Under the Christmas Tree: I'll be Home for Christmas (Toot & Puddle) by Holly Hobbie

"My dear Toot," said the ancient aunt, "This is for you. It is my lucky nut."

And with that fortuitous gift the globe-trotting Toot is off for another adventure in far places. His autumn travels take him finally to Edinburgh, where, just as his plans turn toward Christmas back in Woodcock Pocket, Massachusetts, Mother Nature intervenes in his travel plans:

TO: Puddle
SUBJECT: Christmas

Puds!

Edinburgh is having an ice storm. All flights delayed. But don't decorate the tree without me. I'm on my way home...somehow.

Your pal,
Toot

P.S.: I'm full of Christmas spirit!

So while Puddles and Tulip are bringing home the tree and baking Toot's favorite fruitcake, Toot begins to make his way home. The first leg of the trip, via WorldWide Airways, finally takes off and, flying over a snowy Atlantic Ocean, lands at last in Boston, where everything is shut down because of the storm--trains, buses, and taxis. Resolutely, Toot trudges past Beacon Hill and across the Common, heading on through the night into the wooded countryside.

At home Puddles peers out the snowy window and worries how Toot can get possibly through the storm. Meanwhile Toot slogs on through the deep drifts until he cannot take another step and stops beneath a snowy tree. "I promised Puddles I would be home tonight," he frets.

Then hugging himself to keep warm, Puddles discovers his Aunt Peg's talisman in his pocket, and, clutching the lucky nut, whispers, "It's Christmas Eve. I wish I was home in Woodcock Pocket!"


And soon he is, as a passenger in an ornate passing sleigh driven by a jolly fur-clad driver. At the door of their cottage Puddles greets the weary traveler warmly, as always, and soon, dressed in their red flannel long johns, Toot at last joins Puddles in decorating the tree and sharing a late snack of homemade fruitcake before they turn in--to wait until morning for Santa's official visit.

Holly Hobbie's Toot & Puddle: I'll Be Home for Christmas Gift Set (Toot & Puddle (Mini)), featuring the now-famous NOGGIN television stars, one a adventurous traveler, the other a content stay-at-home, reunited for Christmas Eve, makes a great gift, especially in this special edition which includes two mini-plush figures of the porkers dressed in their monogrammed red longjohns with real drop-seat flaps.


And then there's also the brand-new tenth-anniversary edition of the pair's first episode, Toot & Puddle, and the wintry tale Toot & Puddle: Let It Snow (Toot and Puddle). Hobbie's seasonal treat is also available in its DVD version, as Toot & Puddle: I'll Be Home for Christmas.