s hand. 

“Keep this for me, Amelia. I love you,” her mother said. Then, she turned and walked toward the inside of the caves. In a moment, she disappeared like she was taken up to heaven. 

“I’ll love you forever,” Amelia whispered. 

“Okay, now, it’s time to go home, Amelia,” her father said. “We can cut some of the red flowers from the tree to represent the spirit of your mother and the warrior we hope is helping her with the court case. We’ll put them by your bedside.”

“At least there is someone looking out for me, so I’m not alone without Mom,” Amelia told her dad.

“I’m looking out for you every day!” Mr. Brown said. “You’re never alone.”

She decided that telling him that she just saw her mother might not help him at all, but it helped her more than she could say. Her mother’s wedding ring hid deep in her pocket, although it was too big to fit on any of her fingers. It felt hard and like it could never break.

“Whatever happened to Mom’s wedding ring?” Amelia asked her father out of curiosity.

“Oh, it was lost in the car accident,” her father said. “We never found it.”

Before they left for evening, Mr. Brown walked over to the tree and left a note. 

“What’s that?” Amelia asked her father. The envelope read: “For my love.”

“A note I wrote your mother,” he said. “In case she finds it.”

Then, the wind blew, and the Pohutukawa tree shook, as a shadow fell from its branches. Amelia watched it follow the Browns back to their house and sit next to her bedside. The shadow looked different than her mother did in the cave, and she knew it must be Tawhaki. 

“If I had picked her up that night, maybe she would still be alive,” Mr. Brown said to Amelia, as she was sure he could not see the shadow. “I’m so sorry. Good night.”

“I love you, Dad. It’s not your fault,” Amelia said. “I know Mom loves you, too.”

When she woke up the next morning, the shadow was gone, but on the day of the court case, Amelia saw the shadow next to the witness stand as the driver who killed her mother testified. She felt courageous when she saw the shadow in the court room. 

“It’s Tawhaki!” Amelia said to herself, as the man gave his testimony. She didn’t feel as intimidated as she might have been otherwise. Still, she wished that she could bring her mother back to earth again. 

“I can’t take it anymore!” the man yelled. “I was drunk, okay? I killed her! What do you want me to say? I’ve been haunted by this shadow for the past week. It’s easier to tell the truth. The whole thing was my fault!”

“I motion to strike those comments!” the defendant’s attorney yelled. 

“At least he told the truth,” Mr. Brown said to Amelia, who secretly held her mother’s wedding ring in her pocket. 

Days later, Amelia watched the judge walk into the court room with the jury ready to announce the verdict. She sat next to her father, her mother’s wedding ring hidden in her pocket. Once again, she saw the shadow linger near the jury box. She wondered if he could sway their hearts. 

“We, the jury, find the defendant guilty . . .” rang through the courtroom.

“Thank you,” Amelia whispered to Tawhaki. Somehow, she knew that he could hear her. She gave her father a hug and hoped the verdict was a comfort to him. 

One day, when she was old enough to wear a wedding ring, Amelia thought she might ask her husband if he could propose to her with it. By then, maybe she could figure out how to explain to her father that her mother had given her the wedding ring the night they had spent together in the caves.

“Justice,” Amelia whispered. 

She stood. Tawhaki’s shadow vanished. 

“Justice.”

 

Editor’s Note: This fictionalized story respectfully draws from Māori legend and acknowledges the cultural significance of the Pōhutukawa tree and Tawhaki at Cape Reinga. It is told with admiration for the spiritual heritage it honors.

 

Copyright 2021, 2025 Jennifer Waters