The Christmas House

Thanksgiving Day 148 Festive Lane Lake Forest, IL 6:00 p.m.      It was exactly one year to the day that a gas leak explosion leveled the house on this site, killing five very special people. Michael spent most of the year building a new structure on the foundation of the magical old house. Unfortunately, the decorations that Michael and Arianna accumulated over the years were also destroyed in th...

     The address on the mailbox clearly read “148”. This home was gorgeous. Compared to the other houses on this block, it boasted a freshness apparent to the naked eye. Not built over a hundred years ago like the other neighboring homes, this house stood out without the aid of holiday decorations. The brickwork was immaculate, as was the crystal clear bay window that captured and then reflected t...

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. W...

Once outside, Caitlin and Rose stood in silence and disbelief. The warm winter night was now hot. Over 100 degrees and the sky was bright with what looked like fire. The sound surrounding them was that of a tornado of fire, filling their ears with a loud streaming freight train-like sound effect. They placed their hands over their ears to block out the sound.       They watched as Jack held Rick t...

      At the front door stood Patrick and Megan McCann, Rick’s parents.        “Patrick! Megan! What are you doing here?” asked Susan.       “Susan? Carin’s sister? What are you doing here?” asked Megan.       “I live here. This is our home. The kids are incredibly happy here. If you are here with a plan of stealing our kids away from us, you are in for the fight of your life. We love these childr...

      As the church bells chimed for the sixth time, the doorbell rang. Harry took a deep breath and said, “Okay, here we go.” He opened the door, and there stood Martha.       “Merry Christmas, Hill Family!” she exclaimed.       “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Kennedy,” replied Harry as he hugged Martha.       “Who ordered this warm weather? I was pulling out my winter coat for the trip, and Joseph said I...

      A year had passed, and life continued for the Hill family. Each, a year older and for a few wiser as well, but the subject of conversation persisted in being would Rick and Carin be joining the family this second Christmas at the magical house on Festive Lane.       “For December 24th in Chicago, the weather feels more like Florida than Illinois,” said Harry as he finished stringing the ligh...

6:00 pm Christmas Day       As the church bells rang out, the guests at the house on Festive Lane began to gather their belongings and bid their hosts a good evening until next Christmas. Harry, Susan, and the kids stood by the front door and wished each guest a Merry Christmas and safe travels to their place on the other side. Guests would leave in the reverse order that they arrived; thus, Harry...

      With a puzzled look on his face, Harry asked, “What’s that you say? It sounded like you said he was my son.”       “That’s what I said, and that’s who he is. Ernest, this man is your father. His name is Harry,” said Martha.       “Daddy? Are you dead too? My momma told me my dad had died in a war,” said Ernest.       Harry stood there dumbfounded and looked at Susan, who was as confused as H...

      7:00 am-       As the sun shines into the master bedroom, the interior is bright and bold. Harry squints to see the alarm clock on his nightstand.        “7:03? It’s Christmas morning, for Pete’s sake. Why can’t I ever sleep in? If it’s not the kids, it’s Max. (Max pushes the door open and enters the room, jumping up on the bed.) Speak of the devil. Susan, are you going to let this beast get...

     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...

      The house on Festive Lane was once again filled with over fifty guests, all deceased but allowed to return for twenty-four hours due to the magic of the Christmas House. Some of the guests had been dead for only a short time, like Doris. Some had been dead for over a hundred plus years. In most cases, Harry and Susan didn’t even know the visitor because they were twice or three times removed...

        Victor parked the car on the driveway because the garage floor area was cluttered with boxes and extension cords due to the decorating mission.       “Wow, it looks great, Uncle Harry and Aunt Susan. You put up all the lights since I left? I was only gone for an hour or so. You guys are fast!” said Victor.       “Your aunt was a great help since she is fearless when it comes to heights. Sh...

      Thirty days had passed since the Hill family celebrated their first Thanksgiving at the Festive Lane home. Unfortunately, Lindsay’s mother, Doris, had also died during this brief period. She was placed in a hospice center on December 2nd and passed away in her sleep on December 5th.  Lindsay was at her side when her mother drew her last breath. Victor had asked Harry and Susan if Lindsay cou...

      As the doorbell's tone faded into silence, Harry, Susan, and the kids all stood frozen in anticipation and disbelief. Susan stood up and walked to her father. She reached out her hand and poked him in the shoulder. His physical body was real.        “Daddy? Is it really you?” she asked.       “Yes, sweetheart. It’s really your mother and me. Your sister could be waiting just outside as...

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 awa...

      It was a bright and sunny morning on this Thanksgiving Day, although a bit on the cool side with a temperature in the low 30s. Harry walked out to see if there was any mail from the previous two days. Harry would get so involved in working from home he would forget about almost everything else, including getting the mail and taking a shower, which Susan did not appreciate. Harry often took h...

      Susan removed the letter from the light pink envelope and could smell Carin’s scent on the stationary. The fragrance brought her back to an earlier time when she and Carin were in high school.       “This letter is scented. Carin scented the letter for me. Aw, isn’t that sweet? It smells just like her, too,” Susan noted.       “I wouldn’t know. I never sniffed your sister. Will you please re...

As Harry, Susan, and the children entered the home at 148 Festive Lane, Michael offered them hot chocolate and some freshly baked cookies.       “Oh no, thank you, Mr. Carter; we won’t be here that long. We just wanted to take a quick look around,” said Susan.       “Don’t be silly. Come on, have some hot chocolate. Please let me take your coats. Come in and sit down. There are several trays of co...

Michael followed a moving truck to a new yet smaller home in Algonquin, IL, at the end of March. Algonquin was a lovely middle-class suburb just 60 miles west of Lake Forest. Michael sold the house on Festive Lane to Harry and Susan Hill, who believed the home would be a fresh beginning for the three children they had taken into their family due to the tragic deaths of their parents, Carin and Ric...

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 huddle...

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...

May 2nd 148 Festive Lane 10:00 a.m.           As Sharon drove up to the front of the house and parked across the street, she noticed Michael’s red pickup truck was parked in the driveway. A smile came to her face as she pulled down the visor and checked her makeup in the vanity mirror. As she opened the car door and placed her long bare legs on the street, several male workers at the job site coul...

222 East Pleasant Street Apartment 326 Evanston, IL 10:30 p.m.       Sharon slid her key into the lock of the eggshell-painted door with the number “326” displayed at eye level as Michael stood behind her.       “This is a pretty nice building for being so old. You can tell a lot of renovation work went into keeping it up to code. I like the ornate trim and cove molding at the ceilings. It’s very...

April of the Following Year Lake Forest, IL      Over the last four months, Michael struggled with many challenges. His faith in life, love, and God was still uncertain. He tried to focus his energies on rebuilding the house, hoping his faith would come along in time. With every wooden two by four that was nailed and every brick laid, Michael rebuilt the house and his faith simultaneously. He stop...