Maybe they will revisit and answer this question for us by the series finale (After all, we've had Christmas episodes air as early as Nov. 17th and the last episode is set to air Dec. 4th), or maybe they will leave it up to us to decide what we think was in Trudy's last Christmas gift to Adrian. Maybe it will provide him with some clue as to why she was murder and who did it, or maybe it's just something very sweet and sentimental. All we know for sure is that it has to be something small enough to fit into that little box, or at least have something that represents it that is small enough for that little box.

Anyone care to join me in a few guesses? What do you think it could be and why?

I'll start off.

1. Several people have suggested that it is something along the lines of a pregnancy test or baby booties. That would be a very sad thing to contemplate and really hard for Monk to deal with, but it is a possibility. I personally think that if she knew she was pregnant, she probably wouldn't be able to wait till Christmas to tell him, but some women have done just that.

2. Keys could fit into that little box. Keys to maybe a car, or a house, but those are things really don't seem likely since that's the kind of thing you don't want to spring on your spouse, they need to be in on the decision making. So, maybe blank keys, like her way of making a promise that they would soon have a house of their own again. Maybe even a lock and keys for a storage locker if she had decided to give up her office to save the $600 a month, which would be bitterly ironic.

3. Possibly it is tickets and something to symbolize a trip for the two of them. He said Trudy always wanted to bring him to New York, so it could have been tickets for New York with a little Souvenir Statue of Liberty or a Rockefeller Center snow globe.

4. A little trophy that said "World's Greatest Detective" or "Husband of the Year" on it because she knew he had always wanted a trophy.

5. A new watch, if the one she got him before had started to work improperly.

6. Those funny Christmas boxer shorts with sprigs of holly or reindeer all over them.

7. Maybe she was nominated for an award or a promotion of some kind and was giving the nomination and a symbolic trophy to him because he supported her so much and inspired her. Could also be a potential motive (if anyone could make that motive seem even a little plausible, the Monk writers could), if a rival for the award or promotion wanted to eliminate their competition. But surely they would have looked into that before now.

8. One of those homemade coupon books people sometimes give to people who are hard to shop for, with coupons good for things like 'one evening wherein I will load the dishwasher exactly the way you like it,' or 'Good for one week without wearing the lilac lotion you hate so much*. Offer only good during spring and summer months when my skin will be less likely to be dry.'


Any other suggestions? How about suggestions for other coupons she might have included in her book?

And alternatively, what kind of coupons would the other characters make for each other or for Monk?

Julie to Adrian: "This coupon is good for one full year without any cards that make noise, flash, have a scent, or otherwise are difficult to ignore."

Adrian to Randy: "This coupon entitles Lt. Disher to one birthday cake without a spittle shield. Or spittle."

Adrian to Leland: "This coupon is a promise to Captain Stottlemeyer that I will try my very hardest not to stall more than five minutes at the scene of a crime trying to make sure that all of the officers at the scene are standing in order of height, then weight, then age..."

Leland to Adrian: "This coupon is good for five minutes of perfect patience."

Natalie to Leland: "This coupon is good for one yoyo string."

Leland to Natalie: "Good for one afternoon of babysitting Monk, six hour limit unless there is an emergency, then I might go eight hours."

Maybe the coupon thing should be it's own thread.

Oh my God,imagine Monk opens the gift and there are Baby Shoes...I think this would kill him.
But it is absolutely possible
Or it is a homemade Coupon,perhaps for a romantic Dinner for two...(I think of more,cause it`s a interesting Question!!!).

I'm still in this group

I think it could be a clue to why she was murdered or linked to her murder somehow...I don't know exactly how it could be linked though. Then again it could be something that she just wanted Monk to have like a Willie Nelson CD or something.

A Psych snowglobe! Just kidding. I'm with Liv's first idea.

Thanks, but it wasn't my idea, I should have added that disclaimer. I don't even remember now who the first person was that mentioned that possibility to me, but it has been suggested so many times by so many people that I figured I would just go ahead and put it on the list. I must admit, it's not even an idea I really like to contemplate. I don't want to find out that she was pregnant when she died, and I really wouldn't want Adrian to find learn that she was, but that is only my opinion. I can understand the allure of the idea for others. It's just not in my personal top ten.

Andy Breckman has a policy that no children should come to harm in any of the episodes. I don't know if that would extend to unborn children or not, but there is also the possibility that it does. Personally, I sort of hope that the gift is something that could help Adrian solve her murder. But right now, it could be anything. At least, anything small enough to fit in that box.

Also, coupon from Leland to Randy: "Good for 1 (one) car chase, *or* for not getting fired the next time I have to hear "Don't Need A Badge", *or* one week in which you do not have to shave your upper lip. Offer good during my vacation only."

I'd hate to see Monk get hurt through something like that, but from past episodes, he seems to get hurt a lot... It would be amazing if it was a clue that solved her murder though, especially since he'd be opening it at Christmastime (December 4th=last episode, could be Christmastime).

Maybe it is not a present at all. Maybe she used it as a good hiding place for some important document/evidence of a story she was working on. "Hiding in plain sight."

