Bedtime with Mrs.
Honeybee.
Today,
We'll be exploring the world of Santa's Workshop.
All you have to do is close your eyes,
Get cozy,
And listen to the sound of my voice.
Mrs.
Honeybee will be your guide.
Let's begin.
Close your eyes and see the winter wonderland of the North Pole.
You are wrapped in a puffy coat with fluff all around your face.
Pull it in close to your cheeks to keep out the cold air and walk through the blizzarding snow toward a bright yellow light that's shining just up ahead.
When you get closer to the light,
The snow suddenly stops and you can see clearly.
You are standing in front of Santa's Workshop.
The bright yellow light was the North Star,
Which sits on the tip of the pointed roof that's covered with a layer of snow.
The sleigh is parked outside with all of the reindeer snoozing in their reindeer beds.
One of the reindeer opens an eye just a wink to see you walk past them up to a wood door with a yellow sign that reads,
Santa's Workshop.
Before you can knock,
The door swings open.
It's Santa Claus.
He gives you a big Santa hug because he's so happy that you're here in the North Pole.
No one usually comes to visit his house.
He always visits other people's houses.
But here you are with Santa Claus.
He baked you your favorite kind of cookies and you arrived just as he was taking them out of the oven.
When Santa sets the cookies down in the kitchen,
It makes the whole workshop smell like warm,
Sweet cookies.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose and smell the sweetness of your favorite cookie.
Then slowly breathe out through your mouth and take a big bite.
Santa Claus wants to show you the workshop where all the Christmas toys are made and introduce you to his elf helpers.
You grab one more cookie to take with you as Santa Claus leads you through his living room,
Which is decorated with the tallest,
Brightest Christmas tree you've ever seen.
When he gets to a sparkling silver door,
He rings the jingle bells for someone on the other side to open it.
When you hear a voice from the other side ask for the secret password,
Santa looks to you and whispers,
I am special.
I am worthy.
That's the secret password to enter Santa's top secret Christmas present workshop.
And the elves on the other side need to hear you say it before you can go in.
Because only the most special people are allowed inside.
Place one hand over your heart and take a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose.
Hold your breath in your chest and feel your heart beat once,
Twice,
Three times.
Then breathe out through your mouth and say the secret password.
I am special.
I am worthy.
The elves on the other side ring jingle bells in celebration and open up the workshop door.
You did it.
Inside Santa's workshop is even more fun than you could have imagined.
Tables in green and red suits with pointed ears and boots or lining tables filled with all kinds of toys.
There are iPads,
Dolls,
Superhero action figures,
Toy cars,
Trampolines,
And even a puppy.
The lead elf takes your hand and leads you to the other elf workers who are assembling,
Wrapping,
And tying a bow around every last Christmas present for all the wonderful children of the world.
Santa notices one bow that's a little lopsided,
So he stops for a moment to adjust it to be just right.
The elf leads you to the front of the workshop where there are two big golden chairs.
Santa steps up to sit in one,
And the other is for you.
This golden chair is so big that Santa reaches out a hand to help you up into it.
Take a breath in through your nose and reach your hand up to grab Santa's.
As you pull yourself into your chair,
Slowly breathe out through your mouth and get comfy next to Santa Claus overseeing the elves in Santa's workshop.
Since you're his number one helper today,
He gives you your very own Santa hat to wear just like his.
Before you put it on,
Make sure your neck is long and straight and that your ears are as far away from your shoulders as possible.
With your Santa hat on,
You feel very special in Santa's workshop.
The elves are busily working their individual stations along the sides of long tables.
One elf checks the list,
Another fetches the toy,
Yet another packages it,
Another elf wraps it,
And a last group of elves ties each gift with a bow.
There are rows and rows of elves doing all of this work so diligently to make sure each child on the nice list has the best Christmas after being so good all year.
The last step is the gifts get to you and Santa Claus,
Who's famous for checking his list and checking it twice.
Santa clears his throat and holds out a rolled-up sheet of paper.
Then he lets the paper unravel and unravel and unravel.
The list is as long as the workshop,
And he keeps unraveling and unraveling.
You wonder how Santa could ever read everything on this incredibly long list.
A little-known fact is that Santa Claus is a speed reader.
He zooms through the list,
Triple-checking that everything is perfect.
That's when Santa finds a mistake.
It turns out Andrew in Antarctica sent an updated list.
