In tonight's specially selected Christmas rewind story for kids, we’re getting into the Christmassy mood as we head back into Sleepy Forest on a snowy Christmas Eve and join Koko as he catches the sound of distant jingle bells ringing through the forest. As he follows the sound, the little koala is led to a very special person.
Relax, get sleepy, and let’s begin!
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The No1 kids bedtime stories & sleep meditations podcast that helps children sleep like a dream. Hosted by the world's biggest fan of bedtime stories, Abbe Opher! All episodes are safe for babies, children and really big kids 0 to 100, so settle down tonight and get sleepy with the world's greatest bedtime stories & sleep meditations for kids.
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Narrator 🎙️ Abbe Opher
Author 🖋️ Gillian Rogerson
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
00:00:10
Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome back to Koala Moon, a podcast of
00:00:14
Speaker 1: original children's bedtime stories and meditations designed to make bedtime
00:00:20
Speaker 1: a dream. Tonight, we're getting into the Christmasy mood as
00:00:25
Speaker 1: we head back into sleepy forest on a snowy Christmas
00:00:29
Speaker 1: Eve and visit the home of our little friend. Do
00:00:33
Speaker 1: you remember him. It's Coco, the youngest Koala in his family.
00:00:38
Speaker 1: We join him as he catches the sound of distant
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Speaker 1: jingle bells ringing through the forest. As he follows the sound,
00:00:46
Speaker 1: the little Koala is led to a very special person.
00:00:52
Speaker 1: Just before we get all Christmas Eve, take a little
00:00:56
Speaker 1: time to snuggle down into your bed and make yourself
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Speaker 1: as comfortable as you can. Loosen your legs and twist
00:01:06
Speaker 1: your wrists, wiggle your fingers and toes, and then snuggle
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Speaker 1: down a little bit more, close your eyes and take
00:01:20
Speaker 1: some deep, relaxing breaths. And now let's settle into tonight's story.
00:01:30
Speaker 1: Cocos Cozy Christmas Buy Jillian Rogerson. He was Christmas Eve
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Speaker 1: and snow had been falling softly all day on sleepy forest.
00:01:47
Speaker 1: The snowflakes settled on a cozy cabin that lay deep
00:01:51
Speaker 1: in the heart of the forest. Inside the cabin lived
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Speaker 1: a family of Koalis. The youngest Koala was called Cocoa.
00:02:03
Speaker 1: On that snowy eve, the Koala family were busy making
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Speaker 1: final preparations for Christmas Day. Grandpa and Grandma Koala were
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Speaker 1: in the kitchen baking tantalizing treats. The delicious aroma of nutmegs, cinnamon,
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Speaker 1: and gingerbread drifted through the cozy cabin. Father Koala had
00:02:26
Speaker 1: been busy all day chopping wood for the fire. He
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Speaker 1: wanted to make sure the family would keep snug and
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Speaker 1: warm during the chilly winter months. Once he chopped enough logs,
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Speaker 1: he had placed them in a neat pile next to
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Speaker 1: the cabin. Father Koala took some logs into the home
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Speaker 1: and put them into a basket at the side of
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Speaker 1: the fireplace. Some pieces of wood were already alight in
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Speaker 1: the grate, and the soothing sounds of crackling logs added
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Speaker 1: to the comforting atmosphere in the home. Amber and orange
00:03:02
Speaker 1: flames danced merrily over the spruce scented wood. Mother Koala
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Speaker 1: was sitting in an armchair near the window and had
00:03:12
Speaker 1: a colorful collection of wool at her side. She was
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Speaker 1: putting the final touches on the many gifts she'd made
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Speaker 1: for her family and friends. Every time someone in the
00:03:25
Speaker 1: cabin approached her, they were told to close their eyes
00:03:29
Speaker 1: so as not to spoil their surprise. The following morning,
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Speaker 1: Little Coco was in charge of decorations, and he had
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Speaker 1: been busy for days making sure the family home looked
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Speaker 1: as magical as it possibly could. Coco stood in the
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Speaker 1: middle of the room and looked at the decorations to
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Speaker 1: ensure there was enough festive cheer. Glittering garlands of gold
00:03:55
Speaker 1: and silver tinsel looped through the green branches of the
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Speaker 1: Christmas tree, Sparkling ball balls dangled from the end of branches,
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Speaker 1: and homemade crackers nestled between pine scented boughs. A large
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Speaker 1: silver star made out of card stood proudly on top
00:04:17
Speaker 1: of the tree. Coco had made the star when he
00:04:23
Speaker 1: was very young, and even though it was lopsided and
00:04:28
Speaker 1: most of the glitter had fallen off, his family insisted
00:04:32
Speaker 1: the star take pride of place on the tree. Every year.
