A Christmas Card

Lost in a New England snowstorm as they journey toward their new home, two small boys and their parents find shelter with a mysterious old man. By morning he has vanished, leaving behind only a card, which in its magical way guides the family to a Christmas celebration of a very special meaning for them all.

Paul Theroux’s first story for children captures the bleak splendor of a coastal winter, the aura of sorcery that surrounds the old man, and, most of all, the warmth and wonder of the holiday.