Instead of asking for a polar bear pup to be his new snowy friend,
He actually wants his first-ever pair of flip-flops.
He will be visiting a beach without ice for the first time ever,
And he wants to be prepared.
Santa Claus laughs a jolly laugh and gives Andrew in Antarctica a bright yellow pair of flip-flops.
Something else that not many people know about Santa's workshop is that when Santa does find a mistake and a Christmas present needs to be swapped in,
There's a giant pile of gifts that need homes.
That means there must be a spare polar bear cub that will need someone to love.
Santa reaches around the side of his golden chair and picks up a fluffy,
Puffy white polar bear cub.
He hands the bear cub to you to hold and snuggle as he finishes up his list.
The polar bear cub has big,
Happy eyes and plays with your fingers with his paws just like a puppy before he snuggles up for a snooze beside you in the golden chair.
When the last gift is given to Santa to check twice,
He stands up and says he's ready to pack up the sleigh.
The elves get to work figuring out how to fit everything,
And Santa leads you to a pile that is covered with a blue blanket.
He swipes off the blanket,
And it's a pile of toys that needed to be swapped when he checked his list and checked it twice.
Since you were such a good helper,
Santa wants you to pick out anything you want from that pile,
Which is full of the coolest toys.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in,
And look through all the toys until you find all that you want.
Then,
Slowly,
Breathe out through your mouth and grab your favorites.
Santa Claus thinks you are a wonderful person,
And he is excited for you to have the merriest Christmas.
Close your eyes and feel the spirit of Christmas Eve night.
Joy fills your heart,
Fresh Christmas pine trees and warm gingerbread cookies fill the air,
And your loved ones fill your home with delight.
You are sitting before your Christmas tree,
Decorated with shiny ornaments and topped with a brilliant yellow star.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose,
Smell the scent of the Christmas tree as your chest rises and your lungs fill with fresh air.
Then,
Slowly,
Breathe all the way out through your mouth and let your chest gently fall like snowflakes outside of your window.
Someone has built a snowman outside with stick arms that are lifted up as if he is waving at you.
His carrot nose and black pebble smile make you smile before you look back down at the very last Christmas gift you are wrapping up in red and green.
All this present needs is a big gold bow on top,
And it's ready to go under the tree.
With its bow puffed up and placed in the center,
You slide it below the Christmas tree,
Nestled under the lowest hanging branches between two other presents.
You stand back to see that the entire space beneath the Christmas tree is filled with presents from and for all those you love.
Wrapping and getting gifts tomorrow morning will be wonderful,
Though you wonder,
With such an abundance of gifts beneath the tree,
Where will Santa Claus put those he delivers tonight?
Good thinking.
You do some rearranging to make sure there's enough space for Santa's delivery.
He does not have time to arrange gifts with all the stops he has to make.
The last present is tucked beneath the tree,
Giving Santa just enough space.
Now you need to set out the most important thing,
A glass of milk and fresh cookies.
Santa's global sojourn is fueled on cookies and milk,
So we cannot let him down.
Santa Claus' favorite cookie is just the same as yours.
You have a fresh batch in the oven that is almost done baking.
You can tell they're almost done by the smell.
Until then,
You get out a tall glass for the milk.
Walk over to the fridge,
Get the milk,
And carefully fill the glass,
Not too little and not too much,
Just the right amount.
The oven dings and you smell the warm sweet cookies ready to be taken out.
Get your Christmas oven mitts on and take a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose as you reach into the very warm oven.
Smell the sweet scent of freshly baked cookies as you carefully grab either side of the silver tray.
Then,
Slowly,
Breathe out through your mouth onto the cookies to cool them down just enough.
When they are cooled,
You start to arrange them in a neat little pile on the green and red plate.
One by one,
You place Santa's cookies on the plate.
You even put a couple extra in case the reindeer need some extra fuel during their flight.
With that,
You place the plate of cookies and tall glass of milk on the table nearest the Christmas tree so Santa Claus does not have to walk far.
Christmas Eve night is underway.
You feel so much joy and happiness standing before your tree with gifts spilling out from below it and the smell of freshly baked cookies swirling through the room.
You are wrapped in your coziest pajamas with the fuzziest socks,
Keeping your toes warm.
There's a fire in the fireplace where the stockings are hanging.
Each stocking has the name of your family members on it.
You trace each of the names with your eyes until you find yours,
Knowing that come tomorrow morning it will be filled with treats from Santa Claus.
