The Gift of the Magi [short story]

The Gift of the Magi, illustrated by Sonja Danowski.

The story of "two foolish children in a flat" who prove to be very wise after all, The Gift of the Magi has been one of my favorite Christmas stories since I first read it as a young adult. Young married couple Jim and Della each sacrifice their most cherished possession in order to give one another gifts, and although they may not be able to use those gifts (at least, not at the time of giving), the love behind their actions make them the most precious presents of all...

I didn't think it was possible for any artist to eclipse P.J. Lynch, in illustrating O. Henry's delightful holiday tale, and I have enjoyed his picture-book presentation of it for a number of years now. When I happened show more upon this version illustrated by Sonja Danowski at the library however, the gorgeous cover drew me in, and I had to check it out. This is simply beautiful, and I perused the illustrations with delight. It is equal to if not even more lovely than the Lynch, and I hope to add it to my own collection at some point. Truly, a breathtakingly beautiful book, recommended to anyone seeking an illustrated version of this popular tale of a New York couple at Christmas. show less

A simple short Christmas story from 1905 for the magazine market. It is a sentimental favourite in America but there is not much to it - a tale of what happens when poor people who love each other get trapped into costly error by Christmas tradition.

Heartwarming and and a trifle irritating at the same time! Rather laboured and you can see the twist coming a mile off ... but it is kind.

I recently reread this little tale, and remembered reading it before. Back then I thought the moral was never give up your things for a person. Now I know better, it is, "the gift is not important, the intention behind it is key".

In this little story two people are destitute an desperate to get each other a gift of value. They wind selling off there most prized possessions to buy each other something used with that very possession. In the end they are both pleased with each other's thoughtfulness and set the gifts aside to make dinner.

This is a good story to be reading this time of year; to remind ourselves that being together with loved ones is the best gift for the holidays.

The Gift of the Magi, illustrated by P.J. Lynch.

Determined to buy her Jim a Christmas present "worthy of being owned" by him, Della confronts a hard reality: the $1.87 that she has managed to save up, by ruthlessly economizing on her weekly budget, won't even come close to being enough for a suitable gift. Reduced to tears, Della's despairing thoughts turn to her one resource: her long, beautiful hair. Acting on impulse, Della sells her knee-length tresses, and uses the money to buy a platinum chain for Jim's treasured gold pocket watch, handed down to him from his father and grandfather. Hers is not the only sacrifice, however, as she discovers when Jim comes home with her gift - beautiful tortoiseshell combs for her hair, paid for show more through the sale of Jim's pocket watch...

Originally published in 1905, in the newspaper The New York Sunday World, and then in 1906 in a collection of O. Henry stories, The Gift of the Magi is a lovely holiday tale, one which emphasizes the importance of love and of self-sacrifice - the true gifts of the magi - at Christmastime. As the author maintains, Della and Jim may have been "foolish children," but they were wise fools. Although it's been a number of years since I first read it, the story of this poor New York couple, and their mutual sacrifice of their most prized treasures for the sake of the other, is one I continue to enjoy at the holidays. I was therefore quite happy to come across this beautiful picture-book presentation of it, with gorgeous artwork done by the Irish illustrator P.J. Lynch. His paintings capture Della and Jim's tale to perfection and are a pleasure to peruse! Although not written for children, The Gift of the Magi is a story I would not hesitate to give to young readers. Clearly others feel the same, given the number of illustrated children's editions that have been produced over the last few years. show less

GR Friend BookToDragon recommended this story to me by O. Henry. I didn’t recognize the title at first but, of course, I immediately recognized this atmospheric Christmas classic as soon as I began reading. TGOTM is a lovely old-fashioned, aw-shucks kind of love story that is probably far too kitsch for the palate of today’s modern readers. Yet this story can still put a smile on my face if I allow myself to travel back in search of a collective naiveté, when people found joy in sacrificing something that is dear to them to bring joy to others. https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/1-the_gift_of_the_magi....

