It's Krampusnacht at Black Phoenix Trading Post!

[kebechet]

 

Ted, Ashley, Krampus, Santa, and the Goblins are thrilled to introduce the Black Phoenix Trading Post 2014 Yule Collection!

 

Please note: cutoff date for domestic Christmas orders is 12 December 2014. We will, of course, do our best to get your order to you by Christmas, but if your order is a Christmas gift, please let us know by checking the humongous red and green box at checkout and the Goblins and I will do everything in our power to expedite the process.

 

Krampus is insisting on showing off his series first –

 

++ BPTP’S KRAMPUSNACHT FRAGRANCES

KRAMPUS’ CHAINS

Black licorice and rusted musk with tobacco absolute and myrrh.

 

KRAMPUS’ SHADOW

Birch tar, patchouli, and blackish-red musk.

 

YULE BUDDIES

Frosted gingerbread, leather, pipe tobacco, and fruitcake crumbs.

 

 

What a show off.

 

 

Next up, we have a selection of Yule candles, crafted by Sara Robey! –

 

++ BPTP YULE CANDLES

CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO GINGERBREAD

Please do not eat!

 

JOTUNHEIMR

The Home of the Giants, the World Beyond the Fence. A vast, anarchic, and mighty wilderness of dark, wild forests and sharp, toothy mountain peaks where winter reigns eternally.

 

MULLED CIDER

Apples and ale stewed with orange and lemon rind, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, maple syrup, and dark rum.

 

NAUGHTY

Your friendly neighborhood sex shop: gleaming black leather, latex, and musk.

 

NICE

As sweet as can be: spun sugar strawberries.

 

ROSE RED

The perfected winter rose, dew covered and freshly cut.

 

SMUTTY GOBLIN

A goblin’y take on Smut! Smutty Goblin Musk sweetened with sugar and tonka, and woozy with dark booze notes.

 

SNOW WHITE

A chilly, bright perfume: flurries of virgin snow, crisp winter wind and the faintest breath of night-blooming flowers.

 

 

And a line of Yule hair glosses to help keep your locks a-gleamin’, despite sleet, snow, rain, and other weather things that we’re unfamiliar with in Los Angeles.

 

++ BPTP YULE HAIR GLOSS

HONEYED FRANKINCENSE

Honey absolute, honey myrtle, and white frankincense.

 

ELDRITCH DARK

Black and red musks with honey, leather, and sugared black rose.

 

FROSTY SILKYBAT

Sugared patchouli, snowy vanilla, and snowflakes.

 

ROSE RED

The perfected winter rose, dew covered and freshly cut.

 

SNOW WHITE

A chilly, bright perfume: flurries of virgin snow, crisp winter wind and the faintest breath of night-blooming flowers.

 

WINTER LILY AND SUGARCANE

Pale, elegant lily blossoms gilded with snow and lightly brushed with sugarcane.

 

 

And some atmosphere sprays to help your holiday cheer stay cheerful! –

 

++ BPTP YULE ATMOSPHERE SPRAYS

BLUE SPRUCE AND SNOW-CAPPED PINE

With a touch of juniper and cypress.

 

CHESTNUT AND FIG

With Himalayan cedar, violet leaf, and cade.

 

FIREWOOD AND TOBACCO

Ashes, glowing embers, and tobacco absolute.

 

MIDNIGHT AT MIDWINTER

Terebinth pine, fir balsam, frozen sap, blackcurrant, and vetiver.

 

SUGAR PLUM AND VANILLA BEAN
An almost ridiculously adorable scent.

 

VIVEMENT

Peppermint candies dropped into a flute of champagne

 

 

Black Phoenix Trading Post got a little nutty with the colored snowball subseries this year –

 

++ BPTP YULE SNOWBALL PERFUMES

COQUELICOT SNOW

Snowballs of poppy-red musk, tangerine, blood orange, and mimosa blossom.

 

GLAUCOUS SNOW

Snowballs of blue lilac, lotus root, Roman chamomile, sandalwood, and cade.

 

FULVOUS SNOW

Snowballs of hay absolute, tonka bean, honeyed oak, patchouli, chestnut blossom, and oudh.

