It was the night before Christmas Eve at the North Pole toy workshop. The elves were bustling, bells were jingling, and everyone was excited. But if you are looking for short Christmas bedtime stories to help kids sleep, you have to hear the tale of Tinsel.
Tinsel was the sweetest elf in the workshop. He had rosy cheeks and very pointy ears. His job was the most important one of all: wrapping the presents.
Tinsel loved wrapping. He loved the shiny paper that crinkled. He loved the curly ribbons that bounced. Most of all, he loved sticky tape.
But sticky tape did not love Tinsel.
Tinsel was a very enthusiastic wrapper, but he was also a very clumsy elf.
He tried to wrap a blue toy truck. Zzzzip! went the tape. Suddenly, the truck was stuck to Tinsel’s hat.
He tried to wrap a pretty doll. Zzzzap! went the tape. Now the doll was stuck to his elbow.
“Oh marshmallows!” said Tinsel. He spun around to try and fix it, but he spun too fast.
Just then, Santa Claus walked by, humming a jolly tune. Santa put his lunch down on a table for just a second. It was a giant, delicious turkey sandwich.
Tinsel was holding a mega-roll of sparkly green paper. He tripped over a candy cane on the floor. Whoosh! The paper flew up into the air. Crunch-stick! went the tape.
When the glitter settled, Santa’s sandwich was perfectly wrapped in sparkly green paper with a lovely red bow on top.
“Oh dear,” whispered Tinsel. “I wrapped lunch instead of a launchpad!”
Tinsel felt very worried. He tried to untangle himself, but he only got worse. Shiny gold ribbons wrapped around his tummy. Sticky tape caught his little green shoes. He tumbled backward into a giant pile of soft white tissue paper.
He was a shimmering, shivering ball of tangled elf. He felt frustrated and very, very awake. “I’ll never finish in time for Christmas,” he sniffed, kicking his feet. Crinkle, crinkle went the tissue paper.
Suddenly, a gentle hand touched his shoulder. The workshop smelled sweetly of warm gingerbread. It was Mrs. Claus.
“Tinsel, my dear,” she whispered softly. Her voice was calm and slow. “Look at you. You are all wound up tight, just like a yo-yo.”
“I’m stuck, Mrs. Claus,” Tinsel mumbled from inside the paper pile.
“To get untangled on the outside, we must untangle your insides first,” she smiled soothingly. “Stop wiggling, little elf. Close your eyes.”
Tinsel stopped kicking. He closed his eyes.
“Now,” whispered Mrs. Claus, stroking the ribbon on his hat. “Breathe in slowly through your nose, like you are smelling a cup of hot cocoa. One… two… three.”
Tinsel took a deep breath. He imagined warm chocolate.
“Now, breathe out slowly through your mouth, like you are gently blowing out a candle on a birthday cake. Shhhhhh.”
Tinsel let the air out slowly. Shhhhhh.
They did it again. Breathe in the cocoa… breathe out the candle.
Tinsel’s shoulders relaxed. The sticky tape didn’t feel so tight anymore. The big pile of tissue paper underneath him felt soft as a cloud. It felt like a giant, fluffy bed.
Crinkle… shhh. Crinkle… shhh. The noise of the paper became rhythmic and sleepy.
“That’s better,” whispered Mrs. Claus. She didn’t try to move him. Instead, she tucked a piece of soft red velvet fabric around him like a warm blanket.
The bright workshop lights seemed dim and cozy now. The sounds of the other elves felt far away.
Tinsel was still a little bit tangled in ribbons, but he didn’t mind. He was warm. He was safe. And he was very, very sleepy.
His little pointy ears gave one last twitch, and Tinsel the elf fell fast asleep right in the middle of the wrapping paper pile.
Goodnight, Tinsel. Goodnight to all the sleepy elves.
Did you enjoy reading about Tinsel the Elf? Now that you are tucked in tight, discover the magical story of how tinsel was actually invented long ago. It wasn’t by an elf, but by a tiny, shy friend in the Christmas tree. Read the beautiful Legend of the Christmas Spider next.
