Book SummaryThe 13th Gift, by Joanne Huist Smith

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of The 13th Gift

The author's journey to rediscover her fondness for the festive period began after experiencing a profound loss.

The story recounts the author's passage through sorrow, beginning just before the holiday season as a result of her husband's death. Joanne Huist Smith, along with her children—Megan, aged ten, Ben, who is seventeen, and twelve-year-old Nick—struggle to embrace the holiday season after the loss of their beloved husband and father. Throughout the narrative, the author grapples with grief, hesitates to partake in festive traditions, and gradually rediscovers the essence of the festive season through a series of unexpected gifts.

The author initially felt a deep resentment and bitterness due to the sorrow that enveloped her following her husband's death.

After Rick's death, Smith finds herself utterly unable to partake in the festive cheer that usually marks the Christmas season. Her sorrow is so profound that engaging in celebratory seasonal activities feels akin to betraying the memory of her late husband.

The writer strove to downplay and steer clear of the customary Christmas festivities.

The author, overwhelmed with grief, makes multiple attempts to minimize or altogether avoid engaging with Christmas. She intentionally avoids buying goods and decorations associated with the festive season, and she even considers sending her children to stay with their aunt and uncle during the holidays to shield herself from the difficulties of the season. She deliberately suppresses her children's festive excitement, tossing aside the holiday ribbons they received and displaying little interest in obtaining a Christmas tree.

Practical Tips

• You can create a festive atmosphere without purchasing new decorations by organizing a decoration swap with friends and family. Gather a group and exchange decorations you no longer use or want. This way, everyone gets to refresh their holiday decor without spending money or contributing to consumer waste.
• Develop a structured plan for personal growth or a project you've been postponing to undertake during the time your children are away. This could be anything from starting a fitness challenge, learning a new hobby, or even tackling a home improvement project. The key is to use the uninterrupted time to focus on something that's both productive and fulfilling for you.
• Implement a 'Festive Points' system where children earn points for calm behavior leading up to the event. Points can be exchanged for privileges or small rewards on the festive day. This incentivizes maintaining composure and provides a tangible goal that helps manage excitement in a positive and controlled manner.
• Turn discarded holiday ribbons into unique bookmarks by weaving or braiding them together. This gives a new purpose to something that would otherwise be waste, and it can also serve as a personalized gift for friends who enjoy reading.
• Create a festive atmosphere in your home using eco-friendly decorations like homemade garlands from recycled materials or a digital fireplace on your TV. This approach not only reduces the environmental impact but also allows you to express creativity and can become a fun crafting activity for the family.

The author experienced a tumultuous mix of sorrow, rage, and despair coinciding with the festive period.

At the beginning of the book, Smith offers a profoundly touching portrayal of her profound grief, anger, and desolation. She finds herself engulfed by a relentless emptiness that has taken the place of her spouse's comforting presence. She struggles to perform even basic tasks and finds herself increasingly isolated and withdrawn. She harbors a profound bitterness toward destiny...

The 13th Gift Summary The anonymous gifts were instrumental in fostering unity within the author's family and supporting their recovery journey.

The presents that arrived anonymously were instrumental in repairing family ties, nurturing a sense of togetherness and shared resilience.

The gifts significantly boosted the spirits of the family and provided comfort during their period of grief.

Every present, regardless of its size or apparent triviality, brings a fresh glimmer of brightness into the family's existence. Megan, the youngest in the family, is brimming with happiness as the enigmatic presents begin to arrive, interpreting them as enchanting occurrences characteristic of the festive season. Nick's burgeoning fascination with festive customs is ignited by the presents, leading him to initiate an endeavor to establish a unique space on the home's ground level. Even Ben, who initially showed little interest in the holiday cheer, eventually came to appreciate the generosity of those who gave the gifts and took part in decorating the Christmas tree.

As they set out to uncover the identity of the gift sender, the family bonds deepen.

The family comes together in a shared quest to discover who their mysterious benefactors are, an endeavor that brings them closer in a way they haven't experienced since...

The 13th Gift Summary The author continued her determined search to identify the kind individual responsible for the generous gifts.

Even though the gifts bring joy, Smith feels uneasy about not knowing who is sending them. Driven by a sense of personal thankfulness, she seeks to understand the motivations behind their actions.

The author initially embarked on a quest to uncover the identity of the individual bestowing the presents.

Throughout the narrative, Smith describes her quest to determine who was behind these generous gifts. She initially considers the likelihood that her colleague Joann might be involved but soon rules it out when Joann departs for a holiday vacation. Joanne speculates if Maribeth, responsible for supervising her daughter's scouting endeavors, could be organizing the food assistance after Rick's death, yet Maribeth assures her she is not involved.

The author meticulously investigated the origins of the gifts by scrutinizing elements like the type of paper used for wrapping and noting the inclusion of a poinsettia.

Smith meticulously investigates to uncover who is behind the benevolent offerings. She scrutinizes the wrapping of the poinsettia with great care, hoping to uncover hints of its origin, which she thinks might significantly narrow down the list of possible...

The 13th Gift Summary The tradition began with people anonymously bestowing gifts throughout the festive season.

The story goes beyond their personal experiences, illustrating how the custom of kindness within a particular family was molded by their decision to give presents following Andrea's death. The disclosure unveils a long-standing tradition of kindness and support, perpetuated by each family's ongoing participation in the cycle of goodwill.

The people who provided the gifts had previously received anonymous presents after experiencing a significant loss.

In 1989, after enduring the devastating loss of their newborn daughter, Susan and George Armstrong started receiving a sequence of unexpected gifts, each inspired by the customary holiday song that enumerates gifts given on each of the twelve days leading up to Christmas. Overwhelmed with grief, they found solace in the unforeseen arrival of gifts, which provided a brief reprieve from their anguish and indicated that someone deeply cared for them in their time of great adversity.

The family discovered comfort when they received presents from a mysterious benefactor amidst their difficult times.

The Armstrong family's spirits and perspective were greatly elevated when they started to be graced with gifts by an unknown...