Tillie and Hank: Christmas Stories

By Ginny Arndt and Sheree Kehoe

Looks like we got that project taken care of, Hank said as he rose from the park bench where they sat watching. Until next time, then. Merry Christmas. Tillie smiled, straightened her funny looking hat, squared her shoulders, took one last look toward the pie shop and started down the street. Hank set off in the opposite direction and they were gone.

Robot doesnt want Christmas to come because he fears another catastrophe at the Christmas pageant. Jeli and Bother run into problems when they try to put up their grandmothers Christmas Tree. Cranky Clay discovers the world isnt such a bad place once one reaches out to others. JJ is excited to discover he can play baseball after all. Shelby finds life is full of adventures when she joins granny at the pie shop. Tillie and Hank enter the scene in these and other stories to help resolve problems and bring a Merry Christmas to everyone.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Oct 6, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490853673

Ginny Arndt

Ginny Arndt lives in De Forest, Wisconsin in a condominium she and her husband Bob designed for his needs. She enjoys family times, bread making, knitting, playing bridge, dinner with friends, and of course writing stories.

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Copyright © 2014 Ginny Arndt.

Cover Illustration by Sheree Kehoe

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-5368-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-5367-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014917331

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/06/2014

Contents

Dedication

Gram’s Tree

Robot Learns the True Meaning of Christmas

The Faithful Crust

The Bookstore

The Woodcarver

Helping Hands

Jess Learns about Sharing

Tillie Does It Again

Endnotes

Dedication

To Meghan, Aaron, Molly, Allison, Cameron, Evan Zachery, Phillip, Benjamin, Natalie, Alexander, Ruben, and William. You are precious to me, and you are the reason these stories exist. Here’s looking forward to many more happy Christmas readings.

Gram’s Tree

When Jeli’s brother was born, her parents named him Thurwood after his grandfather. When told he was her new brother, Jeli simply said, Bother. When he got old enough to crawl around on the floor, Jeli decided he really was a bother and continued to call him that.

Bother and Jeli sat at the kitchen table having breakfast while Mom was busy mixing a batch of Christmas cookies. School was closed for a snow day.

Mom, said Bother, can I have ice cream and cocoa puffs for breakfast?

Honestly, Mom said in a weary voice, I should never have told you that I caught your Gram having ice cream and puffed wheat for breakfast. Your Gram is in her seventies; that’s why she does silly things like eating puffed wheat and ice cream for breakfast.

What difference does it make? Asked Jeli. She didn’t understand why Mom and Dad were always saying she’s in her seventies when they thought Gram did something they didn’t quite approve of. Gram always had a good reason for what she did. Jeli loved her Gram, and she loved spending time with her.

Can we go sledding, Mom? Jeli asked.

It’s okay with me so long as you look out for your brother, Mom replied.

So after breakfast they donned their snow gear and were out the back door.

Jeli picked up the sled when they went through the garage, but instead of heading down the driveway, she went to the backside of the garage and leaned the sled up against it. Then to her brother she said: C’mon, Bother, we’ve got to hurry.

Where are we going? Bother couldn’t figure out what Jeli was doing.

To Gram’s house, She replied.

But Gram volunteers at the library every Tuesday. She’s not home. Bother was confused.

Precisely. Jeli didn’t have much patience with her brother.

So? Bother was losing patience with her too.

Okay, here’s the plan. Gram said she wasn’t going to put up her Christmas tree this year because it was just too much work. So we are going to put it up for her. That sounded like a good idea to Bother, but he wasn’t too sure how they were going to do it.

As they started down the street, Bother asked, How are we going to get in?

Remember the fake rock by the back door that opens up and holds the key? Honestly, I have to draw you a picture of everything, Jeli said with a huff.

Bother decided he better just follow instructions and not ask any more questions until Jeli calmed down.

Okay, we’re in, Jeli said as she opened the door. Take off your boots and coat. This will take a little time.

Without a comment, Bother did as he was told. Then he couldn’t help himself. Where are you going to get the Christmas tree and stuff?

With exaggerated patience, Jeli explained, Remember the pull-down stairs in the garage that goes to the attic storage room? That’s where Gram keeps all that stuff.

Jeli had to find a box to stand on in order to reach the rope for the pull-down stairs.

It wasn’t hard to find what they needed, as the boxes were clearly labeled. They hauled all the boxes to the living room and started in. They didn’t have too much trouble putting the tree