The lights in the room begin to dim,
And as they do,
The lights on the Christmas tree brighten.
The darkened room is now lit up by the flickering flame of the Yule log and your brightly shining Christmas tree.
You can still see outside through the window,
And it's snowing.
The snowmen outside must be so happy.
Take a slow,
Deep breath in through your nose.
Feel the slight chill of winter in the air.
Hold your breath in for three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And one partridge in a pear tree.
Then slowly breathe out through your mouth and remember all the days of Christmas leading up to this magical night.
Now all you have left to do is to tuck yourself in and fall gently to sleep so Santa Claus can do his work in this stillness of night.
Before you know it,
You have fallen asleep in your warm,
Cozy bed.
You only know you've fallen asleep because you are suddenly woken up by the strangest sound that is coming from the ceiling.
You look all around,
And not a creature is stirring.
It must have been a dream.
Take a little breath in through your nose and slowly breathe out through your mouth to settle back into sleep,
But then you hear it again.
The same sound,
And it seems like it's coming from the roof.
Is that Santa Claus and his reindeer?
You spring out of bed,
Still wrapped in your fuzzy blanket,
And tuck your feet into warm slippers.
Then you run as fast as you can to where the Christmas tree is.
When you get there,
You cannot help but smile.
The sound you heard must have been old Saint Nick,
Because the tree is now even more filled with Christmas presents.
The plate of cookies is eaten,
All except one,
And every last drop of the milk is gone.
Santa Claus was here,
And he loved your treats.
You are more excited than ever to wake up for Christmas morning,
So you decide to lay beside the fireplace,
But not before sneaking that one last cookie as a Christmas Eve midnight snack.
The warmth of the fireplace and your fuzzy blanket lull you right to sleep,
With a smile still on your face.
Right before you fall asleep,
You hear Santa Claus in the distance say,
Ho,
Ho,
Ho!
Merry Christmas!
Happy Christmas to all,
And to all a good night.
Today,
We'll be exploring the world of the Grinch.
Mr.
Grinch!
All you have to do is close your eyes,
Get cozy,
And listen to the sound of my voice.
Mrs.
Honeybee will be your guide.
Let's begin.
Christmas has finally arrived in Whoville.
You decide to go to bed early so that Santa Claus has plenty of time to deliver your presents.
After taking a small drink of water and heading into your bedroom,
You slowly climb into bed.
Your eyes slowly drift shut as you imagine the sparkling wrapping paper and shimmering bows.
You can't wait to find out what gifts you'll get.
You've been very good this year.
You're slowly drifting off into dreamland.
Suddenly,
You hear a crash.
Your eyes pop open and you sit up quickly.
Your blankets are soft against your legs as you slowly slide out of bed.
Was that Santa Claus?
He sounds pretty clumsy.
You creep out into the hall and take a look around.
Wow!
You see someone in a red hat and a red coat.
But wait,
Since when does Santa Claus have green fur?
That's not Santa.
It's the Grinch.
What is the Grinch doing in Whoville?
You watch as he begins to pick up every single present from beneath the tree.
He tucks each one into a big bag.
One by one he takes them.
Oh no!
He's stealing the gifts.
The Grinch doesn't notice you watching.
Instead,
He throws the big bag stuffed with everyone's presents over his shoulder and tiptoes back outside.
You know what you have to do.
You follow him.
You can't let him snatch the presents.
You shiver as you step outside into the winter air.
It's chilly,
But your pajamas will help keep you warm.
The Grinch hops into a sleigh.
The sleigh is being pulled by a dog with reindeer horns tied to his head.
It's a very silly sight.
Moving quietly,
You leap into the back of the sleigh just before it takes off again.
You made it!
As you peek out from the sleigh,
You can see Whoville get farther and farther away.
You're headed to the Grinch's home high up on Mount Crumpit.
I'll tell you,
Max!
Faster,
Max!
The Grinch calls to his little pooch pal.
The sleigh zooms up the hill.
You have to hang on very tight.
The sleigh is moving so fast that you can hear the wind whistling by you.
Then the sleigh slides to a stop.
It happens so fast that you tumble right out of the sleigh.
You land in a soft pile of fluffy snow.
What are you doing here?
Gasps the Grinch when he sees you.
When you point at the presents,
The Grinch gives you a sly smirk.
Yes,
He says,
I stole the presents.
Now no one in Whoville will get to celebrate Christmas.