00:04:38
Speaker 1: With help from his father, Coco had hung red and
00:04:42
Speaker 1: green paper chains around the house. Homemade paper snowflakes decorated
00:04:49
Speaker 1: every window, making the inside of the cabin look as
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Speaker 1: enchanting as the snow covered forest outside. The family continued
00:05:00
Speaker 1: with their activities, and soon the light of day gave
00:05:05
Speaker 1: way to the pink glow of dusk. Outside, the snow
00:05:10
Speaker 1: continued to silently fall and covered sleepy forest in a
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Speaker 1: glittering white blanket. Coco pressed his nose against the window
00:05:23
Speaker 1: and gazed at the snowy sky. Snowflakes fluttered gently downwards,
00:05:32
Speaker 1: Some got caught in a breeze and were taken up,
00:05:35
Speaker 1: before pausing and drifting downwards once more. A large snowflake
00:05:42
Speaker 1: landed on the window. Cocoa gazed at the intricate pattern
00:05:47
Speaker 1: of the flake and marveled at how wonderful it was.
00:05:54
Speaker 1: His grandpa had told him that every snowflake was different
00:05:59
Speaker 1: and no two were the same. For ko Ko, that
00:06:04
Speaker 1: had only added to the magic of snow. Grandpa came
00:06:10
Speaker 1: to his side and put his arm around the little Koala.
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Speaker 1: Ko Ko asked, Grandpa, do you think Santa will be
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Speaker 1: okay in the snow? He's been falling all day? Will
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Speaker 1: he still find his way here and to everyone else
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Speaker 1: in the forest? With a smile, Grandpa replied, Santa always
00:06:38
Speaker 1: finds his way, no matter how deep the snow. He
00:06:43
Speaker 1: tilted his head to the side. Did you hear that?
00:06:49
Speaker 1: Ko Ko hadn't heard anything, but he tilted his head
00:06:52
Speaker 1: just as Grandpa had done. Grandpa said, there it is again,
00:07:00
Speaker 1: the sound of distant bells jingling merrily. How peculiar, ko kote,
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Speaker 1: you've finished all the Christmas decorations. Why don't you go
00:07:11
Speaker 1: on a snowy adventure and find out where that noise
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Speaker 1: is coming from? Wrap up, warm, is cold out there.
00:07:20
Speaker 1: Ko Ko thought going on a snowy adventure was an
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Speaker 1: excellent idea, and he liked the thought of solving a
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Speaker 1: mystery at the end of it. He put his coat
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Speaker 1: on and wrapped a scarf snugly around his neck. Grandpa
00:07:37
Speaker 1: reminded him to put on his hat and mittens too.
00:07:42
Speaker 1: Ko Ko was soon ready to set forth on his
00:07:45
Speaker 1: snowy quest. He stirred at the open door of the
00:07:49
Speaker 1: cabin and said good bye to his family. With loving
00:07:54
Speaker 1: smiles on their faces, they told him to enjoy the adventure.
