The Christmas Box

Richard is the protagonist and narrator of The Christmas Box. Richard is married to Keri, whom he met at university. They have a three-year-old daughter, Jenna. The family relocates to Salt Lake Valley, the area where Richard grew up. Richard is Christian; his faith is an important part of his identity, as illustrated by his frequent reflections on the divine nature of the world. This includes the Christmas Box, which he thinks might have been “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). Richard begins a formal-wear rental business that occupies much of his time, taking him away from his wife and daughter, much to Jenna’s disappointment.

Richard is a dynamic character who evolves throughout the novel. This evolution is catalyzed by Mary, whom Richard and his family move in with, and through the divine message delivered by Mary’s deceased daughter, Andrea, who leads him to the Christmas Box. Richard realizes that, in prioritizing his family’s financial stability, he had missed precious time with his daughter that he will never get back: “How foolish I'd been to let her childhood, her fleeting, precious childhood slip away” (118).