“Merry Christmas, little daughters! I’m glad you began at once, and hope you will keep on. But I want to say one word before we sit down. Not far away from here lies a poor woman with a little newborn baby. Six children are huddled into one bed to keep from freezing, for they have no fire. There is nothing to eat over there; and the oldest boy came to tell me they were suffering hunger and cold. My girls, will you give them your breakfast as a Christmas present?”

You can’t help but feel a wee bit guilty about ever writing out a Christmas list or eating a Pret festive sandwich when reading Little Women. From giving up their breakfast for a poorer family to going out of their way to give beloved Marmee the most thoughtful gifts, those March sisters really did teach us some lessons in what Christmas is truly about. Even the performance of Jo’s play in the front room was a 19th century version of the family all coming together on the sofa to watch a dramatic EastEnders Christmas special, right?

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