Maxine Johnson

The Dickens' Christmas Village Tales Maxine Johnson

Christmas villages warm the heart and hearth of many homes. Have you ever wondered what the people in those villages are doing? Where they are going? Where did they come from? Have they lived in that village all their lives?

Elizabeth has lived in Hillshire Downs all her life. She has suffered the loss of her family in a plague that swept away almost more lives than it left. Will she and her youngest brother and sister survive the coldest winter remembered? God is their refuge and strength and ever-present help in time of trouble. He never fails.

Richard returns after his wife and youngest child die - not from the plague. His heart is heavy, and he is at the end of his means. He must recover from his loss of everything. His son, Billy, needs him to be strong. Richard realizes he needs help and prays God will send him a job and some way to survive.

Billy has loved Rebekah since childhood. Will she love him back? Will family complications create a situation in which hi love will never be declared? What of the lost boys and their futures?

As Hillshire Downs comes back from the devastating plague, will the townsfolk be able to take care of their own and those who have been widowed, orphaned, and left destitute?

As the village people find their Christmas treasure, or see their Christmas wishes come true, they find a Christmas worth waiting for.