My dear girls and boys! You may be a little surprised by the strange name ― the Sugar Forest? The answer is hidden in the name itself. In this forest, alongside ordinary trees, grow sugar birches with marmalade leaves, flowers where instead of pollen there is sweet jam, teacake trees ― there are too many to list. The forest's inhabitants are unusual too: they can talk, invent things and, of course, be friends. But come now, friends, let's get to know them better. So, welcome to the Sugar Forest!
Although the Sugar Forest was unusual, and sweets grew there, the seasons followed one another just as they do in an ordinary forest.
Barnaby Bear, one of the residents of the Sugar Forest, longed with all his heart to see winter, welcome the New Year and receive a present from Father Christmas. But how? Every year, his whole family slept soundly through this time.
You know how much I want to see winter and dance around the Christmas tree ― Barnaby sighed and complained ― and get a present from Father Christmas...
And what stops you from welcoming the New Year with us? asked his best friend, a little squirrel named Scamper.
But I sleep through the winter, Scamper! Stop laughing! the little bear nearly cried in protest.
I'm not laughing. We'll set an alarm clock for you, and we'll celebrate this New Year together!
Really?
Really, really. You'd better learn a poem. Ask my sister ― she has a whole book of New Year rhymes, cheerfully said Scamper, you can recite it to Father Christmas by the tree.
Barnaby was so pleased, so happy, that he learned no fewer than three poems, and every morning he recited them to his mum and dad.
Summer passed, autumn raced by like a ginger squirrel, and winter arrived, like a snow leopard padding softly on its paws.
The alarm clock did wake Barnaby Bear, but Scamper, instead of setting it for the evening, set it for the morning.
Where is Father Christmas, the tree, the dancing, the presents? the bear gazed at the snow in astonishment. Are the presents under these white blankets?
Oh, don't be silly, laughed Scamper, it's morning now, and all of that will happen in the evening. And what's around you isn't blankets, it's snow.
Snow?
Yes, snow! Let's go and play!
And what can you play in winter? Barnaby was very surprised.
Whatever do you mean! Scamper was even more surprised. In winter, you know, it's such fun! Let's start with the hill ― we'll go sledging!
All morning the friends went sledging, only running home for lunch before heading straight back outside. And out there there was snowball fighting, ice skating, skiing! The friends even built a couple of snowmen. There were only a couple of hours left until New Year.
Very soon, smiled Barnaby, very soon.
He sat down on a little stool to rest, but before he knew it he had fallen fast asleep, and neither his friends nor the alarm clock could wake him.
Under the Christmas tree the animals took turns reciting their rhymes to Father Christmas.
But where is Barnaby? I saw in my crystal ball how badly he wanted to come to the tree, cheerfully said Father Christmas, he was learning poems.
Grandad, he dreamed of this so much, he even learned three poems, but he got up early and played so hard all day that he got tired and fell asleep, sighed Scamper.
Don't be upset, Scamper, smiled Father Christmas, here is a present for your friend. When he wakes up in the summer, his winter dream will be right beside him. I am proud of him!
Yes, my dear boys and girls: if you believe in something, then miracles will surely happen, especially at the most magical celebration of all ― New Year! Believe, my dears, and keep dreaming!