That's a good possibility, plus it would have the added benifit of kind of being a gift anyway if it help Adrian solve the case. Plus a way of telling him that sometimes he needs to stop clinging to the past and move forward. If it is some kind of evidence as you suggested, just think, if he had just opened the gift all those years ago when he first found it, he could have solve the case and saved himself a good deal of torment.

That's what I was thinking too...but I'm not sure what it would be yet....

If this wasn't the last season, the pregnant idea would fit well, giving time for Adrian to recover from such a sad news and the deep impact it would cause to him, but as the writers don't have that time to make him fall again and get well so fast, I prefer to believe it's a nice and sweet gift to represent their love, like some of those jewels with two hearts or words like "Love You" and "Forever". I hope it's a good thing, because Adrian deserves to be happier.

I do really want much more seasons to be continuted.I'm crazy about this show!

i hope that!!!

I think my heart would break if it turns out she was pregnant!! 

Yes, that would be so, so sad if she was pregnant. I would be crying.

Hmmm...

Adrian to Natalie: This coupon is good for one pint of milk.

Randy to the Captain: This coupon is good for one Randy Disher Project CD (he still doesn't quite understand how much the Captain hates, "I Don't Need A Badge" )

LMAO!!

Adrian to Dale: This coupon is for one walk in the park.

I hope the gift is something that will make Monk happier again, and not sad (like if she was pregnant, which I highly doubt will happen.)

hahahaha lvoe it

my theory is that it has a note saying 'i will always love you' or 'you are adrian monk'. something that symbolizes more than just something you can buy

I think a pregnancy test would be the saddest thing.

I do really hope that he opens it. I think I might be a bit mad if he never does. The whole thing, though, is: does he open it after, or before he solves the murder?
If it is before (which may not happen, as he hasn't let go) then I hope it helps him solve the murder.
If it is after (like when it goes back to commercial and returns for those last 3 minutes) then I hope it is something sweet. If it had to do with the murder, and he opened it after solving it...Irony!

Either way: I just hope he opens it, and it has some significance, even if it says 'I'll love you forever'.

It'll be a tear-jerker moment for sure! Especially those last 3 minutes. I wonder if they'll run the last episode with limited commercials.


by the way: I was just about to start a topic on Trudy's gift too!

Which he places on his desk next to a picture of Trudy after being reinstated, the final scene of the series as the camera pans out.

(Now that might get some tears...)

I'm pretty sure I'll cry no matter what happens, lol.

I've started that already!

i think its going to be both. something sweet to show her love for monk, but its going to be a big clue to solve her murder. i dont think the baby thing would pan out. monk has an autopsy report, and would have known if she was going to have a baby.

Would they do an autopsy on her? I mean, I guess they would go as far as identifying her, if that was necessary, but I think it's possible that they wouldn't do a full autopsy on her based on the assumption that the car bomb was the cause of death, sort of like the armored car driver in Goes Home Again, Gilstrap shot him because he'd started to show signs that he was dying from the poison in the candy bar, and he figured if he was shot, no one would look any further into cause of death. So I guess it's possible that Trudy didn't have an autopsy. But, since it's Monk and he would have wanted to eliminate all the possibilities and make sure he had all of the evidence, then it's also possible that he asked to have an autopsy done. I think it could go either way.

Does anyone here know if the producers even CARE about the unopened present? Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. It was sweet that Monk never opened the present. Maybe it is just a present, served its purpose and will stay unopened? Maybe it will never be mentioned again?

Great answer! I have always believed that the resolution to Trudy's murder would be found in Adrian Monk's Christmas present. This answer makes a lot more sense to me.

Monk was on the police force at the time of Trudy's murder, so maybe it was a necklace with a Saint Michael medal attached.

Archangel Michael is the patron saint of police officers, and many people ask Saint Michael for protection against wrong-doers on Earth - people in need of protection from crime, or from physical or spiritual enemies may petition the Archangel for help.

Trudy wasn't portrayed as particularly religious, but it would be a fitting gift since that is exactly what Monk has accomplished in some of his cases.

Maybe it could turn out be a clue to someone Monk was trying to bring down.....and thus the reason Trudy was targeted....she went after the story... & discovered a clue...and thought it would be the perfect gift ....tie it all up in a cute little pkg w/ a nice pretty bow??

BUT... what I am truly hoping is inside that box is a WHOLE lot of love.

B

Probably if it was a clue to a case that he was working on, she would have given it to him right away rather than take the time to wrap it and put it away for a Christmas gift. Though it could have been something that was sort of her 'insurance policy', like "If anything happens to me, a copy of the recording/the papers/photos/whatever of you and ____ will be sent to the police." She might have wrapped it thinking that would keep Adrian from stumbling onto it and opening it by mistake, thus giving up her source, which was something she was adament about not doing (Mr. and Mrs. Monk). If Adrian is looking for something in a closet and comes upon a plain, unwrapped box with something inside, he might open it up thinking there is no reason he shouldn't. However, if he comes upon a gift wrapped box, he won't open it up and will most likely leave it alone because if it's meant for him, she would want him to wait till Christmas and want to be there when he opens it, or that it might be meant for someone else entirely, in which case, he also shouldn't open it and look inside. I assume that he has some reason to believe it was meant for him, though, like maybe a gift tag or something. But it still could have information or something that would provide a clue as to her murder.

