The Christmas Box (1993) is a holiday-themed, loosely autobiographical novel by American author Richard Paul Evans. It tells the story of Richard, a workaholic who learns important lessons about the meaning of Christmas and the importance of family. He makes these discoveries with the help of an elderly widow and an angelic entity who visits Richard in his dreams. Evans was a 31-year-old advertising executive and had no formal writing experience when he self-published The Christmas Box in 1993; he had simply written it to express his love for his daughters. Since that time, the novel has been re-released and is the first book ever to debut at number one on the New York Times Best Seller list in both hardcover and paperback editions the same week. Over the past 25 years, Evans has written 31 other bestselling books in addition to The Christmas Box.

This guide is written using the Simon & Schuster 1996 edition of The Christmas Box.

Content Warning: This guide and the source text describe the death of a child.

Plot Summary

The book is divided into six chapters and an epilogue. The first chapter is called “The Widow’s Mansion.” In it, a young couple named Richard and Keri, along with their baby daughter Jenna, move into the home of an elderly widow named MaryAnne Parkin (known as Mary to her friends). The couple will serve as the woman’s caretaker, cook, and cleaning service in return for free room and board. This is a perfect temporary solution for Richard and Keri while the tuxedo rental store that Richard runs continues to grow.

The second chapter is called “The Christmas Box.” Richard and Keri’s brother, Barry, are in the attic of the huge old mansion, moving Richard and Keri’s furniture into Mary’s home. They discover an intricately designed old Christmas Box.

In the third chapter, “The Bible Box,” Richard is finally able to take a break from work and eat with his wife, his child, and Mary, but only because it’s Sunday after church. According to the original agreement, the family would eat meals separately from Mary. This changes as the bond grows between Keri and Mary, and as Richard feels obligated to work late every night to keep his business and family afloat.

Over dinner, Richard mentions the various collectibles in the attic. Mary speaks of one of her late husband’s favorite collections: a box of rare Bibles. She sold most of them after his death but kept a few of his favorites, including one where the seventh commandment reads, “Thou shalt commit adultery,” as opposed to “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” (Mary finds the error amusing).

Chapter 4 is titled “The Dream, the Angel, and the Letter.” Even before moving into Mary’s mansion, the stress of overworking has been affecting Richard’s sleep. A recurring dream Richard keeps experiencing has become clearer and more vivid since the family’s relocation. In the dream, there is an angel with him, but every time he tries to look at her face, the angel turns to stone. In the middle of the night, still reeling and uneasy from the dream, Richard hears music coming from the attic—specifically, from the Christmas Box. Richard’s curiosity, combined with his increasing need to understand the recurring dream, prompts him to open the box. Inside he finds love letters written by Mary, but he doesn’t know to whom she’s addressing the letters.

Meanwhile, Mary has become fixated on Richard’s work schedule. She’s also been crying a lot, which Keri finds proof of when she opens an especially beautiful Bible from Mary’s late husband’s collection and discovers that the pages are soaked in tears. Before long, the truth comes out: Mary has an inoperable tumor that is putting pressure on her brain, and she likely has little time left to live.

In Chapter 5, “The Stone Angel,” Richard brings the love letters to Mary’s neighbor, Steve. Steve obliquely explains that while they are love letters, the intended recipient is not a “lover,” so to speak.

In Chapter 6, “The Angel,” it is revealed that Mary’s daughter, Andrea, is the recipient of the letters. Andrea died when she was just a child, and she is also the angel from Richard’s dreams. Mary’s fixations, and her encouragement of Richard to examine the Christmas Box, are all part of a plan to convince Richard to spend less time at work and more time with his daughter, Jenna. Mary herself regrets not spending more time with Andrea and taking her for granted. Mary dies on Christmas morning.

In the epilogue, Richard reflects gratefully on the lesson that Mary taught him. He lovingly holds Jenna, reflecting on how brief her childhood is.