The Christmas House
A verified Amazon review-The Christmas House is the embodiment of the Christmas Spirit. Magical, wondrous, full of the warmth generated by the company of family and friends during good times and hard. This book hits you with a healthy dose of reality, but it also takes you on a fantastical journey filled with hope and joy, grace and forgiveness. If you don't examine it too closely, but just let the words transport you on a trip that will engage your emotions and give you cause to ponder what can be real, what may be true - if "close your eyes" and open your heart, this book will bring it all to life and make you believe. I found this book engaging from the first chapter, it kept drawing me in, pulling me into the world of the house and those who live there, as well as those individuals who visit once every year at Christmas. This story is not without tragedy, but it is also infused with the glorious strength and bright light that the human spirit is capable of producing, with a little divine help and the steadfast support of the people who love you. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, wanting to see what happened next, anxious to find out what happened to the characters in the book I had grown to care about. The story surrounds your senses and brings the sights and smells, the many textures of Christmas to your heart, as it lifts your spirit up and makes you wonder...This podcast offers the first four chapters of the novel. The entire audio book will not be available on Amazon until Thanksgiving 2022. More episodes (chapters) will be added in the future.
The Christmas House
Chapter Twenty Three- The Last Christmas
The story doesn't end with this chapter. To listen to the sequel, The Christmas House II, Martha's Return, visit www. minicooperproductions.com for options to download the book. Thank you for investing some of your time to explore the lives of the Carter's and Martha Kennedy. A prequel is under development called, The Christmas House 1845 - 1997. Experience the exploits of Martha as a young girl and then as an old maid as she navigates tragedy, love, and challenges before meeting the Carters.
8:00 a.m.
148 Festive Lane
Lake Forest, IL
As the sun peered through the open draperies in the main bedroom, Michael slowly opened his eyes to see the clock on the nightstand.
“Wow, 8:00 already. We have to get up. Only 10 hours left.”
He turned to feel for Arianna but felt nothing except the coolness of satin sheets beneath his hand. He sprung up into a sitting position and frantically looked around the room. The fireplace continued to burn, and the music was still playing from the night before. He jumped out of bed and ran over to the bedroom door. As he swung open the door, he ran out of the room and into the hallway. The door to the guestroom next to the main bedroom opened as well. Uncle Wally walked out of the guestroom with a cigar hanging out of his mouth. As Wally turned to close the door behind him, he noticed Michael standing a few feet away.
“Ha! And you talk about me. At least I wear a sheet when I cruise the hallway looking for babes. Really Michael,” he said.
Michael suddenly realized that he was standing in the middle of the hallway, stark naked. As he tried to cover himself with his hands, he explained to Wally.
“I was looking for Arianna, but she wasn’t there when I woke up and… ”
“Spare me the gory details, Michael. It’s painfully obvious that you are looking for Arianna, you goofy humans. Go get some clothes on and come down to breakfast,” he replied.
Michael continued to plead his case when Arianna’s mother suddenly exited the guest bathroom.
“Michael! Did you forget something this morning?” she asked.
“Oh my God!” shouted Michael as he ran bare-bottomed to the main bedroom and slammed the door behind him.