The crackling from the fireplace gave the impression that all was well in the March home.
Another crackling sound, that of Jo pushing down on her knuckles, told a different story.
"I wish this bothersome snow would stop."
Jo banged the window as she watched the gigantic snowflakes silently piling up on the ground.
"Jo," shrieked Amy, "that's so unladylike!"
Amy smoothed her dress and caressed her curls.
She could not stand it when her older sister acted like a boy.
Jo, on the other hand, wished she could be a boy.
She often complained: "Why do I have to wear this confining dress?
Why can't I wear trousers and kick my legs up and gallop around freely, like a horse?"
Whenever Jo said such things, her older sister Meg would gently shake her head and say:
"Because whether you like it or not, you are a girl. And girls should behave as such."
On this cold winter day, however, Meg did not scold her tomboy sister.
In fact, she agreed with Jo about the endlessly falling snow.
"It's so cold and miserable," Meg lamented.
"When we were rich, we could warm up every room in the house."
Now the only room that was heated was the living room in which they sat.
"We didn't have to wear these unbecoming sweaters."
Amy turned up her nose as if her sweater had a funny smell.
"Now our concerns are about how Father is faring under these treacherous conditions," added Jo.
She stomped over to the fireplace and rubbed her large hands together vigorously.
Being over the age at which men could enlist in the army, Father had volunteered his services as a clergyman.
The girls were too young to understand or to care what the Civil War was about.
They only wanted it to end so Father could return home.
At one time, the March family had been very wealthy.
Meg and Jo, the two oldest girls, could remember a time when they received many gifts all year around.
Now they didn't have enough money to buy even Christmas gifts for each other.
"If you had five dollars . . ." Jo began.
(At this period of time, five dollars was a lot of money.)
"If you had five dollars," Jo repeated, "what would you buy?"
The girls fell silent as their eyes grew bigger with fanciful thoughts.
"I know what I would buy," Amy gushed at last.
Her sisters turned to her.
"Go on," urged Jo.
Amy's cheeks got pink and she pressed her hands together excitedly.
"I would buy a new set of watercolors," she said.
"And then I would buy two new hairpins: one red with silver butterflies, like my best friend Kitty has.
And the other blue like my eyes."
"As for me," Meg said, "I would buy beautiful silk material for a new dress.
Maybe I would have some money left over for gloves since I desperately need new ones."
Meg held up her lovely hands, which were now pinkish red from the cold.
Meg had many vanities but she took special pride in her hands.
"I," Jo blurted in a loud, comical voice,
"would buy four bottles of black ink, a case of pens, twenty rolls of paper, and three hundred . . ." she paused for dramatic emphasis.
"Three hundred," she repeated again, "leather cases for all the books I am going to publish."
Jo dreamed of being a writer. Nothing suited her more than to sit at her desk and enter a world of make-believe and fantasy.
"You can't afford that many leather cases with only five dollars. That's ridiculous," Amy pointed out.
"Well, so is this game," Jo retorted, "because none of us actually has five dollars!"
"Girls," Meg said in her "motherly" voice.
"Do stop arguing. You're behaving like children.
Now, Beth, let's hear what you would do if you had five dollars."
Beth had a faraway look in her eyes. She was smiling.
"First of all, I'd buy a new pair of slippers for Mother.
I noticed her old ones have several small holes in them," Beth said in her gentle, quiet way.
The other girls glanced at the familiar slippers next to the sofa.
They all felt rather guilty when they saw that the well-worn slippers did, indeed, have many holes.
"And then I would buy Father a new scarf and hat in his favorite color," Beth continued.
"If I had money left over, I would get each of you girls a handkerchief with your name on it. And one for Hannah, too."
Of the four girls, Beth was by far the kindest and most loving.
She never said a bad word about anyone nor did she ever complain.
She had a positive view of everything and everyone.
"Oh, Beth!" Jo ran over and wrapped her arms around her sister. "You make me feel so ashamed!
Here I am thinking of myself, but you—" she sniffed, for Jo was a very emotional girl, "—you even thought of Hannah, our housekeeper."
Meg and Amy also gave Beth a hug. They, too, were feeling a little embarrassed about their selfishness.
Even though the sisters had different personalities, they were very close and loved one another very much.
"Girls, what is going on?"
The girls had not heard Mother come home.
"Mother!" they cried and ran to give her a hug.
Mother's hands and cheeks were cold from the air outside, but her hugs and kisses warmed the girls up instantly.
Meg quickly removed Mother's heavy coat. Jo ran to get more wood for the fire.
Amy grabbed Mother's sweater, which was folded up on her chair, and gave it to her.
Beth quietly brought Mother's slippers to warm her feet.
As Mother sat on her chair and rubbed her hands in front of the fire, Jo told her what they'd been talking about.
"We were so selfish, Mother," admitted Jo.
"Except for Beth. She only cares about other people."
Mother smiled affectionately at each daughter and said: "I'm glad that you discovered your fault, girls.
But finding out our faults is only the first step.
What we do with this knowledge is more important."
That evening, after a simple dinner, Mother and Hannah took inventory of the food pantry while the girls sat around the fireplace talking again.
"I have some money saved up," Jo began.
"It's only a little bit . . . but, well, I wanted . . . Mother . . . a little gift . . .," she stammered.
"Oh, Jo! What a lovely thought!" Beth understood right away what her sister was trying hard to express.
"What's a lovely thought?" Amy asked irritably.
Unlike Beth, she had no idea what Jo was trying to say.
"This Christmas none of us has much to give," Beth explained.
"But with what we do have, Jo suggests that we should all give something to Mother."
Beth smiled at Jo, who nodded enthusiastically.
"That's exactly what I wanted to say, Beth," she said gratefully.
Meg and Amy both agreed it was a splendid idea.
They spent the rest of the evening discussing what Mother needed and what they could give her.
Although the girls would not receive gifts themselves, they were quite happy to learn the true meaning of giving.