Editing The Gift of the Magi

{{short description|1905 short story by O. Henry}}
{{About|the short story|the gifts presented to Jesus|Gifts of the Magi|other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox short story | <!-- See [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Novels]] or [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Books]] -->
| name              = The Gift of the Magi
| image             = [[File:The Gift of the Magi.jpg|200px]]
| caption           = Cover of the 2008 edition
| title_orig        = 
| translator        =
| author            = [[O. Henry]]
| country           = United States
| language          = English
| series            =
| genre             = [[Short story]]
| published_in      = ''[[The Four Million]]''
| publication_type  = [[Anthology]]
| publisher         = McClure, Phillips, and Company
| media_type        =
| pub_date          = December 10, 1905 (newspaper); April 10, 1906 (book)<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-gift-of-the-magi-is-published |title=The Gift of the Magi is published – This Day in History – 4/10/1906 |work=history.com |year=2011 |access-date=November 16, 2011}}</ref>
| english_pub_date  =
| preceded_by       =
| followed_by       =
| wikisource = The Gift of the Magi
}}
"'''The Gift of the Magi'''" is a short story by [[O. Henry]] (pen name of William Sydney Porter) 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 plot and its [[twist ending]] are well known; the ending is generally considered an example of [[cosmic irony]].<ref>The irony of the ending lies in the fact that each person's attempt to give a gift that would enhance the prized possession of the other, results in the unintended consequence of each sacrificing his/her own prized possession and thereby rendering the gifts useless.</ref> The story was allegedly written at [[Pete's Tavern]]<ref>{{cite web
 | url = http://www.literarytraveler.com/literary_articles/william_sydney_porter_ohenry.aspx
 | title = O'Henry and The Gift of the Magi
 | work = LiteraryTraveler.com
 | access-date = 2007-05-13
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120217002456/http://www.literarytraveler.com/literary_articles/william_sydney_porter_ohenry.aspx
 | archive-date = 2012-02-17
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref> on Irving Place in New York City.

The story was initially published in ''[[The New York World|The New York Sunday World]]'' under the title "Gifts of the Magi" on December 10, 1905. It was first published in book form in the O. Henry collection ''[[The Four Million]]'' in April 1906.

==Plot==
[[File:FourMillion16.png|thumb|left|Appearance in the 1906 anthology ''[[The Four Million]]'', page 16]]
On [[Christmas Eve]], a woman named Della Dillingham Young discovers that she has only $1.87 (equivalent to about $70 in 2025) to buy a [[Christmas gift|present]] for her husband James, also known as Jim. Despite being poor, the Dillingham Youngs love each other and possess two items they value as treasures: Della's knee-length [[brown hair]] that would depreciate the [[Queen of Sheba]]'s jewels, and Jim's [[gold]] [[pocket watch]], a family [[heirloom]] that would make [[Solomon|King Solomon]] envy him.

Della dresses warmly and visits the nearby shop of a [[wig]] maker, Madame Sofronie, who buys Della's hair for $20 (about $785 in 2025). Della then uses the money to buy a [[platinum]] fob [[chain]] to go with Jim's watch, which he has attached with a worn leather strap. When Jim comes home from work that evening, Della admits that she sold her hair to buy him the chain. Jim gives Della her present, a set of ornamental [[comb]]s, which she cannot use until her hair grows back out. Della gives Jim the watch chain, and he tells her that he sold his watch to buy the combs. While they know the gifts they gave each other cannot be used for a while, Jim and Della realize how far they went to show each other their love and how invaluable it truly is. The story ends with the narrator declaring that those who sacrifice their material possessions for the people they love are as wise as the [[Biblical Magi|magi]].