00:08:00
Speaker 1: His father said he'd been on a similar journey when
00:08:03
Speaker 1: he was Ko Ko's age, and he'd discovered where the
00:08:07
Speaker 1: jingling bells were coming from. But he didn't want to
00:08:11
Speaker 1: spoil the surprise for Ko Ko. Grandpa and Grandma stood
00:08:17
Speaker 1: at the door and waved to Ko Ko as he
00:08:20
Speaker 1: walked down the steps and towards the path which led
00:08:25
Speaker 1: into the forest. As Ko Ko walked along, he looked
00:08:30
Speaker 1: back at his footprints in the snow. There were no
00:08:35
Speaker 1: other prints, only his, and it made the little Koala
00:08:40
Speaker 1: feel special to be out on such a magical night.
00:08:46
Speaker 1: Ko Ko continued walking through the deep, soft snow. Snowflakes
00:08:53
Speaker 1: fell softly upon his head and were as gentle as kisses.
00:09:01
Speaker 1: The snow beneath his feet sparkled and shimmered as though
00:09:06
Speaker 1: tiny twinkling stars had been sprinkled amongst the fallen flakes.
00:09:13
Speaker 1: Very soon, co Ko heard the faint sound of tinkling bells.
00:09:19
Speaker 1: They were coming from the left hand side of the forest.
00:09:24
Speaker 1: Leaving the path behind, the little Koala followed the joyful noise.
00:09:30
Speaker 1: It took him near to the home of a rabbit family.
00:09:35
Speaker 1: As soon as he got closer to the rabbit's burrow,
00:09:39
Speaker 1: the bells stopped ringing. Ko Ko wondered why they had stopped.
00:09:46
Speaker 1: Perhaps he should ask the rabbit family if they had
00:09:49
Speaker 1: heard the bells and if they knew where they were
00:09:52
Speaker 1: coming from. As Coko was thinking that, the mother rabbit
00:09:58
Speaker 1: popped her head out the burrow and said hello to him.
00:10:03
Speaker 1: Coco asked if she'd heard the jingling bells. She said
00:10:08
Speaker 1: she hadn't, but warmly invited Coco into her home. She
00:10:13
Speaker 1: told him Santa had just delivered some special gifts for
00:10:18
Speaker 1: her family, and she'd love to share them with Coco.
00:10:23
Speaker 1: Coco followed her into the burrow and entered the living room,
00:10:28
Speaker 1: where a crackling fire lit up the faces of the
00:10:31
Speaker 1: younger rabbits who were cuddled together on the sofa. Over
00:10:38
Speaker 1: their knees was a blanket that was the color of
00:10:41
Speaker 1: the midnight sky. Tiny silver sequins around the edge of
00:10:47
Speaker 1: the blanket glimmered and glittered in the reflected light of
00:10:52
Speaker 1: the fire. The mother rabbit insisted Coco stay for a
00:10:58
Speaker 1: while and told her children to shuffle along the sofa
00:11:02
Speaker 1: to make room for him. She went into the kitchen
00:11:07
Speaker 1: to make some hot drinks. Coco took off his outdoor
00:11:12
Speaker 1: clothes before joining the cozy group on the sofa. The
00:11:18
Speaker 1: smallest rabbit told Coco the blanket was a gift from Center,
00:11:24
Speaker 1: and no matter how many animals were on the sofa.
00:11:28
Speaker 1: The blanket was somehow big enough for them all. The
00:11:32
Speaker 1: rabbit whispered, I think it's a magic blanket. Coco snuggled
00:11:41
Speaker 1: further beneath the navy colored covering. It felt as soft
00:11:46
Speaker 1: as a cloud and as warm as his grandma's hugs.
00:11:54
Speaker 1: Mother Rabbit walked towards the group carrying a tray. She
00:11:59
Speaker 1: said to Cocoa, as well as that lovely blanket, Santa
00:12:05
Speaker 1: left us a huge tin of hot chocolate, and I've
00:12:09
Speaker 1: used it to make drinks for us. Cocoa, I hope
00:12:14
Speaker 1: you like hot chocolate. She passed a mug to the coala.
