Louisa May Alcott
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In "A Christmas Dream, and How It Came True", Ten-year-old Effie lives a comfortable life and experiences Christmases filled with delicious treats and wonderful toys. One night she has a dream that forever changes the meaning of Christmas for her. Encountering a group of underprivileged children, she is inspired to give them a Christmas they will never forget.
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In "A Christmas Turkey", a poor family works hard to figure out how they can celebrate Christmas. When the father is unable to provide a turkey, the children venture out into the world, working to earn enough money to pool their resources and purchase one for the Christmas table.
24) Rosa's Tale
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In Rosa's Tale, Louisa May Alcott spins a heartwarming fable about a horse who magically speaks to a lonely girl at midnight on Christmas Eve...
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In this gem of a story, The Candy Country, little Lily discovers that arriving in a magical country where everything is made of sweets is not the wonderland she had first thought. The story is a poignant example of the strong educational and moral influence that Louisa May Alcott's father had her life and her writing.
28) Kate's Choice
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In "Kate's Choice", a young English girl inherits a financial windfall when she is suddenly orphaned. Per her father's wish, she is sent to America to live with the families of each of her four uncles in order to choose where she will live. Each family is full of wonderful, prosperous interesting people, all of them anxious that Kate should choose their family to stay with. But at Christmastime, Kate surprises them all by announcing whom she shall...
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"A New Way to Spend Christmas" describes a Christmas visit to Randall's Island in the East River, where orphaned and sick children are looked after. A charitable woman brings gifts and spreads "sunshine in that shady place" to the unfortunate children who live there.
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"A Merry Christmas / Little Women" is the famous Christmas scene (Chapter Two) from the immortal Louisa May Alcott novel, "Little Women". The four March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy and their mother, celebrate Christmas without their father who has gone to war. Newly impoverished, after father's financial loss, the sisters' work outside the home for money to support the family, and rediscover the true meaning of Christmas in the process.
33) Jack and Jill
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The story follows Jack Minot and Janey Pecq, who are best friends who live next door to each other. They are always seen together, so Janey gets the nickname of Jill, to mimic the old rhyme. The two do go up a hill one winter day - and then are involved in a terrible accident.
34) The Brothers
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Louisa May Alcott's short story "The Brothers" is set during the Civil War, Narrated by a wartime nurse, the story tells of one white brother and the other a half black meet in a hospital. Due to a previous a grudge between them the black one tries to kill the white one. Preaching the religion of humanity and kindness, she draws from her personal experiences to create this amazing work. This piece first appeared in The Atlantic Monthly in November...
35) Bertie's Box
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In "Bertie's Box", a family sits around the table putting the finishing touches on their Christmas present wrapping. A letter arrives from a poor widow asking for assistance in providing a Christmas present for her two children. Overhearing this, young Bertie sets about packing up some of his toys to send to the unfortunate mother.
36) What Love Can Do
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In What Love Can Do, two poor sisters share their modest Christmas wishes with each other, namely: a little money with which to buy gifts for their family members. Overhearing this, the kindly residents of a boarding house come together to make a lovely Christmas surprise for the two girls.
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In "Gwen's Adventures in the Snow", Gwen and her siblings set out on a winter evening's sleigh ride only to encounter bad weather. Taking shelter in their country house to wait out the snowstorm, the group builds a fire, makes a picnic from the house's reserves and shares stories to allay each other's fears.
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In "A Country Christmas", Louisa May Alcott tells the story of Sophie, a debutante from the city who travels to rural Vermont to spend Christmas with her cousins Saul and Ruth. Though apprehensive at first, Sophie learns that the charms of celebrating Christmas in the country are many.
40) Nelly's Hospital
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Nelly's Hospital (1865) is a short story by Louisa May Alcott, written during or shortly after the American Civil War. Nelly, a small soul, starts an hospital for little creatures and animals, inspired by the happenings on the war front, and wants to do some good.