 

 

The Goblins have been spending a lot of time thumbing through Alchemy Lab’s Marchen notes…

 

BLACK PHOENIX TRADING POST: THE SNOW QUEEN, A TALE IN SEVEN PARTS

In this installment, we present parts I and II --

 

Which Describes a Looking-Glass and the Broken Fragments

You must attend to the commencement of this story, for when we get to the end we shall know more than we do now about a very wicked hobgoblin; he was one of the very worst, for he was a real demon. One day, when he was in a merry mood, he made a looking-glass which had the power of making everything good or beautiful that was reflected in it almost shrink to nothing, while everything that was worthless and bad looked increased in size and worse than ever. The most lovely landscapes appeared like boiled spinach, and the people became hideous, and looked as if they stood on their heads and had no bodies. Their countenances were so distorted that no one could recognize them, and even one freckle on the face appeared to spread over the whole of the nose and mouth. The demon said this was very amusing. When a good or pious thought passed through the mind of any one it was misrepresented in the glass; and then how the demon laughed at his cunning invention. All who went to the demon’s school—for he kept a school—talked everywhere of the wonders they had seen, and declared that people could now, for the first time, see what the world and mankind were really like. They carried the glass about everywhere, till at last there was not a land nor a people who had not been looked at through this distorted mirror. They wanted even to fly with it up to heaven to see the angels, but the higher they flew the more slippery the glass became, and they could scarcely hold it, till at last it slipped from their hands, fell to the earth, and was broken into millions of pieces. But now the looking-glass caused more unhappiness than ever, for some of the fragments were not so large as a grain of sand, and they flew about the world into every country. When one of these tiny atoms flew into a person’s eye, it stuck there unknown to him, and from that moment he saw everything through a distorted medium, or could see only the worst side of what he looked at, for even the smallest fragment retained the same power which had belonged to the whole mirror. Some few persons even got a fragment of the looking-glass in their hearts, and this was very terrible, for their hearts became cold like a lump of ice. A few of the pieces were so large that they could be used as window-panes; it would have been a sad thing to look at our friends through them. Other pieces were made into spectacles; this was dreadful for those who wore them, for they could see nothing either rightly or justly. At all this the wicked demon laughed till his sides shook—it tickled him so to see the mischief he had done. There were still a number of these little fragments of glass floating about in the air, and now you shall hear what happened with one of them.

 

A VERY WICKED HOBGOBLIN PERFUME

Merry malice and malevolent pleasures: infernal red musk bubbling with sour white grape and bitter cognac.

 

 

THE DEMON’S SCHOOL ATMOSPHERE SPRAY

Open daily. Lessons in cunning, derision, and scorn: vetiver smoke and acerbic incense.

 

 

SHARDS OF LOOKING-GLASS HAIR GLOSS

Fragments of a hellish distorted mirror: glassy lily, muguet, and mugwort.

 

 

 

A Little Boy and a Little Girl

In a large town, full of houses and people, there is not room for everybody to have even a little garden, therefore they are obliged to be satisfied with a few flowers in flower-pots. In one of these large towns lived two poor children who had a garden something larger and better than a few flower-pots. They were not brother and sister, but they loved each other almost as much as if they had been. Their parents lived opposite to each other in two garrets, where the roofs of neighboring houses projected out towards each other and the water-pipe ran between them. In each house was a little window, so that any one could step across the gutter from one window to the other. The parents of these children had each a large wooden box in which they cultivated kitchen herbs for their own use, and a little rose-bush in each box, which grew splendidly. Now after a while the parents decided to place these two boxes across the water-pipe, so that they reached from one window to the other and looked like two banks of flowers. Sweet-peas drooped over the boxes, and the rose-bushes shot forth long branches, which were trained round the windows and clustered together almost like a triumphal arch of leaves and flowers. The boxes were very high, and the children knew they must not climb upon them, without permission, but they were often, however, allowed to step out together and sit upon their little stools under the rose-bushes, or play quietly. In winter all this pleasure came to an end, for the windows were sometimes quite frozen over. But then they would warm copper pennies on the stove, and hold the warm pennies against the frozen pane; there would be very soon a little round hole through which they could peep, and the soft bright eyes of the little boy and girl would beam through the hole at each window as they looked at each other. Their names were Kay and Gerda. In summer they could be together with one jump from the window, but in winter they had to go up and down the long staircase, and out through the snow before they could meet.

 

“See there are the white bees swarming,” said Kay’s old grandmother one day when it was snowing.

 

“Have they a queen bee?” asked the little boy, for he knew that the real bees had a queen.

 

“To be sure they have,” said the grandmother. “She is flying there where the swarm is thickest. She is the largest of them all, and never remains on the earth, but flies up to the dark clouds. Often at midnight she flies through the streets of the town, and looks in at the windows, then the ice freezes on the panes into wonderful shapes, that look like flowers and castles.”

