The Christmas Cottage | A Magical Story For Sleep

Delve into a magical story for sleep, in "The Christmas Cottage." Teleport to the North Pole and an enchanting village on a snowy night with St. Nick. Discover a winter wonderland and a rustic Christmas cottage where wishes for the world and personal dreams intertwine. Change into wooly-footed Christmas pajamas, cleanse with balsam and cedar soap, and immerse yourself in the enchantment of a magical igloo planetarium, an icy skating pond, and the perfect Christmas cottage. Connect with the joy of the holidays, free of to-do lists and stress, as you approach slumber with ease to the sounds of falling snow and a crackling fire. It's time to dream away.

Transcript

A magical spell casts the night in arctic splendor in tonight's cozy story for sleep.

You are listening to The Christmas Cottage,

A bedtime story for grown-ups.

Set in the North Pole,

A message from the past starts an unexpected journey to Santa's mystical village,

Where you encounter unique dwellings for wish-casting.

Snow blankets the landscape as you envision a wish for the world and a wish for yourself.

The polar winds howl outside crafting snowdrifts when you settle in Santa's most charming Christmas cottage.

The magic of holiday hope heals the world and you slip into a blissful slumber.

It's time to dream away.

Welcome to Michelle's Sanctuary.

I am Michelle and as you embark on this holiday escape,

Imagine me as the light-hearted companion who will help shine a light on the beauty and magic in this world.

Suspend all reservations as the sparkling moments of this journey sweep you away.

You deserve a time,

Purely for your imagination,

To conjure soothing visuals rife with hope and promise.

Our dreams offer infinite possibilities and to set the tone for a night of dreaming,

You may cast your intention now.

Settle into the comforting sanctuary of your room and your body.

Your body is the one house that goes wherever you go.

Plug your head into the support of your pillow as your body surrenders to the softness of your bed.

And as you nestle,

Your room transforms into a Christmassy oasis.

The cool,

Crisp air sparkles around you and captures the essence of a snow globe.

The fragrance of conifers and a crackling fire fills the air as your bed transforms into a sleigh.

And across the shiny scarlet headboard,

You discover these words,

Hand-painted in gold,

Wishes dance in dreams.

Your blankets become as soft as Santa's velvety robe.

Your pillows are now covered in ivory satin.

Your attention turns to your breath as you inhale deeply and savor the wintry air of the North Pole.

The icy breeze warms inside your nostrils,

Awakening your senses and increasing your gratitude for how warm your body remains as you bundle in the sleigh bed.

Allow a yawn to escape,

Embracing the tranquility at the peak of your breath.

And release everything with a gentle sigh.

See the clouds of your breath as it condenses,

And the frosty wind whisks away.

Any thoughts about today,

And expectations for tomorrow,

Perfectly priming you to revel in this sacred moment.

Inhale once more,

This time leisurely,

As you feel your inner child stir,

Joining you for this delightful holiday retreat.

If you feel the urge,

Indulge a yawn,

And then exhale audibly,

In a big sigh,

As carefree as a child who is yet to be conditioned to stifle yawns and sighs.

You sense your shoulders dropping away from your ears,

Signaling how easy it is to relax.

And with one final pass,

You engage with this breathing cycle at your preferred pace as you inhale the night air,

Maybe holding it at the top of your breath,

Before releasing a generous,

Forgiving sigh.

Embrace this moment of self-love and gentle care,

Returning your breath to a natural relaxed rhythm whenever it's right for you.

In a serene state,

Recline as you become immersed in the magic of Santo's realm as the story begins.

It feels like any other day during the bustling holiday season,

As time slips through your fingers,

And the to-do lists become lists of things you hope to do,

Knowing some items may fall by the wayside.

Yet the air teems with something unexpected,

Causing the hairs on your arms to rise just a bit,

Despite the modern world's ability to numb the senses.

With overstimulation,

You are remarkably in touch with your intuition.

