Hello my name is Erik and I am setting up a GoFundMe for my brother Christopher James. He recently had a direct hit from Hurricane Idalia in Perry, Florida. It damaged his beautiful home and his Florida Landmark Christmas Shop.

Christopher, his wife Leah, their son Michael moved to Perry Florida in 2006, after his Christmas Shop in North Palm Beach, had been destroyed in Hurricanes Jeanne, Wilma.

A new start in an idyllic historic town, home from 1901. They restored their home, gardens, and their vacant store that had been a Chrysler Dealership from the 1950's into a magical Christmas shop with a built in Christmas Village, with replicas of a Norman Rockwell Esq town. Each room and building is set up to replicate a village Chapel, General Store, A Childrens Candy land,

They started a Haunted House each Halloween for the local kids, with a haunted forest, rooms set up like a Haunted Inn. They also, have taken in numerous stray cats, kittens that were abandoned in town, then many left on their doorstep, neutering, spaying over 50 and found many new homes, except for those they kept finding names for.

Then in 2015 my brothers wife Leah passed away unexpectedly, left our family with a void that was unimaginable. He and his son Micheal made the best of it and did continue the Haunted house in Leah's honor, continued rescuing the towns, surrounding areas stray cats.

In 2018 his only son Michael was shot and killed by someone they took in, that was kicked out of his parents home and was supposed to be Michael's friend. Michael was 25 years old, just recently engaged and with his first child on the way.

Through all this tragedy that Christopher has endured, he has never given into his immeasurable grief, but continued to honor his family's memory by celebrating those special holidays with others, rescuing, saving the unwanted cats, keeping the gardens, home, and Christmas Shop they built flourishing.

On August 30, 2023 the pieces of life my brother Christopher was continuing on with came crashing down, as hurricane Idalia hit directly in Perry. It devastated the Christmas Shop, tearing off numerous sections of the roof, blew out almost all of the huge plate glass windows, filling the shop with not only parts of the roof, ceilings, glass, but water! A few of the cats he thought would be safe in the store died under the collapsing roof. His gardens were also mostly destroyed with falling trees crashing down, hitting some of his storage buildings.

The Historic Calhoun house that Leah, Christopher lovingly restored with period, antiques, beautiful gardens had its roof damaged, french doors, parts of the rear porch damaged, the electric service completely ripped off te house, having rain, water enter the upstairs, flooding 3 rooms downstairs, damaging or destroying numerous family antiques. The gardens were left a mess.

My brother has gone through so much in the last 7 years, I still cannot imagine a stronger person, who honors his family and God, enduring so much pain.

Sadly there is no insurance to cover all the damage that has been done, to make matters worse,rumors in the town of Perry is threatening to condemn his home, shop if he does not have repairs made.

Please, if you can make a donation to help my brother Christopher repair his shops roof. Any donation would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. GOD BLESS!