 

“Yes, I have seen them,” said both the children, and they knew it must be true.

 

“Can the Snow Queen come in here?” asked the little girl.

 

“Only let her come,” said the boy, “I’ll set her on the stove and then she’ll melt.”

 

Then the grandmother smoothed his hair and told him some more tales. One evening, when little Kay was at home, half undressed, he climbed on a chair by the window and peeped out through the little hole. A few flakes of snow were falling, and one of them, rather larger than the rest, alighted on the edge of one of the flower boxes. This snow-flake grew larger and larger, till at last it became the figure of a woman, dressed in garments of white gauze, which looked like millions of starry snow-flakes linked together. She was fair and beautiful, but made of ice—shining and glittering ice. Still she was alive and her eyes sparkled like bright stars, but there was neither peace nor rest in their glance. She nodded towards the window and waved her hand. The little boy was frightened and sprang from the chair; at the same moment it seemed as if a large bird flew by the window. On the following day there was a clear frost, and very soon came the spring. The sun shone; the young green leaves burst forth; the swallows built their nests; windows were opened, and the children sat once more in the garden on the roof, high above all the other rooms. How beautiful the roses blossomed this summer. The little girl had learnt a hymn in which roses were spoken of, and then she thought of their own roses, and she sang the hymn to the little boy, and he sang too:—

 

“Roses bloom and cease to be,
But we shall the Christ-child see.”

 

Then the little ones held each other by the hand, and kissed the roses, and looked at the bright sunshine, and spoke to it as if the Christ-child were there. Those were splendid summer days. How beautiful and fresh it was out among the rose-bushes, which seemed as if they would never leave off blooming. One day Kay and Gerda sat looking at a book full of pictures of animals and birds, and then just as the clock in the church tower struck twelve, Kay said, “Oh, something has struck my heart!” and soon after, “There is something in my eye.”

 

The little girl put her arm round his neck, and looked into his eye, but she could see nothing.

 

“I think it is gone,” he said. But it was not gone; it was one of those bits of the looking-glass—that magic mirror, of which we have spoken—the ugly glass which made everything great and good appear small and ugly, while all that was wicked and bad became more visible, and every little fault could be plainly seen. Poor little Kay had also received a small grain in his heart, which very quickly turned to a lump of ice. He felt no more pain, but the glass was there still. “Why do you cry?” said he at last; “it makes you look ugly. There is nothing the matter with me now. Oh, see!” he cried suddenly, “that rose is worm-eaten, and this one is quite crooked. After all they are ugly roses, just like the box in which they stand,” and then he kicked the boxes with his foot, and pulled off the two roses.

 

“Kay, what are you doing?” cried the little girl; and then, when he saw how frightened she was, he tore off another rose, and jumped through his own window away from little Gerda.

 

When she afterwards brought out the picture book, he said, “It was only fit for babies in long clothes,” and when grandmother told any stories, he would interrupt her with “but;” or, when he could manage it, he would get behind her chair, put on a pair of spectacles, and imitate her very cleverly, to make people laugh. By-and-by he began to mimic the speech and gait of persons in the street. All that was peculiar or disagreeable in a person he would imitate directly, and people said, “That boy will be very clever; he has a remarkable genius.” But it was the piece of glass in his eye, and the coldness in his heart, that made him act like this. He would even tease little Gerda, who loved him with all her heart. His games, too, were quite different; they were not so childish. One winter’s day, when it snowed, he brought out a burning-glass, then he held out the tail of his blue coat, and let the snow-flakes fall upon it. “Look in this glass, Gerda,” said he; and she saw how every flake of snow was magnified, and looked like a beautiful flower or a glittering star. “Is it not clever?” said Kay, “and much more interesting than looking at real flowers. There is not a single fault in it, and the snow-flakes are quite perfect till they begin to melt.”

 

Soon after Kay made his appearance in large thick gloves, and with his sledge at his back. He called up stairs to Gerda, “I’ve got to leave to go into the great square, where the other boys play and ride.” And away he went.

