Colby's Christmas Tale

Nine-year-old Colby Anderson lived in an affluent Seattle neighborhood with wealthy parents. But he was an unassuming, shy child, who spent a considerable amount of time watching the world go by from his big bay window.

Colby noticed the house across the street was run-down and didn't conform to the multimillion-dollar homes surrounding it. The only occupant was an old man who often sat on his porch reading a black book. Yet Colby didn't understand why the basement lights were on most of the...