The Christmas Box

“We sold our home and migrated to the warmer, and more prosperous, climate of Southern California. There, with great disappointment, I came to expect a green Christmas almost as religiously as the local retailers.”

The book depicts a warmer Christmas, which is green rather than white, as less romantic and traditional than the snowy Christmas in Utah. A traditional Christmas is part of what motivates the family to move back to the Salt Lake Valley; tension builds toward the Christmas season.

“With winter coming on, our heating bill is going to go through the roof in this drafty place and I don't know where the extra money will come from. This way we might actually put some money aside.”

Keri justifies the family’s new living situation through the framework of financial well-being. Later, Keri, Richard, and Jenna will appreciate living with Mary for the human connection and love that it brings to their lives, illustrating The Journey from Materialism to Understanding Deeper Emotional and Spiritual Truths.

“The Parkin home was a resplendent, red-block Victorian mansion with ornate cream-and-raspberry wood trim and dark green shingles. On the west side of the home, a rounded bay window supported a second-story veranda balcony that overlooked the front yard.”

Mary’s home is decadent, traditional, and cozy. It is part of a traditional Christmas setting, particularly when it starts to snow and the families initiate the tradition of sitting together around the fire each evening. This quote touches on The Magic of Christmas.

“‘I thought you said she didn't have any children,’ Barry said.

‘She doesn't,’ I replied.

‘Why is there a cradle up here then?’ Barry stood near a dusty draped sheet revealing the form of a shrouded cradle.”

At this point, Richard does not know about Mary’s deceased daughter, Andrea. Andrea’s life and death are hinted at in Barry and Richard’s conversation about the cradle. It will have an immense impact on Richard, as he will learn about the importance of treasuring family through Mary’s tragedy.

“‘Can Daddy read me a story?’ she asked.

‘Not tonight, honey. Daddy has a lot of work to do.’

‘It doesn't have to be a long one,’ she pleaded.

‘Not tonight, honey. Some other time.’

A disappointed child was tucked under the covers and went to sleep yearning for some other time.”

At this point in the story, Richard undervalues time with Jenna. He naively assumes that there will be another time, but Mary—as well as the story itself—makes the point that childhood is fleeting and life uncertain; time with family should be treasured and prioritized. This connects to the pivotal theme, The Importance of Familial Love.

“‘And, if you're wanting for company, I would love to take Richards place at that dance recital.’

‘You are more than welcome to join us,’ Keri said. Jenna smiled.”

Mary becomes a surrogate grandmother to Jenna. Her role is alluded to when she volunteers to come to Jenna’s dance recital—a role traditionally occupied by family.

“‘I feel like I've known her all my life,’ Keri said.

‘Like a grandmother,’ I observed.”

Richard and Keri’s growing closeness to Mary is illustrated in the couple’s reflections; Mary becomes like family, illustrating The Importance of Familial Love.

“It soon became clear to Keri and me that Mary had solicited a family to move in with her more for the sake of ‘family’ than real physical need.”

This quote alludes to Mary’s loneliness before Richard, Keri, and Jenna moved in. Mary wants to find human connection and love in the final years of her life.

“Perhaps if I had seen my daughter's longing eyes staring back at me from the gold-plated scales, I would have rethought my priorities. I adroitly rationalized my absence from home on necessity and told myself that my family would someday welcome the sacrifice by feasting, with me, on the fruits of my labors. In retrospect, I should have tasted those fruits for bitterness a little more often.”

Richard’s narration is framed as coming from his perspective in the future. This allows Evans to establish how Richard regrets having had incorrect priorities at the beginning of the story, and for the reader to understand Richard’s evolution as a character; Richard comes to prioritize spending time with his daughter over establishing his business. This quote alludes to The Journey from Materialism to Deeper Emotional and Spiritual Truths.

“I look into its cherubic face, its eyes turn up toward heaven, and the angel turns to stone.”

This quote introduces Richard’s mysterious, recurring dream. This dream is later revealed to be connected to Andrea, Mary’s daughter. The dream’s music leads Richard to the Christmas Box, revealing The Magic of Christmas. The angel resembles the stone angel on Andrea’s grave.

“I inspected it more closely but could find no key and no spring, in fact no mechanism of any type. It was simply a wooden box.

I unclasped the silver buckle and opened the lid slowly. The music stopped.”

The Magic of Christmas continues to function as an important theme in relation to the Christmas Box. In this scene, the origin of the music seems to be magical and divine, a Christmas miracle designed to lead Richard toward the wisdom it contains.

“‘Dad, can you help me cut these?’ she asked.

‘Not now, honey, I'm late for work.’

The corners of her mouth pulled downward in disappointment.”

The novella continues to establish Jenna’s disappointment in her father’s constant absence, evoking The Importance of Familial Love. At this point, Richard is at the beginning of his character arc and has a lot to learn.

“‘Read this to your little one.’ I took the book from her outstretched arm and examined the title, Christmas Every Day by William Dean Howells.

‘Thank you, Mary, I will.’ I smiled at her, set the book down, and went back to my catalog. Her eyes never left me.

‘No, right now. Read it to her now.’”

