The Christmas Box

The Christmas Box is a short Christmas book written by Richard Paul Evans. The Christmas Box was published in 1993. I purchased a copy at my local Goodwill and read along as I listened to Richard Thomas narrate the story on my Scribd app. Richard Thomas is best known for playing John-Boy Walton on television show The Waltons. The story was only one hour and four minutes on the slowest speed.

This story begins with a husband (Rick), wife (Keri) and three year old daughter (Jenna). They are like many young couples and are happy but struggling somewhat financially. They have put all their eggs in one basket with the husband running his own business (formal wear). They are staying afloat but living in a cramped apartment. One day Keri finds an ad in the paper with an elderly woman requesting live-in help. It isn’t anything elaborate just cooking. cleaning and some yard maintenance.

Soon they are moving from the crowded apartment to spacious living quarters. We learn the woman is a widow and has no children. She makes good friends with Keri and Jenna right away. She and Rick get along well enough, but with it being the holiday season his business is especially busy, and it doesn’t leave much time to spend with Keri and Jenna. The woman takes note of this.

Things are going fine with the living arrangements. However, Rick begins hearing music from the attic in the middle of the night. He is the only one to hear this music. He finds it is coming from a Christmas box. It is interesting to note that when he opens the box the music quits playing. Inside the box he finds love letters. Along with hearing this music box he begins having unsettling dreams involving an angel.