 

In the great square, the boldest among the boys would often tie their sledges to the country people’s carts, and go with them a good way. This was capital. But while they were all amusing themselves, and Kay with them, a great sledge came by; it was painted white, and in it sat some one wrapped in a rough white fur, and wearing a white cap. The sledge drove twice round the square, and Kay fastened his own little sledge to it, so that when it went away, he followed with it. It went faster and faster right through the next street, and then the person who drove turned round and nodded pleasantly to Kay, just as if they were acquainted with each other, but whenever Kay wished to loosen his little sledge the driver nodded again, so Kay sat still, and they drove out through the town gate. Then the snow began to fall so heavily that the little boy could not see a hand’s breadth before him, but still they drove on; then he suddenly loosened the cord so that the large sled might go on without him, but it was of no use, his little carriage held fast, and away they went like the wind. Then he called out loudly, but nobody heard him, while the snow beat upon him, and the sledge flew onwards. Every now and then it gave a jump as if it were going over hedges and ditches. The boy was frightened, and tried to say a prayer, but he could remember nothing but the multiplication table.

 

The snow-flakes became larger and larger, till they appeared like great white chickens. All at once they sprang on one side, the great sledge stopped, and the person who had driven it rose up. The fur and the cap, which were made entirely of snow, fell off, and he saw a lady, tall and white, it was the Snow Queen.

 

“We have driven well,” said she, “but why do you tremble? here, creep into my warm fur.” Then she seated him beside her in the sledge, and as she wrapped the fur round him he felt as if he were sinking into a snow drift.

 

“Are you still cold,” she asked, as she kissed him on the forehead. The kiss was colder than ice; it went quite through to his heart, which was already almost a lump of ice; he felt as if he were going to die, but only for a moment; he soon seemed quite well again, and did not notice the cold around him.

 

“My sledge! don’t forget my sledge,” was his first thought, and then he looked and saw that it was bound fast to one of the white chickens, which flew behind him with the sledge at its back. The Snow Queen kissed little Kay again, and by this time he had forgotten little Gerda, his grandmother, and all at home.

 

“Now you must have no more kisses,” she said, “or I should kiss you to death.”

 

Kay looked at her, and saw that she was so beautiful, he could not imagine a more lovely and intelligent face; she did not now seem to be made of ice, as when he had seen her through his window, and she had nodded to him. In his eyes she was perfect, and she did not feel at all afraid. He told her he could do mental arithmetic, as far as fractions, and that he knew the number of square miles and the number of inhabitants in the country. And she always smiled so that he thought he did not know enough yet, and she looked round the vast expanse as she flew higher and higher with him upon a black cloud, while the storm blew and howled as if it were singing old songs. They flew over woods and lakes, over sea and land; below them roared the wild wind; the wolves howled and the snow crackled; over them flew the black screaming crows, and above all shone the moon, clear and bright,—and so Kay passed through the long winter’s night, and by day he slept at the feet of the Snow Queen.

 

A TRIUMPHAL ARCH OF LEAVES AND FLOWERS ATMOSPHERE SPRAY

Kitchen herbs and rosebushes streaming with snow peas and fluttering petals.

 

 

THE WHITE BEES SWARMING HAIR GLOSS

Frost-dusted honey.

 

 

NEITHER PEACE NOR REST PERFUME

This snow-flake grew larger and larger, till at last it became the figure of a woman, dressed in garments of white gauze, which looked like millions of starry snow-flakes linked together. She was fair and beautiful, but made of ice—shining and glittering ice. Still she was alive and her eyes sparkled like bright stars, but there was neither peace nor rest in their glance.

 

A scent that glitters with the coldest white musk; hollow, sharp, and brittle.

 

 

SPLENDID SUMMER DAYS ATMOSPHERE SPRAY

Perfect red roses, warm amber sunlight, and the sweet honeyed carnation of friendship.

 

 

THE SHARD IN THE HEART, THE WORM IN THE ROSE ATMOSPHERE SPRAY

Stony contempt and blossoming darkness: vetiver trickling through sickly roses.


A LADY TALL AND WHITE PERFUME

A fur and cap all made of snow: frosted vanilla sandalwood.

 

SLEEPING AT THE FEET OF THE SNOW QUEEN HAIR GLOSS

And she always smiled so that he thought he did not know enough yet, and she looked round the vast expanse as she flew higher and higher with him upon a black cloud, while the storm blew and howled as if it were singing old songs. They flew over woods and lakes, over sea and land; below them roared the wild wind; the wolves howled and the snow crackled; over them flew the black screaming crows, and above all shone the moon, clear and bright,—and so Kay passed through the long winter’s night, and by day he slept at the feet of the Snow Queen.

 

The roar of the wild wind, the howl of winter wolves, the screams of night-winged crows, and the moon shining, clear and bright: juniper and white musk with white tea extract, oakmoss absolute, white lemon rind, and tobacco.

 

 

The Yules will be live until 5 February 2015!

 

We hope your holidays are filled with love, joy, laughter, and song, and that switches and chains will only come into play if you want them to!

