Erin Napier has a new project coming out soon — and it has nothing to do with HGTV. The “Home Town” star is branching out creatively with a heartfelt children’s book that captures the magic of the holiday season. Here’s the inspiration behind it and when it’s set to arrive.
Erin Napier Shares Details of Christmas-Themed Children’s Book
A July 10 blog post on the Laurel Mercantile website explains more about Napier’s newest book, “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,” the post notes. “Long after we leave them, those homes continue to hold the memories that made them special.”
That serves as the inspiration for “The Christmas House,” written by Napier and illustrated by Adam Trest.
According to the blog post, the story is “told from the perspective of a house” at the holidays.
“There was a point when I was writing [her first children’s book] ‘The Lantern House’ where it felt like I would just keep going so we could see the house at Christmas,” Napier explained.
She continued, “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.”
“Every single tradition mentioned in the book came from mine and Adam’s families,” Napier explained.
The book includes family visiting Grandma’s house to help decorate. “My girls beg for this every year! We’re done at our house — now let’s go decorate at Yaya’s!” Napier shared.
“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,” she noted.
The HGTV star added, “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.”
Napier also said that she “would be so honored” if “The Christmas House” becomes part of a family’s holiday tradition.
“It makes me want to cry to think of,” she shared.
When Does ‘The Christmas House’ Come Out?
“The Christmas House” is available for preorder on the Laurel Mercantile website and comes out on September 8.
“This eloquent celebration of being home for the holidays captures the essence of cherished Christmas memories and is a holiday companion to the bestselling book, ‘The Lantern House,'” the synopsis shares. “It takes you through preparing a house for the holiday from bringing decorations down from the attic, setting out the hand-carved nativity scene in the living room, baking cookies in the kitchen, and uncovering a family treasure in the basement. It invites you into a family’s annual winter rituals and memory making; honors the impact of a passed family member whose presence fills memories, traditions, and family values.”
It adds, “Welcome home to the Christmas House, where vanilla and cinnamon waft from the kitchen, a Christmas tree glows from the window, and Grandpa’s old cracked, wooden Christmas star is the most important decoration.”
