The Christmas Box

Contextualizing clues establish the novella as taking place somewhere in the first half of the 20th century, most likely in the 1950s or 1940s. For example, the family drives a “large pink-and-chrome Plymouth coupe” and antiquated items, such as a tie press, are in Mary’s attic (35). Mary advertises through the classified section of the newspaper, while a character in a modern story might rely on online advertising. Similarly, all of Richard’s work for his formal-wear rental store is offline: “I dove into a pile of receipts and ledgers” (41).

The novella begins to explore The Magic of Christmas. Richard is the narrator and protagonist, a persona the author has based on himself. As a teenager, Richard moves away from the snowy Christmases of Utah. In the warmer climate of Southern California, he “came to expect a green Christmas” as opposed to a white Christmas with “great disappointment” (17). Teenage Richard finds a subtropical Christmas to be less romantic and pleasurable; this remains his opinion in adulthood, and he and Keri are lured to Salt Lake Valley by “the thin air and white winters of home” (18). The magic of a traditional, white Christmas is established as an important factor in the family’s decision to relocate and remains a key theme throughout the text.

With its ornate, old-fashioned appearance, Mary’s home is linked with the magic of a traditional Christmas: “The Parkin home was a resplendent, red-block Victorian mansion with ornate cream-and-raspberry wood trim and dark green shingles” (21). It is a romantic home—a stereotypically perfect location for a Christmas miracle to occur.

The novel is structured to lead up to Christmas. Mary tells the family that she is pleased that they will be spending the season with her. Tension builds as the holiday approaches, and Richard reflects that “the Christmas Box found me” (16). This implies that an important event will take place during the Christmas season—one that will affect the family.

Christianity is established as a recurring motif in association with Christmas. For example, Richard reflects that perhaps the box was made of the wooden cross upon which Jesus was crucified: “[I]t was skillfully carved and polished from the hard and splintered wood from whose rough surface the Lord of Christmas had demonstrated the ultimate love for mankind” (16). Christmas is an important religious holiday rather than merely a cultural one for both Mary Parkin and Richard’s family. The lessons about love that Richard will derive from the Christmas box are framed through a religious lens.

This section of the novella introduces another key theme, The Journey from Materialism to Deeper Emotional and Spiritual Truths. At this point in the story, Richard prioritizes financial stability over familial love. For example, he does not read Jenna a story: “Not tonight, honey. Daddy has a lot of work to do” (41). The novella invites readers to sympathize with Jenna through her disappointment and longing for time with her father—“a disappointed child was tucked under the covers and went to sleep yearning for ‘some other time’” (41).

Richard and Keri are initially motivated to move in with Mary for materialistic reasons, which the novella shows when Keri discusses the couple’s financial situation: “[W]ith 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” (20). Financial stability is the primary factor in the couple’s decision-making. Later, they will come to reexamine their priorities through their connection with Mary and her subsequent illness and death, as well as through Richard’s discoveries about Mary’s deceased child, Andrea. In the end, the most important aspect of living with Mary is the human connection the family shares with her. Through Mary, Richard learns about The Importance of Familial Love, the novella’s pivotal theme.