Lumi the little reindeer and the Secret of the Christmas Forest  

Far away in Lapland,  snowy fells and silent trees, lived a little reindeer named Lumi. 

One December morning, Lumi went for a walk in the forest as usual. New snow had fallen during the night, and the whole world sparkled as if it had been sprinkled with thousands of tiny diamonds.

Suddenly, Lumi stopped.

Between the old trees, he saw a narrow path that he had never noticed before.

Small golden lights floated above the path.

“Where on earth does that lead?” Lumi whispered.

Curious, he stepped onto the path.

The deeper into the forest Lumi walked, the quieter the world became. Soon she arrived at two large, snowy trees. Their branches curved together like a gate.

Lumi stepped between them.

And then something wonderful happened.

“You came!”

Lumi flinched.

A white rabbit peeked out from under the small snowy tree.

“Did you talk?” Lumi asked in surprise.

“Of course,” the hare replied. “This is the Christmas forest. Animals can talk here at Christmas time.”

Soon a little fox, two squirrels, and an old white owl appeared from behind the trees.

But no one looked happy.

“The star of the Christmas forest has disappeared,” the owl said. “Without it, the Christmas lights in the forest won’t come on.”

Lumi looked around. Now she noticed that the lanterns in the forest were dark and there was no star shining on the top of the big fir tree.

“I’ll help you find it,” Lumi said.

Lumi and the white rabbit set off to follow the sparkling trail in the snow.

The trail led through the snowy tree, over a small frozen stream, and finally to a large snowdrift.

Something golden glinted from the snow.

Lumi dug into the snow with her snout and the rabbit with her little paws.

There she found the **Christmas Forest Star**.

But its light had gone out.

“How do we make it shine again?” the rabbit asked.

Lumi carefully lifted the star onto her antlers.

Then she remembered something an old owl had once said:

*Christmas lights come on where a friend helps a friend.*

Lumi closed her eyes and wished with all her heart that the Christmas Forest would get its light back.

A small golden spark flashed in the middle of the star.

Then another.

And suddenly the star shine so brightly that the whole forest was filled with golden light.

Lumi and the rabbit took the star back to the big tree.

When the star was placed on the top, all the small lanterns in the forest lit up at the same time.

The trees sparkled.

The snow sparkled.

And high in the sky the northern lights began to dance in green, gold and pink ribbons.

The forest animals gathered around Lumi.

“You have found the secret of the Christmas forest,” said the old owl.

“What is it?” Lumi asked.

The owl smiled.

“The magic of the Christmas forest does not come from a star. It comes from us helping each other.”

When Lumi returned home later, he turned to look at the forest once more.

The golden path was no longer visible.

But far away between the snowy trees a small light flashed.

And Lumi knew that the Christmas forest would always be there – waiting for the next Christmas and a new adventure.

Because in Lapland, the most beautiful secrets are found when you look for them with a kind heart.

Lapland Tales @ Tastes