The Christmas House
There are some houses that never really leave us.
Maybe it's the one where grandma kept the cookie cutters in the same kitchen drawer every December. Maybe it's the house where the Christmas tree always glowed from the front window, or where stockings were hung in the same place year after year. Long after we leave them, those homes continue to hold the memories that made them special.
That's the heart behind The Christmas House, the newest book from Erin Napier and illustrator Adam Trest.
Told from the perspective of a house, the story welcomes readers into a home preparing for Christmas—decorating the tree, baking cookies, unpacking treasured decorations, and carrying on family traditions while honoring someone deeply missed.
For Erin, the story began while she was still writing The Lantern House.
"There was a point when I was writing The Lantern House where it felt like I would just keep going so we could see the house at Christmas," she told us. "But then Adam and I thought it would be more interesting to visit a new house for the holidays. That opens a whole world of possibilities if we zoom out and there's a neighbor beside the Lantern House."
That idea, that every house has its own story to tell, became the beginning of The Christmas House.
And while the house may be fictional, the traditions inside are anything but.
"Every single tradition mentioned in the book came from mine and Adam's families." -Erin
One of Erin's favorite moments is when the family arrives at Grandma's house to help decorate for Christmas. "My girls beg for this every year! We're done at our house—now let's go decorate at Yaya's!" Like so many of Erin's stories, this one gently explores something deeper than the holiday itself. "I hope readers feel the way the house does: curious how this family will celebrate this Christmas when someone so important is missing. Can we? Yes. Traditions keep the people we love alive forever in a small way."
When we asked what she hopes readers remember years after closing the book, Erin didn't mention a favorite page or illustration.
She described a feeling.
"The last page of the book, we see the family cast in the glow of the tree, all together. That is exactly what Christmas should feel like."
And if The Christmas House eventually becomes part of another family's Christmas tradition?
"I would be so honored," Erin said. "It makes me want to cry to think of."
Some books tell stories and others become part of yours.
Pre-sale of The Christmas House is NOW available! We can't wait for everyone to get this special book in September. The book will release on September 8th!
