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 ELEVEN - CHRISTMAS EVE NIGHT
As the hours passed, Susan's immediate family, Harry, and the kids talked to the magical house visitors. Susan had explained the circumstances of the evening to Rose, Caitlin, and Victor. As predicted, Caitlin questioned Susan why their parents hadn’t come to the house for a visit. When Susan explained a grieving period, Caitlin immediately pointed out Doris's presence, who had just passed weeks before. Also, Lindsay wasn’t even at the house to take advantage of her recently deceased mother's surprise visit. Susan reminded the kids that Doris was also a friend to their family and was visiting for that reason and not necessarily to see Lindsay.
It was nearing midnight on Christmas Eve, and Martha suggested that the guests gather around the Christmas tree to sing Silent Night. As the guests made their way to the family room, suddenly, Max began to bark. He ran to the back door leading to the garage. His tail wagged non-stop as he jumped at the door as it slowly opened.
“Max, get down, buddy. It’s just me,” said Lindsay as she entered the mudroom.
“Lindsay! We were so worried about you. Are you alright?” asked Caitlin.
“Yes, I’m fine. I-80 and I-5 are both closed going west to Omaha, so I had to stop and turn around. I was thinking of getting a hotel room but decided to come back instead,” Lindsay replied.
“Lindsay, I’m so glad you made it back safely,” said Victor as he wrapped his arms around her. How far did you get, Iowa?”
“Iowa? Are you kidding? I didn’t get to Ottawa. The roads are terrible,” responded Lindsay.