For that matter, she might have gotten him something unique, or a special order item that would be traceable back to the person she got it from, and it was meant as a gift for Adrian, but the gift might also provide a clue, such as where she might have been in the days before her death that he wouldn't know about. The person who made the gift might have had nothing to do with her death, but while she was there picking it up or shopping, she might have had the chance to overhear or see something that someone didn't want her to see. Possibly they even killed the person in the shop where she got it, too. Maybe the person who made the gift *was* the guy. Or maybe it really was Kelly Street who hired Frank Nunn, but obviously, she didn't manage to kill and stuff him to use as a coat rack.

No one answered the question I left here weeks ago. How many times was the unopened gift mentioned? I know of two times -- the Secret Santa and Man Who Shot Santa episodes.

Liv, good guess~ I can't think up any surprising and meaningful gift from Trudy. Let's see, maybe those talented writers will surprise us~

Those were the only two episodes where we see or hear about the gift during the episode, but there was at least one other one where the gift showed up in the preview, but somehow that scene didn't make it into the episode itself. I can't remember if it was Meets His Dad or Miracle that happened, though.

Awwwww!!!! That would be so sweet! Teary-eyed as I think about it!

You could be right. We shall see.

B
As long as the box still contains a bunch of LOVVVvvvveeee.

That would be pretty sad and kind of a depressing way to end the show. Hopefully a funny gift like a police badge "honorary lifetime keystone cops member." Something fun at least.

I think he's going to open it, and find either a poem, or nothing. If there was nothing in the box, it could be a motive for Trudy's murder. What if someone killed her because there was something in the box that could connect them to something, so they killed her and while Monk was with Trudy in the hospital, they retrieved what was in the box. It's unlikely, but it's just a thought.

But why would they leave the empty box? Why take time to open the box, then re-wrap it and leave an empty box?

That would be a lousy way to end. They end with him solving her murder only to say that she was pregnant? Not likely.

...or maybe Trudy wanted to marry Adrian a second Time,and it is another Wedding Ring?

Like renewing their vows?

Yes,exactly...what do you think

How about the key to their new home? Trudy probably made a lot of money from her recent "award" winning articles...so I am thinking it is either a major purchase item or something simple but for which they both identify with romantically...

Personally, I think the writers should leave that a mystery! I think while it's going to be important for them to wrap up major story lines like the Trudy murder, I don't think EVERYTHING should be resolved simply because life doesn't work that way! I like for there to be some tiny little moments of mystery, and I think the last gift that Trudy wrapped for him should also remain just that...a mystery! I love the moment in "Secret Santa" when Natalie asks, "Aren't you curious?" and he says, "I love not knowing." I don't think that's something he'll ever open...and maybe he shouldn't! That's how I would leave it.

I think I am going to have to agree with you there, Tobias. Although, I am simply dying to know what is inside (along with other Monk fans), Monk himself, as it says, "loves not knowing." If he is happy, I am happy, so I guess that means I am going to have to learn to love not knowing too, if that is the way the writers decide to leave it.

I just discovered this thread and have only read the first 2 posts, but I like the very first one that Liv has posted. That the gift had either a pregnancy test or baby booties in it. I would think baby booties, since a pregnancy test would be unsanitary.

Need to go back and read everyone post! This is gonna be interesting!

omg, if it's number 1 i would just die. that would be pretty horrible and cruel not only to monk, but to anyone who struggled w/fertility, lost a child, etc. i really, really, hope it's not that.

as for the others--i love all the possiblities! however, like some pp's, i geuss i also hope we never find out. some secrets are meant to be kept! then again, the monk writers are pretty awesome, and could probably come up w/the perfect gift. we shall see, i guess.

I guess we can rule-out the possibility of a pregnancy test being in that little box:

Liv:
LovAdrian:
Zippo2u:
Liv:

Other theories that were mentioned were along the lines of the box containing some sort of evidence or clue that would lead to Trudy's killer...or even give reasons to why she was killed.

Then there are other people who think that it's just a sentimental gift given to Adrian from Trudy and nothing else.

I like these two together, so sweet!:
Liv:
Tinythinker:
But yeah, there's a good chance that we will never know what's inside that gift since Monk liked not knowing what was inside...and also that there probably won't be a Christmas episode.

It's a key to the home that they lost to Dale ...given back to her by Dale in exchange for him giving her some information on something he wanted her to investigate....some corruption that he got wind of but wasn't part of... competition of sorts
I think that the key inside the ring stain is that key...the one on Trudy's desk under exclusive evidence...Had Monk opened he would have been able to unscramble Trudy's death much sooner...

This is really sweet

Mr Monk Dreaming of Home

I've read in the other posts about this guy named Dale. I've seen every episode, but somehow I don't remember who Dale is. And can someone explain about the home that was lost to Dale?