The Christmas Tree Lot and Other Holiday Stories

By Jacob Love

In the town of Normal, Pennsylvania, there’s a little green church at the corner of Wilson and Elm...

So begins each story of the misadventures of the congregation, clergy, and staff of a small town church. “The Christmas Tree Lot” features a novelette about the church’s attempts to start a Christmas tree lot as a fundraiser. But grumpy Pastor O’Donnell, bubbly Missy Moore, sweet choir director Shane Reed, and Shane’s secret crush, Audra Park, get trapped with Kevin Boyer and his two rambunctious daughters when a blizzard descends on Normal. Meanwhile, Kevin’s wife, Jill, is attempting to host the annual women’s group party under the critical eye of elderly Henrietta Miggins.

Supplementing the novelette are several short stories about Christmas time at the Little Green Church. You’ll hear about Pastor O’Donnell’s bad decision to have the Boyer family light the advent candle one Sunday, how a malfunctioning oven heals an argument between Associate Pastor Michelle Tellum and her boyfriend, and how an uncooperative goat leads to a memorable living nativity.

No matter what denomination you are, if you attend a church you’ll undoubtedly relate to the holiday chaos at the Little Green Church in Normal, Pennsylvania.

• Language: English
• Publisher: SEE EWE Publishing
• Release date: Dec 11, 2013
• ISBN: 9781310735363

Book preview

The Christmas Tree Lot

And Other Holiday Tales from

the Little Green Church

By Jacob Love

Copyright 2010, 2016 by Douglas J. Eboch

Smashwords Edition

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

A Bleak Midwinter Afternoon, Drifts, Living Nativity, Shane, The Third Candle, Christmas Turkeys, A Christmas Eve Miracle, and Boxing Day were originally published online on the Little Church blog. They have been revised for this book.

This is the second edition.

For Mom and Dad

Contents

Introduction

Acknowledgements

Shane

The Third Candle

A Bleak Midwinter Afternoon

Living Nativity

Christmas Turkeys

Drifts

Some Like Hot Tamales

A Christmas Eve Miracle

The Christmas Tree Lot (a novella)

Boxing Day

About the Author

Introduction

Two events inspired the Little Green Church Stories series. First, I was appointed to the Staff-Parish Relations Committee of my own church. Second, a close friend began dating a clergy person. Through these two windows I was able to see the inner workings of churches and the lives of pastors outside of the pulpit. I witnessed or heard many things that made me think, That would be a funny story!

So I began writing short stories about a little church and the quirky people who are involved with it. Though the church, town, and characters are all fictional, I never seemed to lack for real life inspiration for stories.

I was determined that these not be heavy handed religious stories. I wanted to talk about the regular people who go to church and the ordinary foibles and conflicts they have. I wanted the tales to be enjoyable regardless of the reader’s religious affiliation or the regularity of their church attendance. If there were any spiritual lessons to be learned, they would come through humor and entertainment.

This book features a new novella about the little green church’s attempt to start a Christmas tree lot and the blizzard that upends their plans. It also includes many Christmas-themed short stories featuring your favorite characters from the little green church.

I hope you enjoy it!

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr. Joey McDonald and Rev. Janelle Vaughan, two pastors who have helped me with this project through the years. I would also like to thank all of the people from First United Methodist Church of North Hollywood. They are too numerous to mention individually, however I would like to single out one: Norma Villee was a huge fan and supporter of the Little Church Stories from the beginning. She’s since passed away and I will miss her greatly.

Thanks to my Mom and my sister, Chris, who gave me feedback and helped me edit The Christmas Tree Lot.

I want to acknowledge the people who have kept me involved with church at times when I maybe wasn’t so keen on it. Nez Smith was instrumental in welcoming me to FUMC North Hollywood. And I know I gave the leader of my youth group in high school, Ann Lockhart, a lot of trouble and I’m grateful she kept after me. And of course I must thank my parents for raising me in the church.

I also need to thank all those who encouraged and supported me in my writing career. My parents again deserve credit for raising me to believe I could do anything I set my mind to and then backing me no matter what I chose. I also owe a great debt to all my teachers – writing and otherwise.

Thank you!

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Shane

In the town of Normal, Pennsylvania, there’s a little green church at the corner of Wilson and Elm. Recently, the church hired a new choir director named Shane Reed. Shane was thirty-two, from Seattle, and had a Master’s degree in music. Shane also had a broken heart. He and his high school sweetheart had gotten divorced a few months earlier.

In his job interview Shane told Pastor Henry O’Donnell that he left Seattle because he needed a change of scenery. The actual reason was that he felt like putting a continent between himself and his ex. Pastor O’Donnell liked the polite young man with the shy smile and hired him on the spot.

Shane jumped right in, conducting the choir in worship service his first week on the job. Shane’s performance was a little rocky in Pastor O’Donnell’s opinion, but no worse than might be expected. To the pastor’s delight, however, several of the congregants remarked on how much they liked the new choir director as they shook the pastor’s hand on the way out of service. It seemed he had indeed made a wise hiring decision.

As O’Donnell drove home with his wife Jennifer and daughter Katie, Jennifer also remarked on what a nice young fellow Shane was. And hot, Katie added from the back seat.

Excuse me? O’Donnell said.

He’s hot, Dad, Katie informed him with the exasperated eye roll all teenage girls must learn in the junior high bathroom. I could tell he has a swimmer’s body. Yummy.

Katie! Jennifer exclaimed.

O’Donnell noticed Jennifer’s cheeks had reddened. As he thought back, he realized all of the people who had complimented him on hiring Shane were female. It occurred to him it may not have been Shane’s musical prowess they admired.

Shane’s arrival came just as the choir was starting its preparations for the annual Christmas concert. This concert was a sixteen-year-old beloved tradition at the little church. Though the choir was only fourteen people strong, they were a tight knit and experienced group of singers. Choir member Del Winslow had directed the first couple Christmas concert rehearsals while they waited for a new choir director to be hired. When Shane arrived for his first rehearsal, Del shook his hand warmly.

Welcome, Shane, Del said. You did a nice job at the service last week. We’re really glad to have you here.

Thank you, Shane replied.

Now, we’ve already put together our program for the Christmas concert, Del told him. Why don’t we run through it once for you?

Shane agreed and for the next hour Del directed the choir in a run-through. They performed many traditional Christmas hymns in a traditional style just as they had for every other concert for the last sixteen years. The show concluded with a performance of Silent Night that featured Del as a soloist – just as it had for the last sixteen years.

When they were done, Shane clapped and praised them enthusiastically. What wonderful voices you all have! he exclaimed. Del grinned proudly. Then Shane said, "I would like to jazz up the arrangements a little."

Del’s smile faded. He was not a fan of jazzing things up. But he held his tongue as Shane proceeded to change the pace and arrangements of several of the hymns, even swapping some out for songs he felt