"Jo," someone tapped lightly on her shoulder. Someone very far away...she felt herself slipping... "Jo, wake up! It Christmas!"

As she slowly opened her eyelids, Jo saw the red numbers from her alarm clock beaming into her face.

12:01 A. M.

"Christopher Columbus!" Jo sat up so fast that her vision swirled out. "I'm one minute late."

Beth, whose long brown hair was in a braid, gave a small grin, "And there's a surprise downstairs."

Jo clasped her sisters hands, "Is it dad? Is he home early."

"No," Beth's smile quivered. "He's not getting in until late tonight. But it is someone."

Jo's smiled grew, "Teddy!" Her bare feet touched the cold floor as she bounded to her wall hook to grab her dark blue robe. Her slippers were old and warn but comfortable as ever when she put them on.

Beth looked like a doll in her flowered night gown, "Come on!" She laughed, picking up her favorite doll.

The house was alive, not quiet as it should be at night. A warm multicolor glow came from from their tree and excited voices carried around, igniting the air.

Meg and Amy were gathered on the couch, drinking some of Marmee's homemade hot chocolate that they only got on Christmas. Marmee was sitting near the tree, explaining something to a boy with messy brown hair.

Marmee smiled at them, "There's hot chocolate in the fridge."

"Merry Christmas, Jo," Teddy waved, smiling brightly.

"Merry Christmas!" Jo exclaimed, rushing off to get her drink. In a few moments she and Beth joined the family again.

Marmee motioned for them all to join her on the floor. "Alright," she said, "One present each. The rest will wait to morning."

"There aren't very many presents, are there?" Amy said, with her usual pout.

"And father isn't here," grumbled Jo, wiping away her hot chocolate mustache.

"Yes," added Beth sweetly, "but we're all here...and Laurie is too. We're safe and we're together."

Marmee gave Beth that kind look she reserved only for her, "Very true. And some of these gifts are larger than usual. So...pick one!" She laughed as the four girls dive for the brightly colored boxes.

Jo grabbed one wrapped in silver paper, "This one's from Teddy. I'm opening this one."

Meg curiously stared at a small box wrapped in red, "This says it's for me, but not who it's from."

Teddy leaned into Jo's ear, "I need to tell you something later." Before she could question, he took his own box, "And I'll open the one from Jo." He beamed at his best friend.

Amy took one done up in pink, "This one's from Marmee."

"None from Santa?" Meg glanced at their mother curiously.

Amy gasped, "I'm nearly eleven, Meg! I know Santa isn't real. I'm not stupid."

"It's not stupid," Jo snapped. "Beth didn't stop believing until last year."

"Stop fighting," Beth chimed in. "It's Christmas. Lets open the gifts." From behind her, she took out a small, unwrapped box, "This is for you, Marmee."

Jo greedily unwrapped her box, excited by how heavy it was. Her gift didn't disappoint. It was a huge box collection of ten classic novels.

She squealed, "THIS IS FANTASTIC! TEDDY, I LOVE YOU." Jo fell over onto him, squeezing him so tightly that he could barely breath.

"Glad you like it," he said when she finally release him.

Beth held up a new outfit for her doll, "Thank you, Marmee."

Marmee gave that sweet smile again and opened her own gift. It was a small angel that Beth had sewn for her. "This is beautiful, Beth, really."

"I'm happy you like it," Beth simpered.

"What did you get, Meg?" Their mother asked.

Meg shut the box quickly, her face turning as red as the packaging, "Nothing. Nothing really." She cleared her throat, "What did Jo buy you, Laurie?"

Laurie turned his attention to his gift and unwrapped it. Inside was a dark blue knit scarf.

"Ta da!" Jo exclaimed. "I made it myself. It's not from Bloomingtons, but it's a scarf."

Teddy's face was brighter than the Christmas lights, "I love it, Jo."

...

Meg was sitting in the kitchen reading the new book her mother had bought her. It was one of those Sarah Dessen books that Jo couldn't stand. Something about sappy romances really pissed Jo off.

"Merry Christmas," Meg raised her coffee mug.

Jo sat down on the chair next to her, "What's this mysterious present you got, eh?"

Meg immediately turned red, "Uh, it's nothing."

"Then why are you blushing, dear sister?"

Her hands shook as she pushed out her chair, grabbing her coffee mug, "It was just an ornament."

"From who?"

"From whom."

Jo narrowed her dark brown eyes, "Shut up." Suddenly, her mind began racing. "It's from Teddy's tutor, isn't it?" She fake gagged, "Meg, he's so creepy."

