A Cross-Post: Have Yourself A Merry LITTLE WOMEN Christmas

 

(Original post can be found here)

What, for you, is a book that contains the essence of Christmas?

For me, it has GOT to be LITTLE WOMEN. Heck, even the opening line, the very first word, contains this blessed holiday:

“Christmas won’t be Christmas without presents.”

This line is uttered by our heroine, Jo, the second of the four March sisters, whose shenanigans have been the subject of so many film adaptations after author Louisa May Alcott put them down on paper.

(In the spirit of the season, let's not get mired into that debate over which film version is the best, which essentially depends on which Laurie was deemed most swoon-worthy. That being said, let me just say that it's hard to beat Christian Bale's dashing good looks in the 1994 version. Now if we could only combine him with Rossano Brazzi serenading June Allyson with "Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt" on the piano ... * swoons * )

LITTLE WOMEN has defined my life, and that of so many others. Critics say it is old-fashioned, and only for children, but I've read it both as a child (in its abridged form, with lots of pictures) and as an adult, and found more joy in it as a grown-up! Perhaps it's because I see how the golden values it speaks of are all the more sorely needed in a world that increasingly teaches its children to be cut-throat.

If being old-fashioned means valuing generosity above counting the cost, caring for our fellow man instead of selfishly hoarding money, and putting family above personal ambition, then I gladly welcome the label, and dare modern hipsters to do the same.

Louisa May wrote many other books, and not all were as wholesome as her most beloved bestseller. But a close second is LITTLE MEN (the sequel), which depicts the life of a family devoted to teaching.

I think LITTLE WOMEN is very timely especially this December 2022, when so many families are enduring financial hardship wrought by the global recession, and so many have lost a member and are setting plates for empty chairs in memory-laden tables.

In our grief we remember happier times, and hope for more joyful Christmases to follow.

To borrow the line from a certain heartbreaking viral advertisement, “Christmas is made, not bought.”

Have yourself a merry LITTLE WOMEN Christmas, dear reader! And whether you enjoy it in book form or movie version, let us give thanks for the American author who shone the spotlight on the sacredness of the family, and proved that this is truly the reason for the Season.