Ted, Ashley, Krampus, Santa, and the Goblins are thrilled to introduce the Black Phoenix Trading Post 2014 Yule Collection!

 

Please note: cutoff date for domestic Christmas orders is 12 December 2014. We will, of course, do our best to get your order to you by Christmas, but if your order is a Christmas gift, please let us know by checking the humongous red and green box at checkout and the Goblins and I will do everything in our power to expedite the process.

 

Krampus is insisting on showing off his series first –

 

++ BPTP’S KRAMPUSNACHT FRAGRANCES

KRAMPUS’ CHAINS

Black licorice and rusted musk with tobacco absolute and myrrh.

 

KRAMPUS’ SHADOW

Birch tar, patchouli, and blackish-red musk.

 

YULE BUDDIES

Frosted gingerbread, leather, pipe tobacco, and fruitcake crumbs.

 

 

What a show off.

 

 

Next up, we have a selection of Yule candles, crafted by Sara Robey! –

 

++ BPTP YULE CANDLES

CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO GINGERBREAD

Please do not eat!

 

JOTUNHEIMR

The Home of the Giants, the World Beyond the Fence. A vast, anarchic, and mighty wilderness of dark, wild forests and sharp, toothy mountain peaks where winter reigns eternally.

 

MULLED CIDER

Apples and ale stewed with orange and lemon rind, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, maple syrup, and dark rum.

 

NAUGHTY

Your friendly neighborhood sex shop: gleaming black leather, latex, and musk.

 

NICE

As sweet as can be: spun sugar strawberries.

 

ROSE RED

The perfected winter rose, dew covered and freshly cut.

 

SMUTTY GOBLIN

A goblin’y take on Smut! Smutty Goblin Musk sweetened with sugar and tonka, and woozy with dark booze notes.

 

SNOW WHITE

A chilly, bright perfume: flurries of virgin snow, crisp winter wind and the faintest breath of night-blooming flowers.

 

 

And a line of Yule hair glosses to help keep your locks a-gleamin’, despite sleet, snow, rain, and other weather things that we’re unfamiliar with in Los Angeles.

 

++ BPTP YULE HAIR GLOSS

HONEYED FRANKINCENSE

Honey absolute, honey myrtle, and white frankincense.

 

ELDRITCH DARK

Black and red musks with honey, leather, and sugared black rose.

 

FROSTY SILKYBAT

Sugared patchouli, snowy vanilla, and snowflakes.

 

ROSE RED

The perfected winter rose, dew covered and freshly cut.

 

SNOW WHITE

A chilly, bright perfume: flurries of virgin snow, crisp winter wind and the faintest breath of night-blooming flowers.

 

WINTER LILY AND SUGARCANE

Pale, elegant lily blossoms gilded with snow and lightly brushed with sugarcane.

 

 

And some atmosphere sprays to help your holiday cheer stay cheerful! –

 

++ BPTP YULE ATMOSPHERE SPRAYS

BLUE SPRUCE AND SNOW-CAPPED PINE

With a touch of juniper and cypress.

 

CHESTNUT AND FIG

With Himalayan cedar, violet leaf, and cade.

 

FIREWOOD AND TOBACCO

Ashes, glowing embers, and tobacco absolute.

 

MIDNIGHT AT MIDWINTER

Terebinth pine, fir balsam, frozen sap, blackcurrant, and vetiver.

 

SUGAR PLUM AND VANILLA BEAN
An almost ridiculously adorable scent.

 

VIVEMENT

Peppermint candies dropped into a flute of champagne

 

 

Black Phoenix Trading Post got a little nutty with the colored snowball subseries this year –

 

++ BPTP YULE SNOWBALL PERFUMES

COQUELICOT SNOW

Snowballs of poppy-red musk, tangerine, blood orange, and mimosa blossom.

 

GLAUCOUS SNOW

Snowballs of blue lilac, lotus root, Roman chamomile, sandalwood, and cade.

 

FULVOUS SNOW

Snowballs of hay absolute, tonka bean, honeyed oak, patchouli, chestnut blossom, and oudh.