"He's sweet," Meg's tone was angrier than usual. "He's a lot nicer than any other boy I've liked. Besides, Jo. This doesn't concern you!" Jo followed as Meg stormed to the stairwell dramatically. Jo rolled her eyes.

"You've said that about ten different boys! I don't know why you're getting so upset about this!" Jo called in a nagging tone.

Meg scowled, "John's different. Why do you care anyway? You wouldn't understand this type of thing. This is love."

Jo placed her hands on her hips, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Meg continued on her way. A few moments late she heard Meg's bedroom door slam.

"Merry Christmas," Jo murmured, walking back into the living room. She was going over to Teddy's in a few minutes for his family's party. She hoped it wasn't going to be posh or anything. Jo was quite comfy in her jeans and Doctor Who t-shirt and didn't wish to change.

Bitterly, Jo kicked over a plush snowman that Beth had set out. Meg could be so stupid, all caught up with boys and romance. Couldn't she see how idiotic she was being? Meg was turning into one of those whiny girls on reality TV.

Silver Bells crooned out of the radio, all the stations on an unending Christmas loop. Jo picked up her coat and trotted out the door to visit Teddy.

There were quite a few cars parked outside the Laurence's house. Cars that just looked fancy. Jo figured that she probably was under dressed.

Screw it. Who did she have to impress?

To her displeasure, Mr. Laurence opened the door. He was a man of about sixty but still looked as though his eyes could pierce your soul. Always he wore black and a mean scowl slapped on his pale face.

"Miss March," he said her name as though it were a disease. "I believe my grandson is in his room."

"Cool, dude," Jo stepped in and shook the snow off of her coat and onto the floor. If disdainful looks could kill than she had just been hanged drawn and quartered by Mr. Laurence. "Merry Christmas."

As she walks through the house she noticed all the classy decorations. Everything was silver and gold and white as if they wanted to make certain you knew they were rich.

It lacked heart. It looked too clean. Nothing was personal. It looked like a department store display. These decorations held no memories. They held no love.

Even the pictures against the stairway wall seemed fake. They were too posed, too pristine. Even the picture of Teddy looked far too serious to really be him at all.

His door was closed when Jo reached it. She banged on it loudly.

"'Ello, mate," She walked into his room and flopped onto his ridiculously large bed. Teddy's room looked like a page in a Pottery Barn Teen catalog, except messier. It had a brown and blue color scheme, trying its hardest to look masculine. "Merry Christmas!"

"Happy Holidays," Teddy smiled. He looked positively preppy in his khakis and blue button down shirt.

Jo snorted, "Don't be so PC, Ted. Anyway, you look stupid in that outfit."

"Thanks," Teddy said with heavy sarcasm. "You're no show stopper yourself."

"Don't I know it," Jo stood up, brushing her hands on her jeans. "Have any food?"

"Always," he walked out to the hallway, Jo in tow. "We made extra because we knew you were coming."

"Smart," Jo ran down the stores loudly, causing some sour faces from their rich guests. "Hey, did you here about Meg and John?"

Teddy and her walked into the kitchen were large silver trays of food were sitting out. Jo went straight for the shrimp, dumping several onto a plate.

"They've been dating for a while. That's what I was going to tell you this morning." Teddy scooped himself some weird looking salad.

Jo groaned, "Why did everyone know about this but me?" She spotted some macaroni and started shoveling it out. "I mean, it's just stupid. Meg doesn't have time for a boyfriend. She's going off to college in a few months, you know? If she's going to be a nurse, she isn't going to need any distractions."

"I didn't know Meg wanted to be a nurse. I thought she wanted to be an actress."

Jo collapsed into a seat at the dining table, "She's changed her mind a thousand times. Whatever it is, she isn't going to be able to keep a relationship."

Teddy joined her, "Why are you so against it? Are you jealous?"

"No!" Jo said angrier than she meant. "I mean, why would I be? I don't want a boyfriend. I'm not interested in falling in love."

Teddy stabbed into his chicken, "You will be, one day."

"Ha, no way," Jo spat. "If I'm going to be published before I'm 25, I don't need any love or anything."

"How can you write about falling in love if you never have?"

"You're not suppose to write what you know," Jo replied simply. "Anyway, I have to focus on getting into NYU. Well, more like getting a scholarship to NYU. To do that, I'll need good test scores, so I have to study and-"

"Let's just worry about Christmas," Teddy laughed.

Jo took a deep breath, "Yeah, let's just worry about Christmas."