The Christmas House

     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.

      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. Great grandparents who had passed on before either of them were born visited the home to share the advent of Christmas.

      It was now 9:00 p.m., and Martha was sure that all of the visitors, who were going to attend the reunion with life thanks to Harry and Susan, were already present. Unfortunately, Rick and Carin were not present.

      As the guests settled in, Martha asked Harry to help her up onto the coffee table to be seen and heard. Once standing a foot above the crowd, Martha began.

     "First of all, welcome to the Christmas House. The reason you are all here is that this is a magical house. This house has allowed spirits from the other side to rejoin their loved ones for over 100 years. My family visited me every year, just like this, until I passed away, and then I joined them. When I found out that I was going to die, I had to pass on the wonderment of this house to a family that would appreciate and utilize the magic that this house offers. Selling this house to a family that had no use for it or that would tear it down was not an option. Michael and Arianna Carter met the requirements to be owners of this home, and in turn, Michael sold the home to Harry and Susan Hill based on the same criteria. 

      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 well. You might want to answer the door,” he replied.

      Susan looked at Harry, and Harry turned to the kids.

      “Are you guys ready for this? Rose honey, do you understand what is happening here?” he asked.

      “Sure… we live in a magical house that is bringing mom and dad back to me. What are you waiting for? Open the door,” she replied.

      Harry hesitates and stops short of opening the door. He looks at Susan.

      “Can we talk privately for a second, Susan?”

      “Sure, Harry,” she replied.

      “Do not open the front door. Just give us a second,” Harry told the others.

      Harry and Susan walk toward the back of the house into the family room, just past the kitchen.

      “This is frickin unbelievable, but how do we handle this knowing that Rick killed Carin?” he asked.

      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 could stay with them instead of moving to Omaha to her Aunt Maria’s, but Harry and Susan agreed that they should honor the wishes and arrangements that Doris had made for her daughter. Lindsay did stay with the Hills on Festive Lane after the funeral. Her Aunt returned to Omaha to make arrangements for relocating Lindsay but felt it would be better to move her after the first of the year. Aunt Maria asked the Hills if they would mind letting Lindsay stay with them for a month while attending to the details. The Hills agreed and moved Lindsay into the guest room temporarily. Harry made it clear to Victor that he was to stay in his own room to sleep each night, or a padlock would be placed on his door and windows. Victor agreed.

      Caitlin loved having Lindsay stay at the house. Lindsay was a significant influence on Victor and was beginning to have the same effect on Caitlin as well. Lindsay was just one of those great girls that would do anything to help out a fellow human being. She was not quite as accommodating when it came to dogs. She had been bitten by a dog when she was 6-years old and ever since had been scared of all dogs regardless of size or demeanor. Lindsay shunned even Max, a very sweet dog, out of fear. A week after moving into the house, Lindsay didn’t close her bedroom door all the way, and Max pushed it open and jumped up on her bed as she laid there. 

        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. She was hanging off the eaves and bouncing the ladder over a few feet at a time. She was scaring the hell out of me,” Harry said and then continued. “Hey, Lindsay! Don’t you look beautiful tonight!”

      “Hi, Mr. Hill. Thank you as usual. This is my mom, Doris… Doris Dunne,” Lindsay replied.

      “Hello, Doris. How very nice to meet you. My name is Harry,” he said as he took her frail hand into his and gently held it.

      “Very nice to meet you, Harry. Thank you for inviting Lindsay and me to join you for dinner. That was very nice and much appreciated,” Doris said.

      “Hi, Doris. I’m Susan, Harry’s wife, and the kids’ aunt,” she said as she placed her hand on Doris’s back and gently rubbed it.

      “Hi, Susan. Nice to meet you as well. I was going to say that you two look nothing like Victor. Now it makes sense that you are his aunt and uncle,” Doris said.

      “Mrs. Dunne, I don’t look anything like my parents either. I was adopted from Uruguay as a baby, so I have Latin blood and steamy good looks,” Victor said and then laughed.

      “Are your parents in the house?” Doris asked.

      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 read the letter? The suspense is killing me!” said Harry.

      Susan looked around to make sure none of the kids were within earshot, but they were all still asleep.

      “Okay, here we go. It says…”

      “Hi Sis, If you are reading this letter, then I have died. It was just a matter of time before he killed me.”

      “Before who killed her? Rick?” asked Harry.

      “I don’t know. What in the world?” replied Susan.

      “We haven’t been getting along for over a year now, and I have asked him for a divorce, but he refuses due to the children. He said if I file for a divorce, he will kill me. I guess he wasn’t making just idle threats because here we are. I hate to lay this in your lap Susan, but you are the only one I can trust to protect my kids. Go to the police and tell them that Rick killed me. I don’t know if they have already figured that out, but the kids need to be taken away from him before he 

      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 his morning shower at 6:00 p.m.

      As Harry walked out to the curb's mailbox, he noticed most of his neighbors out decorating their homes. He thought to himself, “Jesus Christ, it's 7:00 am on a holiday. These people are crazy.”

      The neighbor from next door met Harry, still in his robe and slippers, at the mailbox. 

      “Hi, there, neighbor! My name is Charlie Reynolds. I just moved in next door about a week ago. I guess it’s a Thanksgiving tradition that we all decorate our homes to the max on Thanksgiving Day until dinner is served and football begins.”

      Taken back a bit by Charlie’s ramblings, Harry introduced himself as well. 

     “Hi Charlie, I’m Harry, Harry Hill; I just moved here about nine months ago, so I’m new to this as well. Where did you come from?” 

      “From right next store; I told you that already Harry; not a morning person, are we?” Charlie replied.

      “No, I meant, where did you live before moving here?” Harry clarified.

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.

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 Rick McCann. 

      Carin was Susan’s sister, although you would never know it. Susan, a tall and thin natural blonde, could easily have been a model in her younger years, whereas Carin was short and stocky with dark, almost black hair. Rick and Carin owned a bar and grill located on the Northside of Chicago called McNasty’s. 

      When Susan and Carin’s father died from complications from a gallbladder operation, the hospital was found guilty of negligence and the doctors of malpractice. After attorney fees were paid, each sister received around $2,500,000.00. Carin and Rick bought a bar and grill on Lawrence Ave. and renovated it from top to bottom. It had been a dream of Rick’s always to own a restaurant and bar. Rick is the source of the bright red hair that his girls inherited. 

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 cookies just out of the oven waiting for a hungry kid. Any hungry kids around here?” he said as he shaped his hands like binoculars and scanned the hallway.

      “I’m starving!” shouted Rose.

      “You are? And who might you be, little one?” Michael asked.

      “My name is Rose. My daddy calls me his little Rosebud. It’s cute, but I think I’m getting too old for silly names,” she said.

      “You are never too old for silly names Rose. My little girl is named Nicole Miracle, but I only use her middle name when I am upset with her,” said Michael as he winked at Harry, thinking he was Roses’ father.

      “Is she here? How old is she?” Rose asked.