As you approach your mailbox and open it to discover the usual assortment of junk mail,

Of glossy cardstock touting seasonal sales,

Begging for your pledge and support,

And filling your mind with all the things you don't have,

But the senders think you might somehow need.

As you retrieve the articles,

Careful to avoid a paper cut,

And balance the uneven stack,

A card falters and drifts through the air in suspended animation before it lands at your feet.

Your first thought comes with the frustration that you may need to mail out another holiday card in response,

Just another task for the never-ending list.

Yet as you bend down and inspect the icy blue envelope more,

You recognize the slightly untamed handwriting that scrawls your name much larger than the neatly printed address below it.

You close the mailbox,

Still studying the card,

Recognizing the tidier handwriting below from someone who knows you well.

You return to a comfortable part of your home,

Discarding the other items of mail,

To devote your attention entirely to this unexpected card,

Settling in a favorite place to unwind.

You carefully open the card and remove it from the envelope.

You discover a vintage card,

Preserved so many years,

And vaguely recall the magical wintry scene on its front that depicts a watercolor artist's version of the North Pole.

You run your fingers across the whimsical details,

Vaguely remembering the snowy landscape as the image marinates in the back of your mind like a forgotten dream.

You open the card to encounter more childlike handwriting,

A message pressed deeply into the lush cardstock to create grooves and impressions that have lasted through time as your recollections stir like snowy cyclones in your mind.

You get to the heart of the memory as you read the message written to you.

You read your name,

Scrolled in the way you wrote when you were 8 or 9 years old,

And beneath the salutation,

You come upon this message.

We will always believe in magic,

Promise you'll never forget this.

The card is signed with love,

And a more ornate attempt to sign your name in fancy script.

You can't specifically remember what could have happened to inspire this message to be sent.

But on the back of the card is the year when this card should be mailed.

And it happens to be this very year.

As you sit back,

You close your eyes and remember all the things that once felt magical to you,

Washing over you in nostalgic waves.

Things you haven't imagined or thought about in some time now rush in with powerful sensory awakenings that conjure vibrant colors and landscapes and feelings of wonder.

You drift to a place and time where and when your mind believed that a single thought could cast a spell and magically deliver whatever you asked of the universe.

And suddenly,

Without even trying,

Your current reality gracefully merges with another realm,

Like the edges of colors,

Blending and overlapping in a watercolor painting to reveal an aerial view of the North Pole under the purple-black velvety blanket of night,

A seemingly endless landscape of sparkling white snow that reflects the opulent light of a full moon.

Desolate and quiet,

You can hear the crinkling of individual snow crystals settling and shifting in gentle waves.

You are dressed in winter attire from another time,

Warm from head to toe in downy layers,

With winter boots that rise to your knees.

And in this quiet solitude,

A truly silent night,

The sky gives way to a flash of light,

And then a silhouette of a sleigh led by reindeer against the backdrop of the pearly moon.

The cold air makes your eyes tear,

Creating a gauzy filter on the world around you,

As the grown-up and critical part of you insists it was imagined.

Then you hear the jangling of the bells and the thud of the reindeer's hooves and sleigh on the untouched snow.

This perceived hallucination is harder to deny when the joyous voice of Saint Nick reverberates across the snowy fields,

As he bellows out your name and says,

I knew you would come.

Hop aboard.

You turn around to face the glittering eyes of his herd,

And Saint Nick himself.

Deep within,

You hear your younger self,

In a meek yet persistent voice that only becomes louder with each passing moment,

We will always believe,

Right?

You're not quite sure,

Yet follow along,

For the sake of being a good sport.

Besides,

A plush warm blanket awaits in the sleigh,

And the biting cold is starting to take its toll,

Numbing your extremities and causing your nose to tingle.

You climb into the sleigh,

Helped by Saint Nick's strong hand as he lets out a playful grunt.

You settle on the back bench and wrap the blanket around you in a cocoon as the sleigh takes off through the rolling white hills.

The reindeer's hooves land on the powdery snow,

Leaving a sparkling white cloud of snow dust in their wake.

