Yeah I am going more with the watching idea. And also remember what the grandma said he's there to take not give. So its like he took their bad spirits away and left them with their original Xmas spirits.
It's like scrooge and the polar express. And also the grandma never said if he actually took her parents away for real or not. Also when everybody is happy and cheery the next day.
Why else would they be happy? If not for being cleansed of their evil holiday spirits? Another give away is the Bell.
If their stuck in the ball what was the point of the Bell? All they had to do was look outside and see the glass dome around their house instead of remembering the day before with the bell. The whole point of the Bell was to remind them of how dark things can get when all hope is lost.
So if their in purgatory then the Bell has no meaning. Plus If the director took the pergatory route then he didn't make it obvious enough and that would make him the worst director I've ever seen Which hes not.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.