Book 11: 30 Books for 30 Days December

The Christmas Jars by Jason F. Write is a heartwarming tale of a young reporter who is grieving the loss of her adoptive mother. She decides to do a story on a jar full of money that shows up on her doorstep after her apartment is robbed. In her search for the truth, she encounters a loving family and learns the message behind the jars. 

She discovers that she is not the only one who has anonymously been given a jar after a tragedy.  It is a wholesome tale that will warm your heart in the cold months and will cause you to think of the true meaning of Christmas. The book is short, only 122 pages. It is a sweet read for the holidays and teaches about giving to those in need and the joy it brings. 

Summary

After eating at her favorite restaurant on New Year’s Eve, Louise Jensen, a single woman and housecleaner, finds a baby and decides to adopt her. The baby, Hope (the main character), grows up happy and learns to work hard with Louise. 

Hope becomes a journalist for the local paper. Louise passes away from cancer leaving Hope alone. Despite her loneliness she continues to work hard as a journalist and things seem to be fine, until she is robbed.  

Hope discovers a Christmas jar left on her doorstep right after the robbery.  It is full of money and anonymously given. She is curious to know who gave her the jar so she puts her reporting skills to work. 

She discovers she is not the only one who received a jar. Many people write to the paper about receiving a jar full of cash in their time of need which motivates her to write a story on the jars. This, in turn, leads to her discovery of the Maxwell family.

Adam and Lauren Maxwell own a furniture refurbishing business and are friendly and welcoming toward Hope. They have three children, the oldest recently married. Hope and the family grow close, and they become like family to her. In their acquaintance, the Maxwells reveal to Hope how the tradition of giving out Christmas jars began. 

When the Maxwell parents were first married, they struggled to make ends meet. They didn’t have the money for Christmas but decided to save up their spare change in a jar to later spend on presents. It was a success. They repeated the tradition every year starting earlier and earlier, and they continued on with their children. 

One year changed everything when on the way to the bank to deposit the Christmas jar, the Maxwell’s oldest daughter Hannah was given the jar to carry. On seeing a woman crying in the parking lot, Hannah approached her to ask what was wrong. After conversing with the woman, Hannah decided the woman needed the jar more than she did. Hannah’s thoughtfulness touched the hearts of her parents so much, they decided to leave the money jar with the woman.

Hannah’s act of compassion changed the tradition of keeping the saved money, to giving the jar to someone in need each year which continued on.

Hope is touched by the story and publishes her article, but since she told a white lie as an excuse to get close to the family, she is too ashamed that she stops visiting them.

Things come full circle when Adam Maxwell has a heart attack and passes away. Hope is devastated and visits the family again, who forgive her for her dishonesty.

Hope’s article draws the attention of those who received Christmas Jars. While the Maxwell family is home for Christmas without Adam, Christmas jars start to show up at the door. Many strangers showed up to wish the family well and to give them their jars. It wasn’t the money that mattered so much as the gesture.

The last person to show up with a Christmas Jar is a woman named Marianne. She tells her story of the time she was first married; her husband was abusive. When she got pregnant, he wasn’t happy and wanted her to get rid of the baby. 

She managed to talk him down until he decided to leave her, clearing out their bank accounts and leaving her with nothing, with a baby on the way. It was at this moment, crying outside the bank that a little girl approached her and offered her a Christmas Jar. 

Marianne couldn’t keep the baby and dropped her off at a diner. She got her life back together and married a man who treated her right, but they never had kids. 

The book ends with the heartfelt note of mother and daughter reuniting on Christmas Eve in the same diner Hope was found by Louise as a baby.

Lessons to Learn

The first lesson is of giving, being generous and aware of those around us; and that the spirit of giving is contagious. Those who received Christmas jars then gave Christmas jars of their own to others. As the story shows, it’s not just about the money inside the jars, but the spirit that is felt through giving; being seen and cared for.

A clear theme of mothers and daughters is prominent throughout the book. For instance, when Louise adopts Hope and loves her as her own. Or, when Louise and her own mother cleaned houses together which formulated their strong relationship. There’s also the relationship between Lauren Maxwell and her daughter Hannah. Of course, there is the final relationship between Marianne and Hope when they are able to reunite at the end despite the odds. 

The Christmas Jar is a story of forgiveness. Hope tells the Maxwells she is writing a college paper on their family-owned business. If she were to tell them she was a reporter writing a story on the Christmas jars, they wouldn’t talk to her. 

After growing close to the family, she starts to feel guilty about deceiving them. The Maxwells forgive her readily for they love her as part of the family. There’s also forgiveness for Marianne, having abandoned her daughter in a desperate situation. They are able to reunite in love and thankfulness.

About the Author

Jason F. Wright started writing in elementary school and published his first book Sitting on the Dock in Junior High. He reached the New York times bestseller list with his novel The Wednesday Letters. The Christmas Jars also made it to the New York Times bestseller list. He also writes for Deseret News, Fox News, and his hometown paper the Northern Virginia Daily.

The tradition of the Christmas jars was something that was started in Wright’s family. He was talking to his wife and telling her how much he missed his father who had passed away. He was hoping his dad would be proud of him. His wife had the idea of having a daily reminder to think of others, to give service without thoughts of rewards for themselves. They started putting their spare change in a jar until it was full. They gave the jar to a family they knew whose son recently left on a mission for their church. After getting home, he saw his daughters’ eyes full of the spirit of giving.

Movie adaptation

BYUTV adapted The Christmas Jars into a movie by the same name. The movie has a hallmark feel to it with lots of Christmas colors and quirky personalities. It follows the book fairly faithfully, with a few changes.

The main change is Hope (played by Jeni Ross) has a love interest in Maxwell’s son Ian. In the book, the Maxwells have three daughters and no sons. While Hannah is still the oldest in the movie, they have a son that falls in love with Hope. He is played by Markian Tarasuik, who does a good job of portraying a charismatic and likable guy. They are cute together, though I personally feel the story didn’t need a love story.

Another change is Hope's coworkers. There is little said in the book about who she works with. We know she works hard and puts in long hours which helps her to get promoted. The movie shows Hope as an assistant to her boss Lyle, still waiting for her big break. It is the story of the Christmas jars that will be the means to a promotion. There's more of an urgency for her to get the story done.  

She also has her coworker Brandi, who’s always on dating apps searching for a boyfriend. Steve, the nerdy character that has a crush on Brandi, and Cynthia who likes to decorate. Hope is also shown interacting with Chuck and his wife who run the diner where Hope was found.

The movie doesn’t go into Louise and Hope’s relationship like in the book. There is a montage at the beginning showing Hope's happy childhood with Louise. But Louise is still an influence on Hope throughout the movie. She is always on her mind.

The last major change was Adam Maxwell. In the book he dies from a heart attack. In the movie he is in a fire, his family is not sure he’ll make it. But at the end of the movie, it shows the family is all together again, including Adam. Maybe it would have been too sad in the movie to have him die.

Overall, it is a feel-good movie. It’ll cause you to tear up like in the book and show you that people can be generous and kind. The message is the same and it is a great movie to watch during the holiday season.

Christmas Jars in real life

Passing along Christmas jars is not an uncommon tradition for the holiday season. It’s often money, sometimes other things, most of the time a copy of the book is given. It is a tradition for many people around Christmas time. Often those that receive a jar start the tradition for themselves.

There is a story of a child named Cameron who was suffering from brain cancer. His family received two big jars full of money. His family told Cameron he could do whatever he wanted with the money. He decided to spend it on a toy store to give it to the other children in the cancer center. Jason F. Wright has said the spirit of the Christmas jars is captured in that little boy.