
The Christmas Box
The Christmas Box Trilogy
“Whatever the reason, I find that with each passing Christmas the story of The Christmas Box is told less and needed more. So I record it now for all future generations to accept or dismiss as seems them good. As for me, I believe. And it is, after all, my story.”
About the Book
So begins The Christmas Box, the touching story of a widow and the young family who moves in with her. Rick, Keri, and their 4-year-old daughter, Jenna, are hired as caretakers and are welcomed into the Victorian home of Mary Parkins, an elderly widow, just before the holiday season. As the relationship between Mary and the family develops we learn that Mary’s past sorrows are compelling her to share an important message with Richard. But will he understand her message in time? A heartwarming story of parental love, healing, and Christmas.
When I wrote The Christmas Box, I never intended to publish the story-it was simply an expression of love for my two young daughters, Jenna and Allyson. Though I often told them that I loved them, I didn’t believe that they could ever really understand the depth of those feelings until they had experienced the joy of rearing their own children, and by that time our relationship would have already changed. Forever. In writing The Christmas Box, I hoped that at some future time they could read this book and know of their father’s love.
As I began to write, I was amazed at the inspiration which flowed into my mind and heart. I completed the book in less than six weeks and, when I had finished, I produced twenty copies to give as Christmas presents to my family and friends. In the next four weeks those twenty copies were shared from family to family, and friend to friend. I never imagined that what began as a tale for two little girls would spread to millions throughout the world. The inspiration, which began with The Christmas Box, is continued with Timepiece, the story of David and Mary Anne Parkin, in which we learn where the Christmas box and the angel statue had come from and the powerful lessons of hope the couple learned from their little girl, Andrea. I have learned from those who have read my stories that books can heal, and characters like Mary Anne Parkin, though fictitious, can provide warmth and companionship.
- The Christmas Box has more than 8 million copies in print. If you were to stack them on top of each other they would roughly by the height of 258 Empire State buildings.
- The Angel Statue in the book has become a “Mecca” of sorts, and people come from around the world to lay a flower at its base. There are currently more than 100 full-size replicas of the statue around the world.
Published November 1995
Simon & Schuster
Length: 128 pages
ISBN:
- 0684814994
- 9781476702568
Newsweek
Mary Higgins Clark
The Washington Post
USA Today
Barnes & Noble
Jill Heatherly
Amazon.com Review
The Christmas Box Trilogy

The Christmas Box Movie
A ski-shop owner reluctantly moves himself, his wife, and his daughter into an estate as live-in help for an elderly widow. While struggling to balance his career and family life, he has recurring dreams about an angel.
Released December 17, 1995
Director: Marcus Cole
Teleplay: Richard Fielder
Executive Producer: Richard Paul Evans
Starring:
Richard Thomas (Richard Evans)
Maureen O’Hara (Mrs. Mary Parkin)
Annette O’Toole (Keri Evans)
Kelsey Mulrooney (Jenna Evans)
The TV movie of the Christmas Box, starring Maureen O’Hara and Richard Thomas, was the #1 rated television movie of 1995 and won an Emmy. Richard and his family have a small cameo appearance in the movie when the “Evans” goes out to buy a Christmas tree, the fictional Evans family walks past the real Evans family in the Christmas tree lot.
1996 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Costuming for a Miniseries or a Special
Jean Rosone (key costumer)
1995 Christopher Award
Greg Taylor
First presented in 1949, the Christopher Awards were established by Christopher founder Father James Keller to salute media that “affirm the highest values of the human spirit.” Their goal is to encourage men, women and children to pursue excellence in creative arenas that have the potential to influence a mass audience positively. Award winners encourage audiences to see the better side of human nature and motivate artists and the general public to use their best instincts on behalf of others.