 

 

The Goblins have been spending a lot of time thumbing through Alchemy Lab’s Marchen notes…

 

BLACK PHOENIX TRADING POST: THE SNOW QUEEN, A TALE IN SEVEN PARTS

In this installment, we present parts I and II --

 

Which Describes a Looking-Glass and the Broken Fragments

You must attend to the commencement of this story, for when we get to the end we shall know more than we do now about a very wicked hobgoblin; he was one of the very worst, for he was a real demon. One day, when he was in a merry mood, he made a looking-glass which had the power of making everything good or beautiful that was reflected in it almost shrink to nothing, while everything that was worthless and bad looked increased in size and worse than ever. The most lovely landscapes appeared like boiled spinach, and the people became hideous, and looked as if they stood on their heads and had no bodies. Their countenances were so distorted that no one could recognize them, and even one freckle on the face appeared to spread over the whole of the nose and mouth. The demon said this was very amusing. When a good or pious thought passed through the mind of any one it was misrepresented in the glass; and then how the demon laughed at his cunning invention. All who went to the demon’s school—for he kept a school—talked everywhere of the wonders they had seen, and declared that people could now, for the first time, see what the world and mankind were really like. They carried the glass about everywhere, till at last there was not a land nor a people who had not been looked at through this distorted mirror. They wanted even to fly with it up to heaven to see the angels, but the higher they flew the more slippery the glass became, and they could scarcely hold it, till at last it slipped from their hands, fell to the earth, and was broken into millions of pieces. But now the looking-glass caused more unhappiness than ever, for some of the fragments were not so large as a grain of sand, and they flew about the world into every country. When one of these tiny atoms flew into a person’s eye, it stuck there unknown to him, and from that moment he saw everything through a distorted medium, or could see only the worst side of what he looked at, for even the smallest fragment retained the same power which had belonged to the whole mirror. Some few persons even got a fragment of the looking-glass in their hearts, and this was very terrible, for their hearts became cold like a lump of ice. A few of the pieces were so large that they could be used as window-panes; it would have been a sad thing to look at our friends through them. Other pieces were made into spectacles; this was dreadful for those who wore them, for they could see nothing either rightly or justly. At all this the wicked demon laughed till his sides shook—it tickled him so to see the mischief he had done. There were still a number of these little fragments of glass floating about in the air, and now you shall hear what happened with one of them.

 

A VERY WICKED HOBGOBLIN PERFUME

Merry malice and malevolent pleasures: infernal red musk bubbling with sour white grape and bitter cognac.

 

 

THE DEMON’S SCHOOL ATMOSPHERE SPRAY

Open daily. Lessons in cunning, derision, and scorn: vetiver smoke and acerbic incense.

 

 

SHARDS OF LOOKING-GLASS HAIR GLOSS

Fragments of a hellish distorted mirror: glassy lily, muguet, and mugwort.

 

 

 

A Little Boy and a Little Girl

In a large town, full of houses and people, there is not room for everybody to have even a little garden, therefore they are obliged to be satisfied with a few flowers in flower-pots. In one of these large towns lived two poor children who had a garden something larger and better than a few flower-pots. They were not brother and sister, but they loved each other almost as much as if they had been. Their parents lived opposite to each other in two garrets, where the roofs of neighboring houses projected out towards each other and the water-pipe ran between them. In each house was a little window, so that any one could step across the gutter from one window to the other. The parents of these children had each a large wooden box in which they cultivated kitchen herbs for their own use, and a little rose-bush in each box, which grew splendidly. Now after a while the parents decided to place these two boxes across the water-pipe, so that they reached from one window to the other and looked like two banks of flowers. Sweet-peas drooped over the boxes, and the rose-bushes shot forth long branches, which were trained round the windows and clustered together almost like a triumphal arch of leaves and flowers. The boxes were very high, and the children knew they must not climb upon them, without permission, but they were often, however, allowed to step out together and sit upon their little stools under the rose-bushes, or play quietly. In winter all this pleasure came to an end, for the windows were sometimes quite frozen over. But then they would warm copper pennies on the stove, and hold the warm pennies against the frozen pane; there would be very soon a little round hole through which they could peep, and the soft bright eyes of the little boy and girl would beam through the hole at each window as they looked at each other. Their names were Kay and Gerda. In summer they could be together with one jump from the window, but in winter they had to go up and down the long staircase, and out through the snow before they could meet.

 

“See there are the white bees swarming,” said Kay’s old grandmother one day when it was snowing.

 

“Have they a queen bee?” asked the little boy, for he knew that the real bees had a queen.

 

“To be sure they have,” said the grandmother. “She is flying there where the swarm is thickest. She is the largest of them all, and never remains on the earth, but flies up to the dark clouds. Often at midnight she flies through the streets of the town, and looks in at the windows, then the ice freezes on the panes into wonderful shapes, that look like flowers and castles.”

 

“Yes, I have seen them,” said both the children, and they knew it must be true.