00:12:19
Speaker 1: The chocolatey drink was topped with whipped cream and pink
00:12:25
Speaker 1: snowflake shaped marshmallows nestled on top of the cream. Cocoa
00:12:31
Speaker 1: thanked the mother rabbit and said he loved hot chocolate,
00:12:36
Speaker 1: especially when it was snowing. He wrapped his paws around
00:12:41
Speaker 1: the cup and took a small sip. The creamy hot
00:12:46
Speaker 1: chocolate was the perfect temperature, so he took a bigger drink.
00:12:52
Speaker 1: The velvety liquid flowed through his body, making him feel
00:12:57
Speaker 1: all warm and happy inside. From the contented smiles on
00:13:03
Speaker 1: the rabbit's faces, he could tell they felt just as
00:13:08
Speaker 1: peaceful and happy as he did. Cocoa could have stayed
00:13:15
Speaker 1: snuggled under the soft blanket, drinking delicious hot chocolate all night,
00:13:21
Speaker 1: but something caught his attention. Over the gentle crackle of
00:13:27
Speaker 1: the fire and the soft chatter of the rabbits, he
00:13:32
Speaker 1: heard the distant sound of the bells again. They sounded
00:13:38
Speaker 1: merry and joyful, and it felt like they were calling
00:13:42
Speaker 1: him closer. Coco knew he had to find out where
00:13:48
Speaker 1: the sound was coming from. He finished the last of
00:13:55
Speaker 1: his hot chocolate and took his empty cup into the kitchen.
00:14:01
Speaker 1: He thanked the family for their kindness and wished them
00:14:04
Speaker 1: a merry Christmas. He wrapped up warmly and left the burrow,
00:14:11
Speaker 1: giving the rabbits a final wave and another thank you. Outside,
00:14:19
Speaker 1: the snow had stopped falling and the air was wonderfully
00:14:23
Speaker 1: chilly and crisp. Coco felt cozy and snug in his
00:14:28
Speaker 1: comfy coat. He pushed his mitten clad paws deeper into
00:14:34
Speaker 1: his pockets. A robin alighted on a branch at his
00:14:40
Speaker 1: side and started singing a soft serenade. The tinkling tones
00:14:49
Speaker 1: of the bells could be heard more clearly now, and
00:14:54
Speaker 1: Cocoa followed the melody as he walked over the freshly
00:14:59
Speaker 1: for and snow, leaving his prince behind. The chiming bells
00:15:07
Speaker 1: led him to a clearing in the forest where a
00:15:10
Speaker 1: group of dormice were gathered. They were looking into the
00:15:16
Speaker 1: trees ahead of them and seemed to be waiting for
00:15:20
Speaker 1: something to happen. Co Ko stood at the back of
00:15:25
Speaker 1: the group and asked what they were doing. We're waiting
00:15:30
Speaker 1: for the magic to begin. One of the dormice replied,
00:15:35
Speaker 1: Santa's just been to see us. He said, He's left
00:15:40
Speaker 1: us a gift to help our families find their way
00:15:45
Speaker 1: through the snow to our homes. He told us to
00:15:49
Speaker 1: watch the trees and wait for our magical gift to appear.
00:15:55
Speaker 1: Coco wondered what the gift could be, so at the
00:16:00
Speaker 1: trees too. The background sound of bells fell silent, and
00:16:07
Speaker 1: for a few minutes there was nothing but a peaceful
00:16:12
Speaker 1: hush and a calm silence. There was an air of
00:16:18
Speaker 1: happy anticipation as everyone waited for something wonderful to happen.
