At this time of year there is a very distinct aroma in the air, and it is not from Stinky Bog Lagoon nor Bottom-Burp Brook. No Sir, not that kind of aroma at all. It fills the air with a mixture of excitement, anticipation and a wisdom of knowing the magic of what tomorrow will bring that excites the senses, and tickles the tickley bits that are not usually tickled (well, they are sometimes, but on this occasion it was not a ticklish tickle, but more of a ticklish tingle, which is very different indeed).

The snow was falling down (instead of up or even sideways), at a lickety spit kind of rate, which is almost as quick as Thomas ‘Tipsy’ Tippleman’s Coddle Berry wine supplies ‘evaporate’ at this time of year (well at any time of year really, if the truth be told). Once Upon A Time has always been blessed with a magical sprinkling of fairy dust on the twelfth night. You could say that its part of the tradition too.

The Coddle-Poppers know full well that this night is something so magical, that it sends goosebumps to places that have never been visited by them before, or even since! Which was quite a relief to some, but was rather missed by others. 

Angelica Merryment-Maker Popperthwaite, Wish Maker and Fairy Dust Dispenser to the Fairy Realm leads the procession of Coddle-Poppers, Fae Folk, and a whole host of creatures from all Worlds , Realms and Dimensions, and even some places in between! It’s a sight that is only seen by those invited by very special invitation. (An invitation which arrives magically in the silence of the night and once read, disappears equally as mysteriously as it had arrived, as though it had never even existed! Much like toad boogers disappear when the Coddle-Poppers have been taste testing a new batch. Yes sir, that quickly… and without trace!)

Upon the head of Angelica Merryment-Maker Popperthwaite, Wish Maker and Fairy Dust Dispenser to the Fairy Realm, she wears a kaleidoscope of crystals, each lovingly chosen with great expertise by Jimmy ‘Gemstone’ Gingersnappe, the Coddle-Popper’s very own crystal expert, none-the-less. Jimmy ‘Gemstone’ Gingersnappe chose each and every crystal with such compassion, love, and care (it could only be compared to the love and care Momma Grouse shows when she puts her little ones to bed). Each crystal creating a magical extravaganza, dancing to its own heart’s song, and hypnotizing those that gaze upon it. For those who do happen to look into the magical dance, their eyes appear to become transfixed on the kaleidoscope of colours, memorizing them as though they have been put under an enticing spell!

Angelica Merryment-Maker Popperthwaite, Wish Maker and Fairy Dust Dispenser to the Fairy Realm carries a candle created from pure love and Creator’s ‘Golden Light’. She carries the candle the way others might carry joyful memories (both carefully, and lovingly). She knows the importance of keeping those memories alive, and so she endeavours to keep the candle dancing all the way ’til dawn. 

Angelica Merryment-Maker Popperthwaite, Wish Maker and Fairy Dust Dispenser to the Fairy Realm understands the importance of the mission that has been honourably bestowed upon her, and she carries the candle and Creator’s ‘Golden Light’ as though the World depends upon it arriving at its destination (which in a way it does)! It is her task, and her task alone. Yes sir, what an honour.

Beside her struts Clarabelle ‘Cupcake’ ChewLeCud, with the blend of an excited bounce of Tigger and a swagger of Cuthbert Cringlepuss-McKrackenknacker ‘The Cavalier, Conundrum Crusher’ Cutie. She is a dragon that walks this Earth in the disguise of a jersey cow. In her clumsy elegance, her walk seems to almost glide across the top of the snow, causing neither a ripple, nor a stir. The snow wisps around her feet as if parting the way, so that she is unimpeded on her epic journey, and rests back in place again once she has passed (leaving no trace that she has ever been there)!

Clarabelle ‘Cupcake’ ChewLeCud has the highest honour of carrying the Golden Bell that rings to let everyone know that wishes have been heard and acted upon. This blended concoction of magical new beginnings, pure hearts and a liberal sprinkling of Coddle Popper magic, sure does bring wishes back to those beautiful Sols that have walked their true path, endured the lessons and the blessings placed in front of them yet always honoured their word and stayed true to their hearts (no matter what)!

