Carrie Wang

Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents. That’s what I learned from “Little Women.”

It is a warm novel and, after you read it, you will understand what a family is. It was so moving that after I read this novel I buried my face in the pillow and sobbed.

So, what is a family? They are the people who take you in. In good times or bad, they will show up and stay with you. It isn’t just about blood relations or shared genes, but something bigger.

We have a bigger family over time — our family of origin, the family we create, sometimes also including friends, lovers or even strangers. None of them are perfect, and we shouldn’t expect them to be. You cannot change your family, but accept who your family members are.

I have a friend who complained to me about her family. I suggested she discuss the issues with them. I hope she can go home instead of asking other friends for help.

This book also taught me a lot about people, whom you shouldn’t judge by their appearance or manners.

People in the book curse a lot. But that doesn’t mean they are against God or are bad people.

“I had heard swearing since I had heard words. Obscenity and profanity had no meaning as such among those people,” the book says.

“They were emotional expressions of inarticulate people with a small vocabulary, they made a kind of dialect.” That’s amazing!