00:16:27
Speaker 1: Very soon the magic began. The dormice and Cocoa watched
00:16:34
Speaker 1: in wonder as one by one. Floating strings of fairy
00:16:40
Speaker 1: lights glided through the air and festooned themselves between branches
00:16:47
Speaker 1: and around tree trunks. Soft pinks, greens, blues, and purples
00:16:56
Speaker 1: now lit up the snow topped trees, making them glow gently.
00:17:04
Speaker 1: Pastal hued snowflakes started to drift down from the dark
00:17:10
Speaker 1: sky and they are lighted on the snowy ground, where
00:17:16
Speaker 1: they glowed brightly like stars. The pathways to the homes
00:17:23
Speaker 1: of the waiting door mie were now clear to see,
00:17:27
Speaker 1: and within seconds the first visitors began to appear. They
00:17:32
Speaker 1: walked through the brightly lit trees and were greeted with
00:17:36
Speaker 1: hugs and kisses by their waiting relatives. When the last
00:17:42
Speaker 1: of the guests had arrived, the door mice held hands
00:17:46
Speaker 1: and began to sing Christmas carols. Coco joined in. He
00:17:53
Speaker 1: didn't know all the words, but he did his best.
00:17:57
Speaker 1: The joy and love on the faces of the singing
00:18:00
Speaker 1: dormice made Coco's heart feel as light as a feather,
00:18:06
Speaker 1: and he couldn't stop smiling. Once the singing had finished,
00:18:14
Speaker 1: the dormice invited Coco into their homes for warm mince
00:18:19
Speaker 1: pies and a generous slice of chocolate yaw log. Coco
00:18:26
Speaker 1: was tempted, but then he heard the far off sound
00:18:31
Speaker 1: of the bells chiming again, and so politely said no
00:18:38
Speaker 1: to the kind dormice. They told him he was welcome
00:18:43
Speaker 1: to stop by the following day, and perhaps he could
00:18:47
Speaker 1: bring his family too. Coco thanked them for their kind offer.
00:18:56
Speaker 1: He wished them a merry Christmas, and then set off
00:19:00
Speaker 1: on his snowy adventure. Again. The bells were louder now,
00:19:06
Speaker 1: and he let the joyful tune guide his footsteps through
00:19:11
Speaker 1: sleepy forest. Coco walked on and met many animals along
00:19:19
Speaker 1: the way. He stopped to chat with them and discovered
00:19:26
Speaker 1: Santa had left thoughtful gifts for all of them. A
00:19:32
Speaker 1: nightingale told Coco that Santa had given her a song
00:19:37
Speaker 1: book because he knew how much she loved singing. She
00:19:44
Speaker 1: opened the book and sang one of the new tunes
00:19:48
Speaker 1: just for Coco. Her beautiful voice made him feel all
00:19:55
Speaker 1: warm and fuzzy inside. Coco comet, an elderly badger who
00:20:02
Speaker 1: adored the fragrance of summer roses. She showed Coco the
00:20:09
Speaker 1: rose scented candles Santa had given her and said, now
00:20:15
Speaker 1: she could enjoy the relaxing smell of her favorite flowers
00:20:20
Speaker 1: all year long. A group of moles told Coco how
00:20:29
Speaker 1: delighted they were with the coal and carrots that Santa
00:20:35
Speaker 1: had given them. They explained how the gifts would be
00:20:40
Speaker 1: used to decorate the dozens of wonderful snow molls their
00:20:46
Speaker 1: youngsters had built during that very snowy day. They showed
00:20:52
Speaker 1: the line of snow molls to Cocoa, and he agreed
00:20:58
Speaker 1: they were extremely impressive. The coal eyes and carrot noses
00:21:05
Speaker 1: glimmered and twinkled and made the snowmalls look even more enchanting.
00:21:15
Speaker 1: Each animal Coco met asked him into their homes to
00:21:20
Speaker 1: share the food and drink they prepared. Coco thanked them,
00:21:27
Speaker 1: but with regret he had to say no to their
00:21:31
Speaker 1: kind offers.