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 NINETEEN - CHRISTMAS FOR ERNIE
6:00 am
December 25th
“Daddy? Dad? Hey Dad, you awake?” asks the super excited 6-year-old of Harry.
“I am now. Ernie, it’s… what time is it anyway?” Harry stammers and then looks at the clock on his nightstand.
“6 o’clock? Ernie, it’s way too early to get up. Go back to sleep for a couple of more hours,” Harry said.
“But it’s Christmas, Dad. Santa may have already come. We need to go downstairs to see what he brought me,” said Ernie.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Okay, but let me make some coffee first,” replied Harry, unaware that Susan has walked into the room.
“I already made the coffee, and here is a cup to get you moving,” said Susan.
“Why are you gaining up on me? I prayed that today would be a better day, but so far, not so much,” Harry stated.
“Come on, Harry, your son, would like to see if Santa brought him any gifts. Let’s go see before Ernie bursts from his curiosity,” said Susan.
Ernie jumps off the bed and runs to the door. “I’ll race you, Dad,” and he’s out of the room in a flash.
“I guess he won. Now, back under the nice warm covers,” said Harry as he lies back down.
“Get up, Daddy! You have responsibilities to your son and the rest of your family as well,” shouted Susan.