The glowing amber lights of a village illuminate the darkness in the near distance,

And the sleigh propels toward it with gusto,

Arriving at the village,

The sweet scent of gingerbread,

The comforting aromas of wood-burning fires,

And the fresh smell of evergreen boughs and trees waft through the air to greet you.

The twinkling rainbow lights of tiny cottages extend a warm welcome.

Each cottage exudes a distinct personality,

Offering solace to helpers and wayfaring souls seeking the comforting embrace of the North Pole.

Saint Nick has a knack for finding the misfits and the forgotten,

With a commitment to offering a place for all those who often feel misplaced,

Without judgment and with deep compassion.

He sees beyond the roles people play,

Looking beyond the trauma that may have brought uncertain behaviors to admire the very essence of their being.

And tonight,

Even in silence,

Saint Nick quickly gleans the essence of you,

Beyond the hurt or disappointment,

Beyond the many ways a person may find to protect themselves in the harsh moments that come with life.

You can't quite grasp or explain it,

But you feel yourself opening up to this moment.

Your heart radiates warmth,

And your mind becomes quite calm,

Making room for the experiences in store,

And this piece of a puzzle keeps circling back to you throughout the night,

In this magical,

Harmonious place,

Remote from the rest of the world,

You realize things do not have to continue to be the way they have always been,

Guided by Saint Nick's hearty laughter and the jangling of bells,

And his trustworthy reindeer,

You traverse past sauna huts and outdoor fire pits that the villagers utilize to find cozy moments Amidst the cold,

Dark,

Wintry nights,

You pass a rustic theater inside a chalet,

And the soft sounds of a choir escape the stained glass windows illuminated by gilded light.

The reindeer come to a halt,

And Saint Nick helps you disembark as your feet crunch on the snow.

His crew takes charge of the reindeer,

Guiding them to snug stables,

Where two wreaths are hung and draped in cherry red velvet bows.

Guided by Saint Nick,

You amble down a snowy lane,

Hugged by rustic fences adorned with silvery-blue icicle lights,

You step beneath a trellis made of life-sized candy canes covered in ivy,

And come upon a ginormous igloo-like structure.

The outside of this dome flashes pastel rainbow hues like a vintage strobe light in a hypnotic calming display.

You take a deep breath,

Feeling tiny ice crystals form in your nose.

As you revel in the fresh metallic scent of snow,

An automatic door on the dome rises from the ground,

And you walk through it,

Led by Saint Nick.

It closes with a hiss behind you and your guide.

The room is a wide open space with a planetarium or sky ceiling overhead that simulates a celestial expanse.

Warmth envelops you as a fire burns brightly in the center of the room,

Crackling and popping and causing you to think about other souls through time who were warmed beneath the sky by a campfire,

Oversized pillows and soft mattresses scatter across the floor in unique shapes and designs in a tapestry of softness.

Fluffy jewel-toned blankets and patchwork quilts accompany star-shaped velvety and silk accent pillows.

One of Saint Nick's helpers appears and offers to take your coat in exchange for a robe that she helps cinch around your waist.

It's a magical place,

Blending both futuristic and rustic charm.

Saint Nick,

His eyes twinkling with merriment,

Explains that this dome gives access to anywhere in the world,

Fostering a deep sense of connection to the planet and all life on it.

Saint Nick extols his profound belief that one imaginative soul holds the power to reshape the destinies of millions in a positive way.

And this is why you have been brought here,

Led by the spirit of your younger self.

One ripple brings a wave,

One earnest intention leads to a magical butterfly effect.

He invites you to get comfy as his assistant brings a warm holiday drink made specifically to your liking.

Saint Nick winks with a mischievous knowing.

The crackling fire and the celestial display create a captivating scene as Saint Nick delves into explaining the potency of imagination and the magic woven into the fabric of every Christmas dream.

He tells you that as you capture a wish for the world,

You must focus on all you wish to see,

Envisioning what's possible rather than dwelling on what is or what was.

For this will change the course in a swifter and more promising way.

He leaves you in this soothing place,

Making it clear that once calm and serene,

Things will become easier.

