The Candle That Saved Christmas

Once upon a time, by a half-frozen stream in a snowy valley, there lay a little village. In that village there was a house and in that house lived a little girl. She was just like you, or me: she had a mum, a dad, and a younger brother. Her name was Julia and she was just unpacking the Christmas decorations.

“Mum, mum, look what I’ve found!” she exclaimed as she opened one of the boxes that had been put away in the cupboard, untouched for a year.

Julia’s mum poked her head around the door and looked.

“Ah,” she exclaimed, “those were left over from last Christmas!”

The box contained a handful of slim sparklers and something else, too – one tiny candle. Its colour had faded and its scent was indistinct, but last year it had saved their family when there was a power cut.

The cocky sparklers woke up with a yawn. As soon as they saw the little candle, they started mocking it.

Esther (that was the candle’s name) felt sad. She was sorry that the sparklers didn’t remember how hard she had worked to provide light all through the evening last Christmas. For the rest of the day, Esther watched Julia and her mother arrange beautiful Christmas decorations in all the windows of the house. She felt happy again when she heard them laughing together and singing Christmas carols.

The next day, she watched as they set up and decorated the Christmas tree. When they had finished, there were lights, little bells, big glass baubles, angels and several nativity characters all hung on the fragrant fir tree.

The Christmas decorations swung proudly on the branches of the tree, and when they noticed the little candle, they started giggling and…