Mary, who gained wisdom through the tragic loss of Andrea, notices Richard’s absences and seeks to draw his attention to his misaligned priorities. When Richard tries to put aside the story she has recommended in favor of continuing to work, Mary is uncharacteristically insistent, revealing her belief that Richard is putting work above his daughter. The story that Mary selects for Richard parallels Richard and Jenna’s relationship: It features a busy father who does not play with his daughter; Mary seeks to show Richard the error in his ways.

“‘Mary is the warmest, most open individual I've ever met, except…’

She paused. ‘Do you ever get the feeling that she is hiding something?’

‘Something?’

‘Something tragic. Terribly tragic.’”

Keri, a perceptive individual, correctly intuits that Mary has a tragic secret. In the next chapter, Andrea’s death will be revealed. This tragedy has shaped Mary’s life and her understanding of the world, and it leads her to teach Richard about the importance of cherishing time with Jenna.

“‘These young boys grow so fast. I'd strongly suggest that you rent.’

He just nodded.

‘I just don't want you to be disappointed. The length of the coat cannot be extended, only the sleeves and pant length. He may grow out of it in less than a year.’

The man looked up at me, initiating eye contact for the first time. ‘We'll be burying him in it,’ he said softly.”

Richard is preoccupied with material and financial concerns instead of being sensitive to the subtleties of the human experience. The death of Andrea and his customer’s son helps Richard understand the fleeting nature of life, which leads him to prioritize spending time with Jenna.

“There was a statue of an angel about three feet high with out-stretched wings. It was new at the time and freshly whitewashed. On the ground before it knelt a woman, her face buried in the snow. She was sobbing as if her heart were breaking.”

The angel on Andrea’s grave connects to the angel that Richard saw in his dream. This passage establishes Andrea as a messenger who will lead Richard toward the Christmas Box. This allows him to learn about The Importance of Familial Love, a theme alluded to in Mary’s heartbreak. The novella represents familial love as the most important part of the human experience; the extent of Mary’s love is illustrated by the enormity of her grief.

“The great gift of Christmas. Because He came. The first Christmas offering from a parent to His children, because He loved them and wanted them back. I understand that in ways I never understood before, as my love for you has not waned with time, but has grown brighter with each Christmas season.”

Mary’s letter to Andrea conveys her grief over Andrea’s death. As she reflects on God’s love for mankind, Mary’s faith helps her to cope with her tragic loss. Christianity continues to function as a recurring motif.

“She ran over to the tree and lifted a small, inexpertly wrapped package. ‘I made her an angel.’ With excitement she unveiled a petite cardboard angel constructed with tape, glue, and paper clips.”

Jenna and Mary’s connection is symbolized by Jenna’s choice to make Mary an angel, an appropriate and intuitive choice as Andrea’s grave is topped with a stone angel. Evans emphasizes the importance of human connection, generosity, and familial love over the commercialized nature of Christmas. This is illustrated by Jenna’s homemade gift, which is valuable for its sentimental importance rather than its monetary value.

1.   “‘Thank you, Mary. Thank you for what you've given me.’

‘You found the letters in the Christmas Box?’

‘Yes. I'm sorry that I read them.’

‘No, it's all right. I'm glad the letters were read. They were meant to be read.’

She fell silent for a moment.

‘I'd like you to have the Christmas Box. It's my Christmas gift to you.’

‘Thank you. I will always treasure it.’”

Once again, Christmas gifts exchanged in the story have sentimental, rather than monetary, significance. Mary gives the Christmas Box to Richard, conveying how she is passing on knowledge and wisdom about the fleeting nature of one’s child’s childhood.

“The first gift of Christmas. It just came. It came to my heart. The first gift of Christmas was love. A parent's love. Pure as the first snows of Christmas. For God so loved His children that He sent His son, that we might someday return to Him. I understood what Mary had been trying to teach me. I stood up and walked up the stairs where my little girl lay sleeping. I picked up her warm little body and, cradling her tightly in my arms, brought her back down to the den.”

The Magic of Christmas continues to be framed through Christianity. Richard understands that God’s love was the first gift of Christmas, which reminds him of his love for his daughter. Richard reflects that Jenna’s childhood is fleeting and that he must prioritize his relationship with her above all else.

“She knew that in my quest for success in this world I had been trading diamonds for stones. She knew, and she loved me enough to help me see. Mary had given me the greatest gift of Christmas. My daughter's childhood.”

Richard’s growth is illuminated; he decides to prioritize quality time with his family over his business. Mary has helped Richard change his ways, illuminating The Importance of Familial Love.

“Mary was buried next to the small angel statue that she had so faithfully visited. In the course of our assisting in the burial arrangements, the funeral home had asked Keri what they should engrave on the headstone. ‘A loving mother,’ she said simply.”

In recognition of Mary’s love for Andrea, Keri arranges Mary’s headstone to read “a loving mother.” Despite Andrea’s brief life, Mary’s love for her was the force that shaped her most powerfully. This ties into the lesson which Mary teaches Richard about being present for one’s family and the fleeting nature of childhood and life.

“The sacred contents of that box are a parent's pure love for a child, manifested first by a Father's love for all His children, as He sacrificed that which He loved most and sent His son to earth on that Christmas day so long ago.”

Richard believes that the Christmas Box is metaphorically filled with parental love, the origin of which is God’s love. Evans continues to emphasize the values of generosity and love associated with Christmas as opposed to the holiday’s commercialization.