The pillows and cushions form around you as you take in the sky,

Wishing peace and abundance for all living beings in this world from a distance.

The earth looks vibrant in its shades of blue and green.

You zoom in closer to explore villages and streams,

Deep ocean waters and mountain peaks,

Bustling cities and quaint suburbs.

You are able to take it all in at once,

From one hemisphere to the next,

Imagining a world where every soul is safe and content,

In harmony with the natural,

Renewable gifts that nature provides.

Every cell in your body radiates the energy of peace and hope as you hold the space for what has always been possible.

Saint Nick reappears,

Smiling kindly,

As he carries your coat and exchanges it for the robe,

Inviting you to bundle up once more and come along.

You follow him through a back passageway that leads to a skating pond,

Surrounded by tiny cottages that remind you of children's playhouses.

Painted in rich pastel hues,

They resemble mini farmhouses and Victorian homes,

Surrounded by holiday trees and fences,

And shrubs covered with twinkling fairy lights.

Saint Nick brings you inside the cottage that resonates with you most,

As if reading your mind,

Awakening timeless holiday dreams and desires.

Before you enter the front door,

Saint Nick insists that this is the place where you may cast a wish for yourself and for all the selves you have ever been.

Maybe it's not always easy for you to put yourself first or consider what you want,

But upon stepping into the tiny cottage,

You are taken back through time.

The cozy room is aglow with candles that burn in sconces and in old timey candle holders arranged within bay windows,

Looking out onto the Christmas scene outside.

And within this quaint room,

Warmed by a wood stove,

You encounter relics from the past.

Popular toys and objects that were prevalent in your youth.

They may not have been items you had as a child,

But may be items you longed for,

Overcome by nostalgia.

You hear the younger version of you crescendoing within the corners of your mind,

And reminding you that while our wishes may not come to fruition in our preferred time frame,

Doesn't mean they will never come to be.

The jubilance in seeing these items lights up the room,

Radiating from you as you settle by the wood stove in a rocking chair and connect with your most prevalent wishes.

Throughout time,

You sense the silver thread that connects you to all versions of yourself,

Anticipating the person you may one day be yearning for the same.

The candles flicker,

And elongated shadows dance on the high ceilings of the quaint yet lofty space,

Conjuring thoughts of blown out birthday candles and dreams throughout time.

You take a moment,

And with ease your personal wish comes to life.

Filling the room in a holographic display,

You see yourself receiving this dream as it comes true.

Knowing that even living it vicariously in this moment fills you with so much joy and contentment that the dream is as wonderful in your imagination as the moment when it becomes reality.

As you experience this,

You can see your younger self outside the windows of the cottage,

Waving for you to come outside once more and frolic in the winter wonderland.

You step outside as snow falls around,

Delighting in the magic of the polar air.

Echoes of your laughter carry across the icy blue pond as Saint Nick reappears,

A benevolent warm figure against the backdrop of this healing wintry escape.

All the villagers come out,

Singing holiday songs and take to the ice in an impromptu celebration.

It's not uncommon for these jovial moments to occur in the arctic village,

And you and your younger self playfully slide across the ice in your boots,

Feeling a sense of freedom and carefree splendor that is unmatched.

Lost in time with sensory perceptions sharpened by the chill,

You land in a snowdrift and lie on your back delightfully,

Peering up at the dancing snow crystals that land around you and on you.

You close your eyes and inhale deeply,

Taking it all in,

And when you open them,

Only Saint Nick remains.

He reaches out a gloved hand and helps you up,

Sensing the waves of tiredness creeping in.

The snow crunches beneath your boots and softly patters on your coats with a staccato beat.

Saint Nick leads you to the other side of the skating pond,

Where a rustic Christmas cottage emerges like a storybook illustration lighting up the night with a warm golden light pouring out the windows framed by dark green shutters.

Wood smoke spirals out of the chimney as snow blankets the roof that slants like the top of a pine tree.

Every window is adorned with a handmade wreath hung by scarlet velvet ribbons.

