The Real Meaning of Christmas
The commercialism of Christmas is clearly something that the author finds concerning, stating that the more the gifts in the Christmas Box are needed, the less they are paid attention to. Mary Parkin, the older lady with whom Richard and his family live, wants Richard to understand what the first Christmas gift was, and it is not until after her death that he is able to do so. The first Christmas gift was Jesus, given to the world by God despite knowing that the gift of the Lord of Christmas would be killed, and given back to him. It is therefore a parent's love that is the original Christmas gift. The central theme of the book is understanding the real meaning of Christmas and the identity of the first Christmas gift ever given.
A Mother's Love
There are all kinds of love, but it is the love of a mother that is the allegory, the example, for all of the other loves that we give and receive in our lives. The theme of the strength of a mother's love runs throughout the novel as Mary's entire life has been about her love for her daughter whom she lost in infancy. The Bible she reads is stained with tears as she thinks of Andrea whilst she reads each verse. The love letters that she writes to Andrea and keeps in the Christmas box show the depth and the strength of her love, and of the fact that it still exists despite the fact her daughter has passed away. The love is so strong that it exists independently of the two people on the giving and receiving ends of it.
Communication with Those Who Have Passed
Communication with and from loved ones and signs from the after-life are ongoing themes in the book. Andrea, in the form of the stone angel that is atop her grave, is present in the house as Mary's death nears. She communicates with Richard as she tries to tell him about her existence and lead him to the place where he will find the answers to both his questions, and Mary's. Andrea also appears to Mary at the foot of her bed as Mary passes away so that they are able to go to the next life together.
Importance of Family
Richard is a hard-working man who is a conscientious provider, and this means that he is spending extremely long hours building his new tuxedo rental business. He believes this is what he has to do in order to give his family the rosy and comfortable future that they deserve; however, his daughter Jenna already sees him as an absent parent, likening him to the absent father in the book they are reading together at bedtime, on Mary's insistence. Throughout the book, Mary's experience as a parent who did not get to see her child grow up influences her insistence that Richard spend more time with Jenna, and the theme of family being the most important thing in our lives is emphasised from the first chapter to the last one.