From far down below Mount Crumpit,
The sound of all the Who's in Whoville singing drifts along the chilly breeze.
Why are they singing?
Asks the Grinch.
Aren't they sad I stole the presents?
You just smile at the Grinch and shake your head.
You hold out your hand and gesture down toward Whoville.
The Grinch looks confused.
You're inviting me back?
But I stole all of your presents.
You put your hand over your heart and breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Slowly,
The Grinch's sly smile turns into a happy one.
Mr.
Grinch,
I came to invite you to be holiday cheermeister.
Holiday who be whatty?
Are you saying that being with the people you care about is the most important part of Christmas?
It's not about the presents at all?
When you nod again,
The Grinch laughs.
Max barks and wags his tail.
I never thought about it that way,
Says the Grinch thoughtfully.
Let's go celebrate with the rest of Whoville.
You,
Max,
And the Grinch begin to head back to town.
You've helped save Christmas,
And you've realized that family and friends are the best gifts of all.
The air is singing loud for all to hear.
Other elves happily sing and whistle as you all work hard together to wrap Christmas presents.
You're in the workshop amongst a big gathering of elves.
The paper on each gift is shiny and pretty and very smooth underneath your fingers.
You work quickly,
Picking out the best-looking bows for each gift.
The kids are going to be so happy Christmas morning when they see their presents.
You just wrapped up a fantastic toy that you know a child somewhere will love.
All the elves around you are happily doing their part to make sure that Christmas happens on time.
Suddenly,
There's a crash.
You look up as Buddy the elf rushes toward you.
He looks very excited about something.
Because Buddy is bigger and taller than the other elves,
He bumps into tables and sends some of the presents flying across Santa's workshop.
You can't help but laugh.
Buddy is so silly.
I'm going to be a little bit short on today's quota.
I'm a cotton-headed ninny-muggins.
I'm going on a journey somewhere far away,
Buddy excitedly explains to you.
I just found out my dad lives in New York City and I want you to come with me.
You gasp and nod.
You can't say no to a cool adventure like that.
All of the elves around encourage you to go with Buddy.
He could use a friend like you.
But how do you even get to New York City?
You've never been away from the North Pole.
We need to go to the candy cane forest first,
Says Buddy.
You and Buddy pack warm clothes and extra candy canes for the trip.
You run with him out of the workshop and head for the forest.
It's snowing outside and very chilly,
But you have a cozy elf jacket to keep you warm.
You look up,
Feeling the cool snowflakes dance across your cheeks.
The candy cane forest is full of red and white candy canes.
They're very tall and look so yummy that you want to nibble one.
But you decide to stay focused on your adventure with Buddy.
Unfortunately,
Buddy isn't so careful.
Buddy bumps into one of the candy canes and it begins to fall.
The candy canes tip over one by one and you and Buddy have to run as fast as you can to escape.
They're falling like enormous dominoes all around you.
Luckily,
You two make it out just in time.
We're at the Sea of Swirly Twirly Gumdrops.
Buddy announces we're halfway to New York City.
He begins to jump across the gumdrops one by one.
They bob and rock in the water.
You take a big breath and then hop after him.
It's not as scary as you thought.
It's so much fun to leap from gumdrop to gumdrop.
You touch your finger to a gumdrop and realize how sticky it is.
These are real gumdrops.
You travel for a very,
Very long way.
You get more and more tired.
You can hardly keep your eyes open.
You just keep thinking about putting one foot in front of the other.
Then Buddy suddenly cries out,
Wow!
Your eyes shoot open and you look around.
You're in the city.
There are lots of people rushing about.
Lincoln Tunnel reads Buddy off a sign nearby.
We really made it to New York.
You both rush out of the tunnel to look outside.
The buildings are super tall.
You've never seen anything like it.
Does Santa know that you left the workshop?
You walk down Broadway following a map that Buddy drew.
You look down at the map,
Then up at the buildings,
Then down at the map,
Then up at the buildings.
You find the correct building and go inside.
Buddy is so excited.
Did you have to borrow a reindeer to get down here?
You find Buddy's dad and he agrees to let you all sleep at his house for the night.
You curl up in the nice soft bed and snuggle up with your fluffy pillow.
You're exhausted from your adventure,
But you can't wait to explore the big city some more tomorrow.
This will be the best holiday season ever.
Always remember,
Mrs.
Honeybee believes in you.
You are special and you are loved.
I can't wait to see you again.
