We were all giggling in Meg and Amy's room, we were going to do something exhilarating! "Get ready. " Meg whispered. The girls and I began to undress into our petty coats. We were giggling loudly until Beth sushed us, we can't wake Marmee up, she would be very upset that we were up so late... I helped put Amy's hair down then I began to unbraid my hair.

Meg, Beth, Amy, and I turned to see Jo open the door, she had scissors in her hand. She closed the door and said with a mischievous look, "Got them!".

Meg said, "Jo, those are the kitchen scissors!" 

Beth and Amy giggled as Jo looked over them, "They're good and sharp." She said as she tried to reason with Meg. 

"Please don't make me go first. " Beth requested. 

"No. " Jo said with another mischievous look. "Amy's first. " 

I gasped as the others laughed. We all moved to sit down on the bed as Jo scooted closer to Amy.

"If I must make this sacrament, I do it gladly. " Amy bravely said as Jo looked for a strand of hair to choose from.

"Jo, do a strand near the back of her neck. It won't be as noticeable." I said. It would look quite bad with a random strand that's shorter than the others. 

"But don't you dare take more than a half-inch!" Amy said nervously as Jo pulled the strand she chose. We all giggled until Jo put the strand of hair in between the blades of the scissors, and then with a swift snip, her hair was cut.

Amy gasped as she looked at her cut hair, "Oh, Jo! It was too much!" 

"It was a half-inch, Amy. " Jo reassured. 

"I'll go next!" I piped up, Jo pulled a strand of my hair out and did the same thing. I gasped and giggled. "I hope Father appreciates this. ". 

"He will. " Meg said with a smile.

"I'll go, I better get this over with. " Beth nervously said, Jo, giggled and went closer to her. I stood up to grab the ribbon and our name tags. I then went back to the bed and sorted our hair with our name tags and tied them together with the ribbons. One by one, each of us had our strands of hair ready for Father's letter. 

"They're ready!" I said with excitement. 

We all giggled and Meg said, "Father will now have a piece of us with him while he's gone..." 

I nodded, "I'll give these to Marmee while we write our letter."

Later that day we ended our letter with, "Merry Christmas, Father. With our fondest love... Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy, and Eliza."

Jo walked into the room with an armful of wood logs and threw them into the fire. Oliver was playing with the other kittens as I knitted his winter sweater, I decided to use the purple yarn Marmee got me for my birthday because it would look lovely against his black and white fur.

Jo laid down with her back on the floor next to the kittens and disappointedly said, "Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents." 

"Jo, get up off of the rug. That party dress is in a bad enough state as it is. " Meg said as she mended Jo's other dress. Jo rolled over to rest her chin in her hands. 

"We agreed not to have any presents this year. We said we didn't mind as long as we had Marmee and Father and each other." Beth reminded us. 

"Beth, we haven't got a father. And we shan't have him for ever such a long time. Not until the war ends." Jo exasperated. 

"Well, at least we shall have each other. " I said with a reassuring smile. I continued my knitting as Amy yelled.

 "Meg! I found Jo's gloves. They're all creased and sticky. " Amy sat down on the floor and I grimaced. 

"I used them to mop up some lemonade I spilled at Sallie's birthday dance. " Jo smiled,

Amy peeled the two gloves apart and Meg disappointedly said, "Jo, why didn't you clean them? You can't go to a party without any gloves! " 

"I was hoping we wouldn't be invited to another one! " Jo explained, Meg gasped as Beth and I giggled. "I should have gone away with Father in disguise, signed up as a drummer boy, and done my duty as he has. " Jo said hopefully. 

"And I would be a cook! We could keep each other company..." I added. Jo winked at me and I winked back. 

"Jo, I don't think that's allowed. Or even possible..." Beth said as Jo sighed. 

"Besides, I can't think of anything more disagreeable. Why would you want to sleep in a tent, drink out of a tin mug, and eat all sorts of bad-tasting food, Jo and Liz? " Amy asked. 

