Barnaby Elf and the Magic Word

01 A Very Busy Morning

Far beyond the snowy hills, where the stars shine brightly above the rooftops of the North Pole, stood Father Christmas’s workshop. It was the busiest place you could possibly imagine.

Elves hurried through the toy room carrying teddy bears, bicycles, dolls, books and bright red ribbons. The reindeer practised their take-offs in the frosty field outside. In the great kitchen, gingerbread biscuits were cooling on every shelf.

And right in the middle of it all was Barnaby Elf.

Barnaby was clever, quick and wonderfully good at making toys. He could wind the tiniest clockwork mouse, paint a rocking horse without getting a single splodge on his shoes, and tie a bow so neat that everyone stopped to admire it.

But Barnaby had one little problem. He was always in such a rush that he often forgot his manners.

02 The Missing Word

“Ribbon!” Barnaby called as he dashed past Holly Elf. “I need the gold ribbon!”

Holly looked up from her wrapping table. “Good morning, Barnaby,” she said kindly.

Barnaby blinked. “Oh. Yes. Good morning. Ribbon, please!”

Holly smiled and handed it over. “There it is,” she said. “But there is one small word missing.”

Barnaby was already halfway across the room. “I said please!” he called back.

“You did,” said Holly. “That is one of the important ones.”

A little later, Barnaby hurried to the kitchen. “Biscuit!” he said to Mrs Claus, who was taking a tray of warm gingerbread stars from the oven.

Mother Christmas raised an eyebrow, but her eyes were twinkling. “A biscuit?” she asked.

“Please,” Barnaby added, suddenly remembering.

Mother Christmas handed him a biscuit shaped like a tiny snowflake. “And what do we say when somebody gives us something?”

Barnaby took a bite and thought very hard. He knew there was another word. A special word. A word that made people feel noticed and appreciated.

But before he could remember it, the workshop bell rang.

03 A Problem in the Workshop

The workshop bell only rang when something important had happened. All the elves gathered around Father Christmas’s big wooden desk.

“My friends,” said Father Christmas, looking over his spectacles, “we have a little problem. The final box of Christmas wishes has been mixed up with the toy labels.”

Every child’s carefully written wish had to be matched with the right present before Christmas Eve. Without the labels, the toy room would be in a terrible muddle.

“I’ll fix it!” said Barnaby, jumping up so quickly that his elf hat slipped over one eye.

Father Christmas smiled. “That would be wonderful, Barnaby. But this job will need patience, careful listening and help from your friends.”

Barnaby hurried to the toy room and began sorting. “Train labels here! Doll labels there! Teddy labels over there!” he called.

But the other elves did not move.

“Could you help us, Barnaby?” asked Holly Elf gently.

Barnaby stopped. He had been so busy giving instructions that he had forgotten something important again.

He took a deep breath. “Could you please help me sort these labels?” he asked.

At once, the elves smiled and got to work.

04 The Kindest Helper

For hours they worked together. Holly checked the names. Pip Elf found the missing labels beneath a pile of wrapping paper. Jingle Elf carefully arranged the wishes in alphabetical order.

Barnaby began to notice something. Each time someone helped him, the workshop felt warmer and happier when he spoke kindly.

“Thank you, Holly,” he said when she found a missing bicycle label.

“Thank you, Pip,” he said when Pip spotted a wish that had slipped behind a toy train.

“Thank you, Jingle,” he said when the final bundle was placed neatly on Father Christmas’s desk.

With every thank you, Barnaby felt a little glow inside his heart. It was not the glow of fairy lights, or the golden shine of a Christmas star. It was the feeling of knowing that someone had helped, and that he had made sure they knew it mattered.

At last, the very final label was found: a small wooden tag for a red scarf, requested by a child named Elsie.

“We did it!” Barnaby cheered.

“You did,” said Mother Christmas, who had been watching from the doorway. “And do you know what helped you most?”

05 Barnaby Learns the Magic Word

Barnaby looked around at all the smiling elves. Then he looked at Mother Christmas.

“Please?” he guessed.

“That is a very important word,” said Mother Christmas.

“Sorry?” said Barnaby.

“That is important too,” she replied.

Barnaby thought again. Then his face lit up brighter than the star on top of the great Christmas tree.

“Thank you!” he said.

Mother Christmas clapped her hands. “Exactly, Barnaby. ‘Thank you’ is a little magic word. It does not make toys fly or turn snow into sparkles. But it lets people know they are appreciated, and that is a very special kind of magic indeed.”

Father Christmas placed the last box of wishes safely in his sleigh. “Barnaby,” he said, “you have helped save the day. And you have learned something that will make every day brighter.”

From that day on, Barnaby still rushed about the workshop. He was still clever, cheerful and wonderfully good at making toys. But now, whenever someone helped him, he remembered to pause, smile and say the magic words.

“Please.”

“Sorry.”

And most of all: