Finding the fairies

Got a tree, it came with it's own biodegradable stand. Very unwieldy and impossible to water.


Tess was with Beth when she bought the tree. While the salesperson wrapped the tree for them in the store, Tess signalled to Beth that she wanted to whisper something to her...





"I hope there's a fairy inside this tree like last year."
Beth thought a moment...last year we had cut down a tree at a tree farm near Mt. Emily...then she remembered. After setting up the tree at home, the first (and only) ornament Beth had put on the tree that evening had been a little fairy. Tess had discovered the fairy the next morning and evidently concluded that the fairy belonged to the tree... and now a year later the memory is as clear as a bell.
The excitement in Tess' eyes led Beth to an inescapable conculsion, namely, that a new family tradition had been born...the christmass tree fairy tradition. Beth assured Tess that there must indeed be a fairy in this tree too. Only one problem, of course...where to come up with a fairy in the brief interval of time left to us?
This is the point at which Beth displays her creativity and resourcefulness. As soon as we get home Beth starts collecting materials...pipe cleaners, embroidery thread, felt, acorns, juniper twigs, leaves...the usual fairy stuff.
We try to distract the kids from the subject of christmas trees and fairies long enough to give Beth time to come up with something. Then luck happens. Yannick from across the street calls to invite the kids over to watch a movie with Constance. He has just installed a large screen projector. Perfect.









When the kids come back, up goes the tree and the search for the fairies (one for each of them) begins. The fairy tree tradition lives for another year...
K