The Chirstmas House Synopsis

In 1934, twenty-two-year-old George Skinner was stricken with polio and confined to an iron lung in the polio ward of Los Angeles County General Hospital. Regular visits from his father, Albert, and the community kept him going as he struggled to heal. Determined to walk again and recover from this horrible disease, he vowed that when he left the hospital he would create something to thank his community and to repay their kindness; he would create something called the Christmas House.

In the midst of the Great Depression, in 1936, those dreams came true. George left the hospital, taking a few shaky steps without a wheelchair and began building an elaborate outdoor display with his father. Newspapers sent photographers and reporters; the local American Legion Post donated time and supplies; churches provided choirs and contributed food but most of all children and adults came to experience the first house ever decorated with elaborate outdoor holiday lights and displays and to bask in the true spirit of Christmas. Nearly 80,000 people came each Christmas to see the house, and the joy helped George heal. Years later, when his daughter discovered an old scrapbook stuffed with clippings, letters, and photographs commemorating Christmas House and George’s life, she also uncovered a tragic secret. In this enchanting book, more than 100 photographs help to tell the story of how one man’s dream, and the power of forgiveness, changed his life and his community.