BOOK NOTES: Titles offer some Christmas cheer for all

The Christmas Box trilogy and Richard Paul Evans’s other Christmas-themed tales have been read worldwide by more than 14 million readers in 21 languages.

By Joan Ruddiman Special Writer
    Big news in our area recently was the appearance of Caroline Kennedy at the Barnes & Noble in West Windsor, where she signed copies of her Christmas anthology, “A Family Christmas,” (Hyperion, 2007).
    Ms. Kennedy has given us a special gift. Through her commentary and the selections within the book, she makes a compelling case that Christmas is truly a national holiday — and one that we all need more than ever.
    Ms. Kennedy ably supports her belief that “Christmas is a holiday of hope.” The spiritual meaning of Christmas is the celebration of Christ’s birth. But the magic of the season extends far beyond the Christian community as the season of “good will to all” infuses all aspects of society.
    Ms. Kennedy, in her elegant introduction to the anthology of holiday literature and lore, history and tradition, shares what the holiday means to her and her family. But she also traces the history of Christmas that expands the concept from her Irish Catholic roots to a global view of how a day has become a focal point in society.
    She opens with a charming letter to Santa written by young Caroline in 1962 that is full of wishes for toys and dolls and a “real pet reindeer.” Christmas has long been about gift giving, surprises in stockings and under the tree. But it also is about doing for others, attempting to live the ideal of Peace on Earth.
    With the selections that are a gracious mix of religious, secular, wit and wisdom, Ms. Kennedy draws the reader to her premise that the spirit of Christmas has the power — for a moment — to change the world.
    In a chapter dedicated to Christmas in wartime, Ms. Kennedy includes the story as reported in the London Times, January 2, 1915, of the impromptu truce at the front on Christmas Day, when Germans and the Allies crawled out of their trenches to share carols as they swapped cigarettes and cigars.
    Thomas Nast’s illustration of Santa Claus and Ms. Kennedy’s grandfather “Honey Fitz” lighting the first Christmas tree on Boston Commons in 1912 had more to do with what she calls “civic celebrations” than a religious observation.
    Her grandfather, Mayor John F. Fitzgerald, also “put up the first carousel in Boston,” most likely with the same intent — to make children and their adults smile.
    Ms. Kennedy further substantiates her point by including — without comment — “Lynch v. Donnelly, 465, U.S. 668 (1984).” The Supreme Court was to decide “ … whether the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment prohibits a municipality from including a crèche, or Nativity scene, in its annual Christmas display.”
    “The narrow question is whether there is a secular purpose for Pawtucket’s display of the crèche. The display is sponsored by the City to celebrate the Holiday and to depict the origins of that Holiday. These are legitimate secular purposes … “The opinion continued: “The crèche, like a painting, is passive; admittedly it is a reminder of the origins of Christmas. Even the traditional, purely secular displays extant at Christmas, with or without the crèche, would inevitably recall the religious nature of the Holiday.”
    Further, the Court noted:
    “The display engenders a friendly community spirit of good will in keeping with the season.”
    Christians realize that the symbol of Christ’s birth — the crèche — does not universally evoke the devotion that they feel. Yet Christians, either magnanimously or with resignation, accept that others enjoy Christmas as they, too, accept the secular side of Christmas. Dec. 25th historically has been more about family than liturgy, particularly in the most devout of Christian communities. Truth be told, Easter is the bigger deal in the liturgical year. Christmas is about the tree, presents under it, lots of rich food and being together.
    Of course Christmas is a national holiday. It is the one federal holiday that is actually honored by businesses closing. Try finding a restaurant open on the 25th.
   In thinking about this premise that Christmas belongs to everyone, I reconnected with the now classic novellas by Richard Paul Evans.
    In the mid-1990s, Mr. Evans wrote a little tale of a father finding the true meaning of Christmas thanks to an old woman’s wise counsel and the innocent devotion of his young daughter. The 20 copies he had printed for his family and close friends were shared and shared again, until local bookstores in his hometown of Salt Lake City called to request more.
    “The Christmas Box” (1995) became an international best seller. Mr. Evans then expanded upon the story of Mary Anne and David Parkin in “The Time Piece” (1996) and “The Letter” (1997), all with Simon and Schuster.
    The Christmas Box trilogy and his other Christmas-themed tales have been read worldwide by more than 14 million readers in 21 languages. Rather powerful evidence of the spirit of Christmas — or that benevolence has universal appeal.
    Mr. Evans may not have intended to become the chronicler of Christmas miracles, but with the success of his first book, he continued to provide his public with what they obviously wanted. Though he drapes his characters and situations in Christmas colors, his stories are not sappy. Rather, Mr. Evans hits on basic themes of kindness and respect towards all people and how such acts help to overcome heartlessness.
    Perhaps this is the essence of the magic — Christmas provides the world with an annual “pay it forward” opportunity. It is magical that so many seem to rise to the occasion with purposeful attention to charities, as well as random acts of kindness, all which fuel a season of good will to all.
   Mr. Evans himself is an example of the “pay it forward” theory. His life has been changed dramatically by his Christmas successes. His books, both fiction and nonfiction, jump to the top of the New York Times best sellers list — some concurrently. He is a very rich man.
    Using his wealth wisely, in the spring of 1997 when the trilogy was well on its way to being a publishing phenomenon, the one-time advertising executive and clay animator established The Christmas Box House International. The foundation, which builds shelters and provides services for abused and neglected children, now operates in five locations in Utah and Peru. More than 16,000 children have been housed and cared for in the past decade.
    Mr. Evans relates his own remarkable story in a memoir titled “The Christmas Box Miracle” (Simon and Schuster, 2001). Published after 9/11, he felt compelled to share the truths that his own fiction story had taught him.
    Mr. Evans has not given up on the power of the Christmas spirit to spin out a good tale. His latest, “The Gift” (Simon and Schuster, 2007) unites lonely hearts Nathan and Addison who discover “Christmas is the special season for miracles.”
    Ms. Kennedy calls Christmas the holiday of hope. We should feel fortunate that the joys of Christmas are open to all, and liberally shared throughout our society.
    In our overly sensitive, politically correct times, Christians and those of other faiths and no faith struggle with how to express sincere good wishes in this season of good will.
    With evidence all around us that this truly is a national holiday, “Merry Christmas” seems quite appropriate.
Joan Ruddiman, Ed.D., is the coordinator/facilitator of the gifted and talented PRISM program at the Thomas R. Grover Middle School in the West Windsor-Plainsboro School District.