All I want for Christmas…

This is a well-known, poignant, and rather dated and sentimental short story demonstrating the generosity of love.

Della and Jim are newly married, and quite poor. Each is privately determined to buy a special gift for the other. The sacrifices they make prove pointless (at least in the short run), profound, and maybe amusing.

The title obviously refers to the Magi (aka Three Wise Men) who brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to baby Jesus. However, I assume their gifts, though valuable and symbolic, did not dent their wealth much. The closer Biblical analogy is the parable of The Widow’s Mite (see Luke 21: 1-4). Nevertheless, O Henry makes a case for his Magi comparison:

“Let it be said that of all who show more give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.”

... is health and happiness - and normality

2020 festivities and gift-giving at Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Diwali, Christmas etc will be unusual and tinged with sadness, worry, and heartbreak. The continuing coronavirus pandemic and lockdown restrictions mean we won’t see all the loved ones we would normally see, even if they and we are alive and well.

Nine months of fluctuating restrictions has changed the ways we live, work, and think. It’s taught hard lessons about priorities: who and what we most value, compared with the things we can happily do without.

Meanwhile, many are struggling to survive, whether from direct or indirect consequences of the virus.

Image: Foodbank parcel of staples (Source.)

I don’t believe Jesus is my saviour or even the son of God. But this year, I feel that even as an atheist, I’m learning the true meaning of Christmas.

We plan a tiny gathering of five, rather than 17. We’ll have food and fun.

UPDATE 4:15pm on 19 December 2020: Much tighter lockdown. It will be just the two, or possibly three, of us. We have too much food and my parents-in-law will need to get more - and there are no online delivery slots available. Less mixing IS necessary here, but it's always imposed just too late.

Technology means we will see, chat, and play games with those we cannot meet in person. We’ve sent a few gifts: modest amusing ones, or necessary ones, and we are making and requesting donations to certain charities. No extravagant unwanted fripperies that will head straight to the loft, ebay, or regifting drawer. Next year, although I hope for a big gathering again, I want to continue this year’s gift-giving.

Discover the story

Read the original 1905 story free, on Gutenberg, HERE. It's only about 4 pages.

Alternatively, you can get the story from a four-cell comic, though some may think the language inappropriate:



Image by RobDenBleyker (Cyanide and Happiness) (Source.)
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I just read the Goodreads description for this story and laughed my ass off:

O. Henry's classic tale of Della and Jim, the struggling newlyweds so anxious to give each other a Christmas gift that each sells the one thing the other holds most dear, receives an oddly lifeless treatment here. Heyer's meticulously detailed illustrations are pretty but stilted; the characters look like mannequins. The rueful Jim fares better than the poor prematurely middle-aged Della, who at times looks more like his mother than his wife. Still, the story is as touching as ever, and neither time nor mediocre artwork can dim its glory. All ages.

That is the official description of a story (the kindle edition) with more than 62,000 ratings. Aren't show more descriptions/blurbs supposed to be positively biased towards the book? Make no mistake, I love the snarky undertones about the artwork and the fact that it is on this site as a book description rather than a subjective review, it just seemed exceedingly strange to me that that would be the official description.

As for the story, there's not much I can say. I read it a while ago in school but forgot about it until now (the holiday season and the unceasing Christmas music at work reminded me of it). It's decent, not really memorable or special in any way except to teach dim middle-schoolers: "Look, children, that's called TRAGIC IRONY. Copy that down in your notebooks, now!"

Maybe I didn't love this story because I'm not a Christmas person (I'm Jewish by birth but don't practise) nor much of a holiday person. Too much good cheer for my evil tastes, I suppose- but mostly I just wish we celebrated things that are more worthwhile. (I'm not trying to knock any Christians here; I'm talking about cultural holidays in general.) So I couldn't really relate to the couple's strange need to buy things for each other. They are just things, after all.

Anyhow, hopefully everybody reading this has a better Christmas than Jim and Della did, and is perhaps a bit more conscientious about what really matters around the holidays. show less