By Lesley M. M. Blume, author of Modern Fairies, Dwarves, Goblins, and Other Nasties
Written under the guise of Miss Edythe McFate, narrator of Modern Fairies
Allow me to introduce myself: I am Miss Edythe McFate. You may have read my new book, Modern Fairies, Dwarves. Goblins, and Other Nasties. A simply divine short story collection and a guidebook all at once, Modern Fairies is most instructive. It teaches today’s children how to engage with the modern fairy realm that thrives around us every day and everywhere.
Lately I’ve gotten many letters from readers wondering what fairies get up to during the holiday season. After all, if fairies are so modern these days, are they out buying presents for one another and trussing up turkeys to eat and hanging up stockings for a fairy Santa Claus?
Most certainly not.
Fairies would never deign to celebrate human holidays. They are quite snobbish when it comes to people, you see: on the whole, they think we’re silly and clumsy, and that they are vastly superior when it comes to throwing parties and other sorts of revelry.
However, many fairy breeds have their own celebrations at this time of year, and this is what they get up to:
Northern winged fairies celebrate the arrival of winter. Since they appear so frail, you might think that they’d go into hibernation for the season – but the opposite is true. They adore snow and the way that it glitters in the sunshine and under moonbeams, and they chisel magnificent jewelry out of icicles for themselves. At midnight on December 17 – their version of New Years Eve – they gather in pine groves and send fireflies up into the trees; the whole forest fills with a holy light and great feasts take place around the trunks.
Goblins, on the other hand, hate winter. Only one activity gives them pleasure during this time: slipping into people’s homes and stealing their Christmas trees for firewood. Every week they hold a big Christmas tree bonfire in their underground dens. They’ve been known to take a present or two from under the tree as well, but are rarely known to be happy with what they find inside. There’s no pleasing some creatures.
And then there are the brownies. These sweet creatures spend the whole holiday season eating, eating, and eating. They love to eat. As everyone knows, brownies wear hats made from nutshells, and so they are particularly fond of the Nutcrackers lying around human homes during Christmas. If you leave a bowl of walnuts next to your Nutcracker, you might notice that quite a few of them are missing in the morning.
There are thousands of fairy breeds, and each of them has their own pastimes. To address all of their holiday habits, I’d need to write a whole new book. But I hope that you’ve enjoyed this little glimpse of winter in the fairy realm, and I wish you the happiest of human holidays.
– Miss Edythe McFate
New York City, December 2010
LESLEY M. M. BLUME’S MODERN FAIRIES TOUR
Monday, December 13th – Random Acts of Reading
https://randomactsofreading.wordpress.com/
Tuesday, December 14th – Library Lounge Lizard
http://www.libraryloungelizard.com/
Wednesday, December 15th – Through the Looking Glass Book Review Blog
https://lookingglassreview.blogspot.com/
Thursday, December 16th – Book Divas
https://bookdivas.com/
Friday, December 17th – The Children’s Book Review
You’re here!
Saturday, December 18th – The Book Faerie
https://bkfaerie.blogspot.com/
Sunday, December 19th – The Reading Zone
https://thereadingzone.wordpress.com/
