More Information: BarnesandNoble.com
Discussion Posts: Christmas ‘07 Post Category
Discussion Period: December 15 – December 31, 2007

Discussion Questions:

1. What is the significance of the ornately carved wooden box that Richard finds in the attic of MaryAnne Parkin’s home? Which, if any, of the varioius explanations Richard Paul Evans offers for the source of the box’s magic has the most appeal to you?
2. What is the central message of the story? Why does it become a matter of such urgency for Mary that Richard understand what the first gift of Christmas was?
3. Asked to tell which of the senses she most identifies with Christmas, Mary points to the sounds of the Yuletide season, while for Richard it is the sense of smell. Which of the senses do you think is most affected by Christmas and why?
4. Why at the end of the book does Richard throw the letters from the Christmas Box into the fireplace and let the flames devour them one by one? What does Richard mean when he says, “it is the emptiness of the box that I will treasure most”?
5. Why do you think The Christmas Box has become so hugely popular? How do you think it compares with other classic Christmas stories?