Motorists around downtown might have noticed a tiny handmadehouse riding around in the back of a pickup truck recently.

For three little boys whose names Brookhaven resident CharlieWilliams won’t divulge, that is homemade Christmas on the way.

“I don’t want them to see it in the paper that it’s for them,”he said about not identifying the recipients’ names. “It wouldspoil their Christmas surprise.”

The little house, which looks almost like something from an OldWest ghost town, is truly a gift from the heart, Williams said. Anobserver might say it is also a good answer to some people’seconomic woes to handcraft Christmas gifts.

Made of wood and vinyl, with “power lines” made of wire that runback to a battery-transformer attached to a “telephone pole” in thefront area, the little building is surrounded by a little woodenfence. And it actually gives off a homey glow when it’s pluggedin.

“It’s got a little bulb in there, and you can plug it in and itlights up,” he said. “It’s just one of those little bittybulbs.”

While it doesn’t look like a typical store-bought toy house,Williams said it’s the fact that it’s handmade that makes itspecial to him.

“I used a hacksaw blade,” he said. “I cut every piece myselfwith a hacksaw and I glued it.”

The little project, which has characters from a little deputysheriff to Ronald McDonald on the porch, also has a side buildinglabeled “corn crib.” Williams said it took him about two weeks toput together.

“A man gave me the glass for the windows,” he said. “And theroof is made of vinyl siding from a closet curtain that you canopen and close back and forth.”

The young friends who will receive the gift are ages nine, sixand two. While Williams said he didn’t want them to read about it,he definitely wanted to show his handiwork to friends aroundtown.

“I’ve got to take it and show it to some people,” he said. “Butthe reason I made it, it’s for three little boys forChristmas.”