The Christmas House

Early December Evanston, Illinois      A few weeks passed since the demise of Michael’s friends and family. The funerals were held a few days after the explosion and attended by many of Arianna and Michael’s friends. Most were work-related associates who paid their respects to Michael as they passed five closed caskets in the Lake Forest Funeral Home.      Since the accident, Michael had not been...

Festive Lane Thanksgiving Day Three years later      Several years passed, and the Carters were very fortunate during this time. It had been five years since they first purchased the magical house on Festive Lane. David grew by leaps and bounds as he quickly approached his sixteenth birthday. Nicole had become a beautiful young lady with a very proficient vocabulary for a five-year-old.      Micha...

148 Festive Lane Christmas Eve- One Year Later 6:00 p.m.       “Chime, chime, chime, chime, chime, chime.” The grandfather clock announced that it was once again 6:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, exactly one year later.      David ran to the front door and swung it open.      “Merry Christmas, David!” yelled a group of eight people.      “Merry Christmas,” David shouted back to the people entering the h...

Christmas Night 6:10 p.m. 148 Festive Lane        Michael and Arianna stood on the step in front of the house, shivering and calling out to David. Arianna’s tears froze on her face as she openly wept. Michael yelled out at the top of his lungs, “DAVID!”      Suddenly, a small image appeared from out of the darkness and moved toward the house.       “Wow! It was so cool. They all just kinda walk in...

Christmas Day-December 25th 148 Festive Lane 6:55 a.m.       Michael was sleeping soundly, spooning with his lovely wife as they lay in their king-size bed under the warmth of a down comforter. His eyes opened slowly as the aroma of freshly brewed coffee titillated his nose. Still half asleep, Michael thought Arianna had gotten up and made breakfast until he realized she was still lying beside him...

"DAD!” David screamed as he ran into the house and Michael's arms.      "David, David... we were so worried about you!" Michael replied ecstatically as he knelt on one knee and hugged David tightly.      "Where have you been? My God, you're soaking wet! Is it snowing that hard out there?"      Before David could answer Michael, Arianna burst into the room.      &...

Arianna sat at the kitchen table, feeding Nicole when the phone rang. She jumped to answer it.      “Hello?”      “It’s just me, hon; any word yet?” asked Michael.      “No. The only one I have heard from is you,” she replied.       “Michael, come home. You have been up all night. You must be exhausted. Is Jack still with you?” she asked.      “Yes. We are at a donut shop having some coffee. He fl...

November 27th Thanksgiving Day 5:00 p.m.    Traditionally, Lake Forest residents decorate their homes for Christmas no later than Thanksgiving Day just because they wish to enjoy the fruits of their labor for the entire holiday season. This year was no exception. The homes were decorated to the extreme. Hundreds of hours were invested in each house as the owners expressed their Christmas spirit in...

December 23rd Lake Forest, IL 3:00 p.m.        A snowy, gray Saturday afternoon brought shoppers by the thousands to downtown Chicago. Of course, it was the last few days and the last weekend before Christmas, and time was running out. The stores were open a few hours later today to accommodate their customers' last-minute shopping needs. This winter started with a jolt, as 10 inches of snow...

     Michael kissed Arianna and Nicole goodbye as he was dropping David off at summer camp and then off to the job site.       The last few months had been hectic at the Carter residence. Michael spent most of his time working at home and the job site while Arianna was busy caring for Nicole and David.       Jack and Wanda remained a constant support channel for the Carters. Michael felt very obli...

Chapter Seven- Settling In at 148 Festive Lane   May 3rd Good Samaritan Hospital 10:00 a.m.      It was a glorious day for early May in Chicago. The sun shined brightly and warmed the air to a delightful 68 degrees as Michael and David drove to the hospital to bring Arianna and baby Nicole home for the first time.      Having recovered nicely from the night of the move, Michael was well-rested but...

Michael pulled onto Festive Lane. He drove down the block for about a 1/4 of a mile until he approached the driveway to the house. The address on the mailbox read, “1-8” because the four had fallen off and never been replaced. Michael drove past the old iron gates at the front of the driveway and then backed the truck up so he could unload into the garage.      “BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP,” sounded...

April 30th Lake Forest, IL       Since the closing, Michael, Arianna, and David spent every evening and weekend at the house at 148 Festive Lane. Cleaning, tearing down wallpaper, ripping up carpeting and tile floors, rodding out plumbing, and doing whatever else they could that did not cost hard cash, only hard labor.      Michael inspected the furnace thoroughly and found it was not as bad of sh...

Not your typical Christmas novel. Amazon reviews- 5.0 out of 5 stars  A Delightful Christmas Story The Christmas House was 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,...

December 24th 148 Festive Lane 11:45 p.m.       The party was still going strong as the grandfather clock ticked closer to midnight, and the advent of Christmas Day would soon find its way to the dilapidated old house. Martha was sitting in a large dark burgundy upholstered Queen Anne-style chair. She struggled to keep her eyes open, but it was of little use. It had been a very long day, and Marth...

February 11th 148 Festive Lane Martha’s Birthday 3:35 p.m.          Several months passed, and despite numerous showings and a half dozen Realtors representing the property, Martha was still without a buyer for the house.      Over thirty interested and potential buyers inspected the house. Many made generous offers of over $4.3 million for the prime location of the four-acre estate. Martha was no...

April 9th Lake Forest, IL       Martha remained extremely busy during the months preceding the closing. Before moving into the small studio apartment that she found in nearby Morton Grove, there was much to do. The apartment was in a retirement center and was fully furnished. She realized that she wouldn’t need any old and worn furniture left in the house, so she conducted several estate sales. Sh...