William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862--June 5, 1910), better known by his pen name, O. Henry, was an American short story writer. His stories are known for their surprise endings.
“The Gift of the Magi” is a short story by O. Henry, first published in 1905. The story tells of a young husband and wife and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money. As a sentimental story with a moral lesson about gift-giving, it has been popular for adaptation, especially for presentation at Christmas time. The story starts with a girl named Della, who has only US$1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. On Christmas Eve, with only one day left to find a Christmas gift for her husband, Jim, Della sells her hair for US$20 to a nearby hairdresser, Madame Sofronie. She eventually finds a platinum (白金) pocket watch chain for Jim’s watch for US$21 and was satisfied that she found the perfect gift for Jim.
Later that night, Della admits to Jim that she sold her hair to buy him his present. Jim gives Della her present--a set of combs, useless now that her hair is shortened. Della then shows Jim the chain she bought for him, to which Jim says he sold his watch to get the money to buy her ornamental combs. Although Jim and Della are now left with gifts that neither one can use, they realize how far they are willing to show their love for each other, and how priceless their love really is.