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 FOUR- THE DAY BEFORE THE FIRST THANKSGIVING
About seven months had passed leading up to the first anniversary of Rick and Carin’s passing. Thanksgiving was but a day away, and the tension was building in the house on Festive Lane.
Harry and Susan had discussed taking the kids away to Hawaii or Florida for the holiday to change the setting as much as possible. Still, a friend of Susan’s who is a therapist advised Susan that running away from the anger and sorrow is not a very effective way of dealing with the situation's reality. They decided to stick it out for Thanksgiving, and if things did not go well, they would take a trip at Christmas to avoid another meltdown.
The holidays are difficult for anyone who has lost a loved one, but it is very challenging when the loss occurs so close to or on a holiday, as in the case of Rick and Carin.
Susan took her last train ride from downtown Chicago to Lake Forest for a week due to taking a few extra days off to recharge. Despite her troubles with juggling the kids' demands with her job demands, her bosses extended her an offer as a partner, and she now works for Milner, Polk, James, and Hill as an Executive Vice President. She couldn’t resist the offer of a partner. She had worked most of her life trying to attain this position, and she couldn’t say no just because of suddenly having three kids.
As the train pulled up to the station, Harry was standing by Susan’s car.
“What are you doing here? Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Yes and no. Let’s sit in my warm car, and I’ll explain,” Harry replied.