 

“Can the Snow Queen come in here?” asked the little girl.

 

“Only let her come,” said the boy, “I’ll set her on the stove and then she’ll melt.”

 

Then the grandmother smoothed his hair and told him some more tales. One evening, when little Kay was at home, half undressed, he climbed on a chair by the window and peeped out through the little hole. A few flakes of snow were falling, and one of them, rather larger than the rest, alighted on the edge of one of the flower boxes. This snow-flake grew larger and larger, till at last it became the figure of a woman, dressed in garments of white gauze, which looked like millions of starry snow-flakes linked together. She was fair and beautiful, but made of ice—shining and glittering ice. Still she was alive and her eyes sparkled like bright stars, but there was neither peace nor rest in their glance. She nodded towards the window and waved her hand. The little boy was frightened and sprang from the chair; at the same moment it seemed as if a large bird flew by the window. On the following day there was a clear frost, and very soon came the spring. The sun shone; the young green leaves burst forth; the swallows built their nests; windows were opened, and the children sat once more in the garden on the roof, high above all the other rooms. How beautiful the roses blossomed this summer. The little girl had learnt a hymn in which roses were spoken of, and then she thought of their own roses, and she sang the hymn to the little boy, and he sang too:—

 

“Roses bloom and cease to be,
But we shall the Christ-child see.”

 

Then the little ones held each other by the hand, and kissed the roses, and looked at the bright sunshine, and spoke to it as if the Christ-child were there. Those were splendid summer days. How beautiful and fresh it was out among the rose-bushes, which seemed as if they would never leave off blooming. One day Kay and Gerda sat looking at a book full of pictures of animals and birds, and then just as the clock in the church tower struck twelve, Kay said, “Oh, something has struck my heart!” and soon after, “There is something in my eye.”

 

The little girl put her arm round his neck, and looked into his eye, but she could see nothing.

 

“I think it is gone,” he said. But it was not gone; it was one of those bits of the looking-glass—that magic mirror, of which we have spoken—the ugly glass which made everything great and good appear small and ugly, while all that was wicked and bad became more visible, and every little fault could be plainly seen. Poor little Kay had also received a small grain in his heart, which very quickly turned to a lump of ice. He felt no more pain, but the glass was there still. “Why do you cry?” said he at last; “it makes you look ugly. There is nothing the matter with me now. Oh, see!” he cried suddenly, “that rose is worm-eaten, and this one is quite crooked. After all they are ugly roses, just like the box in which they stand,” and then he kicked the boxes with his foot, and pulled off the two roses.

 

“Kay, what are you doing?” cried the little girl; and then, when he saw how frightened she was, he tore off another rose, and jumped through his own window away from little Gerda.

 

When she afterwards brought out the picture book, he said, “It was only fit for babies in long clothes,” and when grandmother told any stories, he would interrupt her with “but;” or, when he could manage it, he would get behind her chair, put on a pair of spectacles, and imitate her very cleverly, to make people laugh. By-and-by he began to mimic the speech and gait of persons in the street. All that was peculiar or disagreeable in a person he would imitate directly, and people said, “That boy will be very clever; he has a remarkable genius.” But it was the piece of glass in his eye, and the coldness in his heart, that made him act like this. He would even tease little Gerda, who loved him with all her heart. His games, too, were quite different; they were not so childish. One winter’s day, when it snowed, he brought out a burning-glass, then he held out the tail of his blue coat, and let the snow-flakes fall upon it. “Look in this glass, Gerda,” said he; and she saw how every flake of snow was magnified, and looked like a beautiful flower or a glittering star. “Is it not clever?” said Kay, “and much more interesting than looking at real flowers. There is not a single fault in it, and the snow-flakes are quite perfect till they begin to melt.”

 

Soon after Kay made his appearance in large thick gloves, and with his sledge at his back. He called up stairs to Gerda, “I’ve got to leave to go into the great square, where the other boys play and ride.” And away he went.

 

In the great square, the boldest among the boys would often tie their sledges to the country people’s carts, and go with them a good way. This was capital. But while they were all amusing themselves, and Kay with them, a great sledge came by; it was painted white, and in it sat some one wrapped in a rough white fur, and wearing a white cap. The sledge drove twice round the square, and Kay fastened his own little sledge to it, so that when it went away, he followed with it. It went faster and faster right through the next street, and then the person who drove turned round and nodded pleasantly to Kay, just as if they were acquainted with each other, but whenever Kay wished to loosen his little sledge the driver nodded again, so Kay sat still, and they drove out through the town gate. Then the snow began to fall so heavily that the little boy could not see a hand’s breadth before him, but still they drove on; then he suddenly loosened the cord so that the large sled might go on without him, but it was of no use, his little carriage held fast, and away they went like the wind. Then he called out loudly, but nobody heard him, while the snow beat upon him, and the sledge flew onwards. Every now and then it gave a jump as if it were going over hedges and ditches. The boy was frightened, and tried to say a prayer, but he could remember nothing but the multiplication table.

