Customer Rating: 
Summary: . . . not just for Christmas
Comment: This wonderful family values oriented film really isn't a Christmas story (but yes, inbedded in the plotline is, of course, the "Christmas Box"). Without once again retelling the story (other reviewers have done that nicely), I'll just add my take . . .
This is a story about loneliness, workaholism, generosity, grief, love and family (both by birth and by association). A made for TV film, but is very, very well produced and executed. Rich sets and scripting. Great photography. Great direction.
The casting is right on. In my opinion, Richard Thomas can only play one character -- but that works in this film where he is the sensitive but ambitious and busy Richard Evans (Husband & Dad). Annette O'Toole (Evans' kinder and gentler side)and Kelsy Mulrooney function as Mom and daughter quite adequately.
Please allow me spend a few lines to talk about Maureen O'Hara. She plays the elderly, wealthy Mary Parkin, who employs the Evans family as live-in personal help. Although in my 50's, I never really was aware of Maureen O'Hara other than name recognition. I knew her as a faceless black & white film starlet, from a generation or two senior to my own. However, I know who she is now. WOW! She dominates this movie. She speaks paragraphs without ever talking (a talent she uses often in this film). Endearing, aloof, loving, hateful, distant, and still sensually attractive . . . she can do it all in spades and displays it even in this simple family story. A supreme performance.
I cringe at using the term "heart-warming", but it's a term that describes this film well. Easy to enjoy this one.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Christmas movie. The all time Best!
Comment: We bought this tape and wore it out in 4 years. Got the DVD now!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Ms. O'Toole Is A Wonderful Underrated Actress!!!
Comment: This is my favourite Christmas movie because it has Ms. Annette O'Toole in it who I believe should have become a Major Star. She co stars with Richard Thomas who she worked with in Stephen King's "It" and they do have a lot of on screen chemistry. Richard is a workaholic whose marriage is suffering and it is only when he becomes friends with Maureen O'Hara (who is one classy actress) that he begins to prioritize his life. This is pefectt family Christmas fare for everybody to enjoy. Love is indeed Eternal.Gee. That's the first time I ever got sentimental in one of my reviews and I have written over 350 of them!!!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Comment: I'm sometimes not a fan of these kinds of movies, but this one was special. Richard Thomas(John Boy) and his co-stars do an excellent job putting the spirit of giving in context with work and family. It's a wonderful message movie for the entire family. With so much violence and pornography on the screen these days, it's very refreshing to hear that movies like these can still have an impact and can be successful.
The first gift of Christmas was a child, and beyond that, love from God. Nice message.
Jeffrey McAndrew
author of "Our Brown-Eyed Boy"
Customer Rating:
Summary: Heart Warming Christmas Tale With Mystical Overtones
Comment: "The Christmas Box", based on the well respected book by Richard Paul Evans offers in some ways an interesting alternative to alot of the traditional viewing offered during the festive season. While the story contains a number of expected yuletide elements like learning to give rather than receive and to show love to your neighbours despite their faults, it offers an interesting spiritual element that is not applicable to any one religion. This does succeed in making you think differently about the holidays and those people around us that we see everyday. The almost "supernatural" element to this movie as depicted in a reaccuring dream where angels beckon also gives this charming little story an extra element of originality as for a large part of the film it is not clear as to why this is occuring. The Christmas Box of the title which is another element that reappears throughout the story, is the item that ends up explaining most of what has been occuring and ties in all the threads of the story leading to its suitably touching conclusion.Veteran television actor Richard Thomas plays rising young businessman Richard Evans who with his partner has set up a ski shop business. The business is thriving and begins to take up more and more of his time and energy much to the dismay of his wife Keri (Annette O'Toole) and his young daughter Jenna. Things go from bad to worse with Richard coming home late every evening and Keri sees her marriage beginning to unravel. She takes matters into her own hands as she sees the family coming apart. She answers an advertisement in the local paper for a live in couple to help out with maintenance work and home duties for an elderly widow Mrs. Parkin (veteran actress Maureen O"Hara), who lives in another part of town. Despite Richard's reluctance to get involved they get the job and move to their new home. Mrs Parkin, first comes across as a cold and stern older woman and Richard and she clash on a number of occasions. However strange things begin to happen soon after their arrival that in particular haunt Richard. He hears strange music coming from the closed up attic where he finds a lovely old antique Christmas box filled with old letters, and he also begins to have recurring dreams filled with the same music, of floating angels that appear to him and beckon for some unexplained reason. Slowly Mrs. Parkin warms to Kerri and her daughter and begins to take an interest in all their lives. Soon she is allowing them to call her Mary and takes a grandmotherly approach towards Jenna, insisting that Richard forget his work for one afternoon and accompany them to buy a beautiful Christmas tree for the house. She both mystifies and intrigues Richard now as she continues to ask him the same puzzling question, "What was the first gift of Christmas?". Following Mary one day on one of her excursions from the house Richard discovers the truth about Mary's past when he sees the grave of her long dead little daughter and finally understands that the letters in the attic are not adressed to an old love but instead to her sadly departed daughter. Mary however is suffering from a heart illness and prior to Christmas she is hospitalised and eventually dies but not before reuniting the shattered little family that came to her unhappily months before and passing onto Richard what the answer to her repeated question to him was which was simply...... Love. The finale sees the family enjoying the real gift that Mary has passed onto them at Christmas which is the universal one of putting family before profit and love for one's family and friends above all else.
The message of this film is a truly beautiful and timeless one and is delivered convincingly by the wonderful cast of this television movie. Richard Thomas is the central character of the story and he is excellent as the hard working businessman with all the best intentions in the world who however has lost sight of the things in life that are really important. Veteran Hollywood actress Maureen O'Hara came out of a twenty year retirement for this part and her presence and sure delivery is the heart and soul of "The Christmas Box", story much the same as her wonderful work was in that earlier Christmas classic "Miracle on 34th Street" in 1947. She works especially well with Richard Thomas and their love hate relationship in the story gives the film it's whole focus. Despite this film being a Christmas story their work together is never simply sentimental or obviously set on having them as rivals from the first scene. The writing and direction by Marcus Cole gives their relationship a sharp realistic ring to it despite the mystical elements present in the story. Annette O'Toole is also excellent in her role as Richard's loving wife who finds herself drawn to Mary and who witnesses the poignant attachment that Mary forms with Jenna who in a way becomes the young daughter that Mary tragically lost all those years ago.
In short "The Christmas Box", is a typical story of hope always existing in at first glance not very promising circumstances. While the story does focus on Richard's family learning from the more experienced Mary I believe the learning here was a two way street with Mary herself learning that at no matter what age you are it is still possible to love and to move on from earlier tragedies you may have experienced. Mary's death near the film's conclusion is not entirely a play to the audiences heart strings I believe but instead is a clear sign that Mary was ready to rejoin her love ones and that a life without love is no life at all. "The Christmas Box", presents all this message in a very beautiful but straightforward manner which makes it totally satisfying viewing during the festive season. The acting by Richard Thomas and Maureen O"Hara in particular puts this Christmas story a cut above most of the television fare we see today so enjoy the simple joys of memorable "The Christmas Box".