The golden bell rings softly with every step, as though announcing to the World the magic that is coming, in all its glory. Trees creak awake and stand strong and proud. They sound like old bones creaking into an upright position, a sound which is particularly familiar to many of the Coddle Poppers, especially in the morning when they leap out of bed with a crack, groan and grimace. The movement of the trees causes the snow to cascade from their branches, creating a magical living snow globe to add an extra mystical ingredient to the already enchanted magical night.

Behind them follows the small folk, the Coddle-Poppers with their ‘best’ hats proudly balancing precariously on their heads and their little boots polished and shining, almost as much as their noses. Their boots crunch cheerfully on the ground, like the sound of fungal crunch bark clippings being enjoyed by a crackling fire. 

They laugh, whisper and tug at each others sleeves. The joy erupting from their hearts, rising up through their bodies and finally escaping as a glowing beam from their eager, happy faces. Every one of them carries a candle. Some are straight, some crooked, some have a limp, but every Coddle-Popper carries a candle, which they guard fiercely against the night.

They wait all year for this wonderful celebration (to the point of almost bursting with excitement), and all that contains this immense joy is an extra nip or two of Coddle Berry wine. They have witnessed all the acts of kindness in the World (together with heartache and lost joy), but they ALL know that this a very special night that will make things right again.

Above their heads, the glow worms bob up and down between the falling snow flakes. Their polished lighty bits flashing like embers flickering from a fire and dancing in the night. These are not ordinary glow worms, no sir, they are thoughts that have never been spoken, promises once made but now forgotten, and wishes that have been buried in the long dark nights along with hopes and dreams.

But on THIS night, they are allowed to fly. Free at last of the burden endured by the hearts that had trapped them for so long. Free to fly and find what has been missing, the Yin to be re-united with the Yang and the heart united with the sol.

The procession moves deep into the forest to a place no map has ever marked (and no person has ever visited). There, Angelica Merryment-Maker Popperthwaite, Wish Maker and Fairy Dust dispenser to the Fairy Realm stops. Clarabelle ‘Cupcake’ ChewLeCud kneels down behind her and puts her nose to the ground so that Angelica Merryment-Maker Popperthwaite, Wish Maker and Fairy Dust Dispenser to the Fairy Realm can carefully and lovingly remove the Golden Bell. 

In that moment the bell falls silent, the snow ceases its flurry, and not a sound can be heard from anywhere or anyone. This is the moment when the year turns. Everyone can feel it in every part of their being, and every part of the land. A moment in time that seems to stop the World (just for a second), so as to allow everything to realign, and be changed to the way it SHOULD be.

Angelica Merryment-Maker Popperthwaite, Wish Maker and Fairy Dust Dispenser to the Fairy Realm places the crystals in the snow with all the love and compassion she can, from every part of her heart and Sol and all the places in between. The various crystal colours seem to intensify to the point that the snow shimmers and glows from within them, creating a dancing iridescent light show that would make the Northern Lights pale in comparison. It’s as though the crystals remember the World that had created their magnificence.

Clarabelle ‘Cupcake’ ChewLeCud stamps once, hard and firm, to send a message deep down into the World below. The Other World. The ground and the Earth answer the call, quietly, but surely. Beneath the frozen ground seeds shift in their sleep, knowing it will soon to be time to awaken from their slumber and become more than they could ever imagine. The small acorn would become the mighty oak, the apple seed would bring forth blossoms that would erupt into an abundance of fruit to feed many, and the silent Cedar, ready to listen and help those that choose to speak with her. Creatures stir from their homes to travel to the ground, answering the call to be present on this momentous occasion.

The Coddle-Poppers set their candles in a large circle and step back, blessed and grateful. Despite all their mischief, discombobulation, and kerrfufallations that make them the cheeky little characters that we all know and love, they finally get to understand the weight of the work they do, and they are humbled for what they are allowed to witness. They finally realize that without them, winter would not loosen its grip. Without Leo ‘Lollipops’ Dawndancesun XVI, the crack of dawn may actually happen and the sun may not rise, and the World would be a very different place indeed.

The Coddle-Poppers might be small, but they are an integral part of this World. They never seek recognition, awards, or to be ‘known’ for what they do. The joy they feel from witnessing others ‘enjoy’ what they create, fills their hearts and Sols. Everything they do is carried out with pure love, joy and unconditionally. It is other peoples joy that fuels their hearts.