 

The snow-flakes became larger and larger, till they appeared like great white chickens. All at once they sprang on one side, the great sledge stopped, and the person who had driven it rose up. The fur and the cap, which were made entirely of snow, fell off, and he saw a lady, tall and white, it was the Snow Queen.

 

“We have driven well,” said she, “but why do you tremble? here, creep into my warm fur.” Then she seated him beside her in the sledge, and as she wrapped the fur round him he felt as if he were sinking into a snow drift.

 

“Are you still cold,” she asked, as she kissed him on the forehead. The kiss was colder than ice; it went quite through to his heart, which was already almost a lump of ice; he felt as if he were going to die, but only for a moment; he soon seemed quite well again, and did not notice the cold around him.

 

“My sledge! don’t forget my sledge,” was his first thought, and then he looked and saw that it was bound fast to one of the white chickens, which flew behind him with the sledge at its back. The Snow Queen kissed little Kay again, and by this time he had forgotten little Gerda, his grandmother, and all at home.

 

“Now you must have no more kisses,” she said, “or I should kiss you to death.”

 

Kay looked at her, and saw that she was so beautiful, he could not imagine a more lovely and intelligent face; she did not now seem to be made of ice, as when he had seen her through his window, and she had nodded to him. In his eyes she was perfect, and she did not feel at all afraid. He told her he could do mental arithmetic, as far as fractions, and that he knew the number of square miles and the number of inhabitants in the country. And she always smiled so that he thought he did not know enough yet, and she looked round the vast expanse as she flew higher and higher with him upon a black cloud, while the storm blew and howled as if it were singing old songs. They flew over woods and lakes, over sea and land; below them roared the wild wind; the wolves howled and the snow crackled; over them flew the black screaming crows, and above all shone the moon, clear and bright,—and so Kay passed through the long winter’s night, and by day he slept at the feet of the Snow Queen.

 

A TRIUMPHAL ARCH OF LEAVES AND FLOWERS ATMOSPHERE SPRAY

Kitchen herbs and rosebushes streaming with snow peas and fluttering petals.

 

 

THE WHITE BEES SWARMING HAIR GLOSS

Frost-dusted honey.

 

 

NEITHER PEACE NOR REST PERFUME

This snow-flake grew larger and larger, till at last it became the figure of a woman, dressed in garments of white gauze, which looked like millions of starry snow-flakes linked together. She was fair and beautiful, but made of ice—shining and glittering ice. Still she was alive and her eyes sparkled like bright stars, but there was neither peace nor rest in their glance.

 

A scent that glitters with the coldest white musk; hollow, sharp, and brittle.

 

 

SPLENDID SUMMER DAYS ATMOSPHERE SPRAY

Perfect red roses, warm amber sunlight, and the sweet honeyed carnation of friendship.

 

 

THE SHARD IN THE HEART, THE WORM IN THE ROSE ATMOSPHERE SPRAY

Stony contempt and blossoming darkness: vetiver trickling through sickly roses.


A LADY TALL AND WHITE PERFUME

A fur and cap all made of snow: frosted vanilla sandalwood.

 

SLEEPING AT THE FEET OF THE SNOW QUEEN HAIR GLOSS

And she always smiled so that he thought he did not know enough yet, and she looked round the vast expanse as she flew higher and higher with him upon a black cloud, while the storm blew and howled as if it were singing old songs. They flew over woods and lakes, over sea and land; below them roared the wild wind; the wolves howled and the snow crackled; over them flew the black screaming crows, and above all shone the moon, clear and bright,—and so Kay passed through the long winter’s night, and by day he slept at the feet of the Snow Queen.

 

The roar of the wild wind, the howl of winter wolves, the screams of night-winged crows, and the moon shining, clear and bright: juniper and white musk with white tea extract, oakmoss absolute, white lemon rind, and tobacco.

 

 

The Yules will be live until 5 February 2015!

 

We hope your holidays are filled with love, joy, laughter, and song, and that switches and chains will only come into play if you want them to!