"That's why I would be cooking for everyone. " I explained and started my next row of stitches. 

"Because, Amy, Jo forgets that she's a young lady and that I'm trying to mend her dress. And Eliza forgets that it's a campsite fire and not a kitchen that she would be cooking in." Meg said as she helped Jo off of the floor, Jo sat next to me as she said, "I can't help that I like boy's clothes and work and manners. Being born a girl is the most disappointing thing that ever happened to me. " Meg gasped and Beth giggled. 

"I understand what you mean about the clothes, corsets are utterly uncomfortable. I can hardly breathe in them! " I said as they giggled, Jo smiled at me and then stood up. Amy threw Jo's gloves at her face and we all laughed. I finished one of Oliver's sleeves and stood up to look out the window, Marmee had gotten a letter out of the mailbox and a carriage rode past her. I would have sworn I saw a boy in it...

Meg lit the candles on the Christmas tree as Marmee spoke, "I do believe that was the busiest day the depot ever had! We had to get two-hundred boxes of soldiers' comforts onto the five o'clock train and we lacked mittens for some of them. " 

I looked up from my knitting work and said, "I'll knit some, I can have twenty pairs done in two days. Will that do Marmee? " Marmee smiled at me and said, "That would do nicely. " I finished the sweater I was knitting for Oliver, took out some of my navy blue yarn, and got to work.

Marmee looked over at Jo who had placed the teacups down as they rattled in her hands and said, "Jo, be careful. You look tired to death. " 

Jo sighed and said in a sing-song voice, "Aunt March kept me on my toes today. Most people mellow out at Christmas, but not her. " Amy and I laughed, Aunt March is a real grouch, well, mainly to me... She thinks I'm using Marmee and Father for a roof over my head and that I should have been put in an orphanage. I plan to change her mind soon, I'll prove to her that I'm not what she thinks I am...

"Do I get a kiss as well as warm slippers, Amy? " Marmee asked, one by one the girls gave Marmee a kiss and I smiled at her. "You are all such a treat to come home to. " Marmee said as she took a cup of tea from Meg, Jo leaned against the wall and watched her sisters crowd around Marmee. She pulled a letter from her pocket.

"A letter?" Meg asked with a slight gasp. 

"Is it from Father?" Jo asked, I looked up with wide eyes and moved to sit in front of Marmee with Oliver in hand. 

"Yes, it is. " Marmee said as she took a sip of her tea. We all patiently for her to read the letter... I love Father's letters, it's reassuring to know that our prayers are put to good use while he's at war.

Marmee read the letter aloud,

"A year is a long time to wait before we meet again. But these hard days will not be wasted if we all work hard. Give them all my dear love, and a kiss. Tell them that I think of them by day and pray for them each evening. Our country may be torn in two because it can't agree on what's right, but even in this time in darkness when armies clash and blood is shed, we can shine a light through our kindness to each other. And there are smaller battles we can win, within our hearts and close to home. I know my daughters will fight their bosom enemies bravely and conquer themselves so beautifully, that when I come back to them, I may be fonder and prouder than ever of my little women. "

We all sat in silence for a moment, we just looked at each other and processed what Father's letter said. I laid my head on Marmee's lap with Amy and Beth sitting beside me. Marmee played with my hair as we all embraced her. I can't even imagine what it's like to know that your husband is in constant danger and all you can do is wait for any sign of hope. Marmee is truly a remarkable woman...

I sat up to retrieve Oliver's sweater. I held him in my lap as I put the sweater on him, he stood there dumbfounded then leaped out of my hands to walk around. Everyone laughed as he made large steps towards his siblings on the floor. "I told you that purple would be a great color for Oliver. " Marmee said and we all continued to laugh.

That night, I put everyone's matching scarf and mittens set in their gift bags. I've been knitting them for quite some time. We agreed on no presents but I wanted everyone to be able to open something on Christmas, I even knit a red and navy blue set for the boy next door. He moved in not too long ago. I put his set in my personal bag just in case I saw him one day...