Once not so long ago in a land not so far away, was a magical marsh where some special animals lived. This is where our tale begins.
One afternoon in the very late fall, Alan Beaver was collecting pine cones. Alan would look each pine cone over carefully before deciding which of them he would bring with him back to his home.
As he lined them up and inspected them for size, flaws and shape, he also examined each seed scale to make certain that there was a small gap in each one. The closed pine cones he would put to the side as discard and those with a gap was handled with care.
Moosegal surprised Alan when she stuck her head out from behind a tree. She asked Alan why he was collecting the pine cones.
Alan smiled at Moosegal and said, "Moosegal, my family and I have sat and pondered about a very special gift for everyone here at the marsh. If you really want to know what we are planning, make sure to be at the special tree site this year for Christmas.