The Spyders: The Christmas Spyder: The Spyders

By Vesta Giles and Vesta L. Giles

A special Spyders Christmas story!

It's winter and the holiday season is in full swing. Thaddeus Spyder is writing a long letter to his friend, Alvin the garter snake, who is hibernating with his family over the winter. Thaddeus details all of their activities, including encounters with snow, flaming clothing, fruit fly chip cookies, maple bug syrup, a great battle, a Christmas truce, and a holiday miracle nobody saw coming.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vandelso Press
• Release date: Dec 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781990353116

Book preview

Copyright

The Publisher gratefully acknowledges that they work and live in the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc territory that is situated in the southern interior of British Columbia within the unceded traditional lands of the Secwépemc Nation. Editing for this book took place in Tofino, BC (Načiks), which is situated on the tip of the Esowista Peninsula, within the traditional Ha-Houthlee (territory) of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation and their Tribal Parks. It is bordered, to the north, by the territories of the Ahousaht and Hesquiaht people.

© 2022 by Vesta L. Giles

All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means–electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise–without prior written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Any reference to historic events, real people, or real places, are used fictitiously. Names, characters, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to any business, event, or locale is purely coincidental.

Issued in print and electronic formats:

ISBN (paperback) 978-1-990353-12-3

ISBN (hardcover) 978-1-990353-10-9

ISBN (epub) 978-1-990353-11-6

ISBN (audio) 978-1-990353-09-3

Illustration: Rebecca McKerchar

Cover Illustration: Rebecca McKerchar

Book Design, Cover Design Layout, and Ebook Formatting:

Kristina Benson and Justin Frudd, Dansk Design Group

Editing: Erin Linn McMullan, Fresh Horses

Published in Kamloops, BC, Canada by Vandelso Press

www.vandelsopress.com

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With greatest thanks to Stacey, Patti, and Davyn – The Best Neighbours Ever (BNEs) who continue to be bright lights in our lives even though they don’t actually live next door anymore. All of the references to Hanukkah and the Jewish celebrations came from interviews with Stacey about the wonderful rich traditions she grew up with. I’m so grateful to be able to share them.

1 - A Letter to a Friend

Dear Alvin,

I hope you are sleeping well and you have comfy pyjamas. I started this journal for you because I thought you might like to know what was happening while you and your family were hibernating in your den. 

So far, the only thing I have to report is that it has snowed almost every day since you went to sleep…

As he wrote to his friend Alvin, Thaddeus Spyder, the youngest and smallest of the three Spyder children, was curled up under a blanket in his sleeping pod, which swung gently from the ceiling. Alvin was a garter snake. While Thaddeus carefully wrote his letter, Alvin and his parents, and all of his 70 brothers and sisters, were hibernating for the winter. Thaddeus pictured them snuggled in their beds, wearing their favourite flannel pyjamas they had opened in their Thanksgiving stockings. It made Thaddeus smile to think of his friend, coiled up in his bed wearing superhero pyjamas. But Thaddeus also missed Alvin. 

Mom? Thaddeus asked his mom, Martha, as he sleepily made his way to the kitchen. Is it still winter? I can’t wait for Alvin to wake up. His parents, Martha and Harold Spyder, were listening to the radio and making big stacks of fruit fly pancakes.

Martha laughed. Yes, Thaddeus, it’s definitely still winter. You’ll have lots to tell Alvin when he wakes up in the spring.

Harold placed a plate of pancakes on the table in front of his youngest son. Thaddeus inhaled deeply and smelled the fluffy wonderfulness. Thanks, Dad! Thaddeus grinned as he looked up at Harold who was wearing an even fluffier bathrobe with slippers on four of his feet. 

The pancakes smelled so good, and Thaddeus couldn’t wait to dig into his breakfast, complete with maple bug syrup and a big glass of chocolate dandelion milk. 

Thaddeus was well into his first plate of pancakes when his brother, Curt, and his sister, Gracey, dragged themselves to the table. The lure of fresh fruit fly pancakes and maple bug syrup was more powerful than the urge to keep sleeping. The delicious smell from the kitchen was obviously too much for them as well. Maple bug syrup was the best!

While they may not be hibernating, the Spyder family, who were orb-weaver spiders, were definitely not the same high-energy spiders they were in the warmer months. Gracey, who loved art, wasn’t doing any of her huge, intricate sculptures because there was no room inside and outside was covered with snow. Instead, she was filling up all the sketchbooks she could find with plans for