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 One- A New Adventure for the Hills
This is the first chapter of the sequel to The Christmas House. This book is The Christmas House II, Martha's Return. The story continues.
It was a cold day in March, even for Chicago, but the sky was a bright blue, and the frigid winds embraced the city as it has done for hundreds of years. A brisk 18 degrees above zero was not the best day to be house hunting, but this family of five huddled into a luxury Mercedes sedan, braving the cold to find a much-needed new home.
“Yes, that’s it up ahead. East Townline Road, route 60. Take that exit and go east toward Lake Forest,” said the adult woman sitting in the passenger seat.
“Aunt Susan, this is far from our school and all of our friends. I don’t think we should look this far out,” stated a cute 10-year-old redhead girl with freckles.
“Rose, we all decided that we cannot stay in your current house. There are just too many memories of your parents." Susan replied, we have to find a new home and have a fresh start,” Susan replied.
“This is a load of crap! I hate this area of the city. Every year, we play against Lake Forest in football, and they are so stuck up. The girls here think they are better than anyone else. I can’t go to Lake Forest High School. I won’t go,” said a cocky young man of 16-years old.
“Victor knock it off, or you can walk home, you little piss ass. You will do what we tell you to do. You are lucky you aren’t in jail after that stunt you pulled, taking my car out for a joyride. You don’t have a license yet, you idiot. Then to sideswipe another car on Washington Street downtown and run from the police, thinking you would be safe if you made it home. What the hell were you thinking?” asked the man driving the car.