Sparkling lights outline the log cabin and holly and mistletoe elegantly drape the front deck.

The chalet-style windows are inviting,

Giving a preview of the comforts within.

The cottage itself is a vision of sweetness,

Resembling a gingerbread house crafted from shiny penny-hued logs in lieu of baked confections.

The cozy abode is postcard-worthy,

The kind of dreamy escape one may encounter in the Alps.

Saint Nick brings you to the door and says goodnight,

Hoping that your wishes spark a night of deep slumber and dreams as sweet as cinnamon buns and Christmas cookies.

He opens the door for you before disappearing into the snowy landscape.

The cabin's interior unfolds into a holiday haven rife with antique decor in rich reds,

Greens,

Golds,

And blues.

The first floor has an open concept,

Blending the kitchen,

Living room,

And dining room.

A towering Christmas tree stands proudly in the middle of the room,

Reaching towards the highest peak of the A-frame ceiling.

A grand piano is near the windows,

Looking out on the inspiring wilderness.

Pine boughs dusted in silver glitter wrap around exposed beams below the ceiling,

Guiding the way to the rustic log stairs that lead to the bedroom loft.

You remove your coat and place it on a brass coat hook that resembles reindeer antlers,

And change out of your boots into a new pair of slippers with your initials embroidered on them.

Every inch of the cottage reveals custom holiday touches.

Hanging stockings embroidered with care await the delights of Christmas morning.

Piles of meticulously wrapped gifts in metallic paper donning festive bows create an atmosphere of anticipation and joy.

Large glass jars on the kitchen island overflow with an assortment of holiday cookies.

They're inviting aroma,

Marrying the sweet notes of fresh pine and burning logs.

Scarlet and emerald green throw blankets with gold holiday patterns drape around overstuffed chairs and a sectional sofa.

Fluffy holiday throw rugs carefully placed add an extra layer of warmth to the wooden floors.

On the kitchen island is a gift just for you,

Wrapped in paper in your favorite colors.

You tear off the bow and open the box to discover fleece-footed pajamas.

A welcome gift as the winter wind whips around the cottage and you still feel a lingering chill in your bones.

In the cozy Christmas-themed bathroom,

You change into the pajamas,

Feeling like a kid again.

They offer a sense of security and silliness at the same time.

Cleansing your hands and face with balsam and cedar soap,

The scents of December linger on your skin,

Filling your lungs as you inhale deeply and sigh.

You are in the full swing of the tidings of the holiday season.

A heady feeling takes hold and you return to the main room where the fire burns brightly enough to guide you up the stairs to the bedroom loft.

In the charming room,

You discover a sleigh bed piled high with pillows and the thickest comforter you've ever seen.

You settle in the bed,

Warm and cozy,

Sinking into the pillow-top mattress.

You inhale deeply,

Taking in the fragrant smell of pinecones and cinnamon sticks immersed in the enchanting world of the Christmas cottage.

Nestled contentedly in this rustic cabin,

You realize the magic of the season is not just a fleeting moment,

But a timeless idea that resides within you.

You may not always be aware of its presence,

But the hope and your deepest wishes remain through the seasons.

You close your eyes,

Lulled by the wintry soundscape and distant soft chimes of sleigh bells,

And welcome the night of dreaming ahead.

Finding hope.

Finding peace.

Finding silence.

Finding the magic of the season.

Finding sleep.

It's time to dream away.

Good night.

Reviews

Loving the Christmas stories on the lead up to the big day there so soothing thank you x

I loved what I actually heard of the story, thank you! 🥰

A snowy ⛄️ winter fantasy just in time for Santa!!! 🎄🎄🎄 🎅 🎄🎄🎄 I fell asleep quickly and had to listen to it again in the morning ! Beautiful imagery and story! Definitely one to repeat ! Thank you kindly Michelle for this wonderful seasonal bedtime story ! Wishing you & your loved ones Merry Christmas & a healthy New Year! 🤗 🤗🤗🤗🤗🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️⛄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️