When the light has settled onto the land, Angelica Merryment-Maker, Wish Maker and Fairy Dust Dispenser to the Fairy Realm gently takes the candle from her hand and extinguishes the flame. This marks the passing of time, the end of an era and the start of a new Chapter. The darkness of the night returns, but is no longer empty, there is something more to the night that words cannot describe, but EVERY heart and Sol feels it.

At dawn, the woods would look unchanged. Snow. Trees. Silence. But in barns, animals will feel a little warmer. In homes, people will wake with an unshakable feeling that something has happened in the night, not quite knowing what it was but sensing it is something ancient, something kind, something enchanted.

And deep beneath the snow, the year will begin to breathe again, but this time, it will be different. It will be a new age, a GOLDEN AGE. A New World fuelled by love, joy, gratitude and compassion.

Times have now changed. Angelica Merryment-Maker, Wish Maker and Fairy Dust Dispenser to the Fairy Realm still leads the procession, but Clarabelle ‘Cupcake’ ChewLeCud has since retired from her dragon duties and is content to see out her retirement as a jersey cow. Well, now that the Golden Age is here and her participation is complete, she is enjoying retirement and all that it brings, or is she? After all, she is really a dragon!

Lots of the faces are still familiar, but the name has changed to the ‘Tinker’s Mile’. The New Year now waits patiently (as it is to be moved to the Spring Equinox, where it will be easier to understand the end of winter and the waking up of the ‘new beginning’ from its deep slumber), to indicate and celebrate the true end of winter.

The little bell of Angelica Merryment-Maker, Wish Maker and Fairy Dust Dispenser to the Fairy Realm now gets drowned out by the banging of pots, pans, horns, and sometimes even fireworks or other loud noises to scare away malevolent spirits and bad fortune. The air is still electric, magical, enchanting with even a mild sprinkling of bazaar! The striking of the pots is part of a ritual of noise that marks and manages a cosmic shift. The sound disorients evil, clears the spiritual residue from the old year, and prepares each household for prosperity.

The Tinker’s Mile isn’t just for the New Year though. The Coddle-Poppers use it is at the end of anything. Whether thats a year, a season, a phase or just a chapter… anything where there is an ‘out with the old, and in with the new.’ They have even used it once or twice when a batch of Thomas ‘Tipsy’ Tippleman coddle berry wine has gone and a new flavour is patiently brewing in the tree barks. Well that certainly is worth celebrating!

The Coddle-Poppers know what happens when a rotten apple is left in the barrel when new apples are added… it spoils them all. So, to them, it’s always worth the little bit of extra time and care to clear out the old properly first. It’s like an insurance policy. It just gives them peace of mind… so is it really a superstition if it actually works? Hmmmm. It shakes things up, and clears space for something better, and what could be wrong with that? Particularly when it is a new batch of Coddle Berry wine and they certainly make sure they clear out the old first. Yes sir, every single drop! They are such troopers.

The Once Upon A Time Band (Coddle-Popper tribe/village/brethren) located at The Frequency have 100 acres of woods with walking trails that circumnavigates all the way around its iconic locations and ends at the Healing Center. The trail (here) is approximately one kilometre in length and takes about half an hour to walk. To do the Tinker’s Mile is no small achievement, but is always one that you are invited to.

The Coddle-Poppers do the Tinker’s Mile in March (on a date closest to the First of April), and use the Spring Equinox, to celebrate the end of winter, and do the same again in December (which is the Winter Solstice), to be ready for (what is currently) the New Year… until the true New Year finally gets moved to its proper place.

On Wednesday 1st April 2026 the Coddle-Poppers and Higher Dimensionals will be hosting the Tinker’s Mile at Once Upon A Time (Faery Wood), THE FREQUENCY CENTER, 1996 Route 107, Williamsburg, NB (just 45 minutes outside Fredericton and only 30 if you have total disregard for any RCMP!). You are all cordially invited to join them. Honorary Coddle-Poppers Dianne Landry and Mariette Thebeau will be hosting the Ceremony. How exciting!

More details will be forthcoming nearer the date, where we shall celebrate the end of the winter and the beginning of Spring. Woo-Hoooooo! https://thefrequency.ca/the-tinkers-mile