==Adaptations==
===Films===
* ''The Sacrifice'' (1909)
* '' Love's Surprises Are Futile'' (1916)
* ''The Gift of the Magi'' (1917)
* As a segment of ''[[O. Henry's Full House]]'' (1952)
* ''The Gift of the Magi'' (1958)
* ''The Gift of Love'' (1978), with [[Marie Osmond]]
* ''The Gift of the Magi'' (1978 TV Movie), with [[Debby Boone]]
* ''[[:pl:Dary magów|Dary magów]]'' (Poland, 1972)
* ''Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas'' (1977)
* ''I'll not be a gangster, love'' ({{lang|ru|Не буду гангстером, дорогая|italics=yes}}/{{Transliteration|ru|Ne budu gangsterom, dorogaya}}, USSR, 1978),<ref>[http://www.kino-teatr.ru/kino/movie/sov/81549/annot/ Не буду гангстером, дорогая]</ref>
* ''[[Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas]]'' (1999)<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q1655222|title=Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas}}</ref>
* ''The Gift of the Magi'' (2004)
* ''[[Raincoat (film)|Raincoat]]'' (2004)
* ''For the First Time'' (2010)<ref>{{IMDb name|0377958|O. Henry}}</ref>
* ''Gift of the Magi'' (2010), a made-for-TV Hallmark movie starring Marla Sokoloff and Mark Webber and directed by Lisa Mulcahy
* ''Darovete na vlahvite'' (2013) directed by Ivan Abadjiev.
* ''The Gift of the Magi'' (2014) The Greek film directed by Ismene Daskarolis places it in the [[Greek government-debt crisis|economic crisis of contemporary Greece]].

===Other media===
* In 1930s, the famous Italian playwright [[Eduardo De Filippo]] freely adapted the story to create his drama work ''Il dono di Natale'' (''Christmas Gift''), which is settled in [[Naples]]. 
* In 1955, in ''[[The Honeymooners]]'' episode 13 of season 1, "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" involves Ralph looking for the perfect present for Alice for Christmas. Without money, he pawns his prized bowling ball to buy her an expensive gift, only to find out in the end that she bought him a custom bowling ball bag.
* ''[[Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (book)|Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas]]'', which is a twist on "The Gift of the Magi", is a children's storybook by [[Russell Hoban]] which was first published in 1971.
*In the 1978 Christmas special ''[[Christmas Eve on Sesame Street]]'', Ernie and Bert do an adaptation of "The Gift of the Magi". Ernie gives up his Rubber Duckie to buy Bert a cigar box to put his paperclip collection in, and Bert gives up his paperclip collection to get Ernie a soap dish to put his Rubber Duckie in. In the end, Mr. Hooper happily gives them back their items, realizing how much it hurts to sacrifice their possessions to please each other.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sesame Street: Bert and Ernie Exchange Gifts |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cExeSvmSXMA |access-date=14 December 2024}}</ref>
* [[Newspaper Enterprise Association]] distributed a comic strip adaptation, "Gifts of the Magi", in 1983. The adaptation was credited to the [[Joe Kubert School]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Holtz |first1=Allan |author1-link=Allan Holtz |title=Gifts of the Magi, Part 1 |url=https://comicstriphistory.com/2024/12/gifts-of-the-magi-part-1.html |website=Stripper's Guide |access-date=2024-12-21 |date=20 December 2024}}</ref> 
* An [https://www.broadwayworld.com/shows/The-Gifts-of-the-Magi-326345/cast off-Broadway musical version] entitled ''The Gifts of the Magi''<ref>St. Germain, Mark; Courts, Randy (1984). ''The Gifts of the Magi''. New York: Dramatists Play Service, Inc. {{ISBN|978-0-8222-1461-8}}</ref> premiered at [[Lamb's Theatre]] in New York City in 1984. Written by [[Mark St. Germain]] and [https://www.concordtheatricals.com/a/2882/randy-courts Randy Courts], the play is regularly produced in schools and regional theaters.
* Radio drama series ''[[Adventures in Odyssey]]'' features a comedic adaptation of this story in its episode "Gifts for Madge & Guy" (1987).
* The opening sketch of the December 10, 1988, episode of Season 14 of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' reimagines "The Gift of the Magi" as Donald and Ivana Trump (played by [[Phil Hartman]] and [[Jan Hooks]]) selling their yacht ''Princess'' and estate [[Mar-a-Lago]], each to pay for a gift intended to adorn the other.<ref>{{Citation|title=Watch A Trump Christmas from Saturday Night Live on NBC.com|url=http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/trump-christmas-cold-opening/n9729?snl=1|language=en-us|access-date=2017-08-03}}</ref>
* In 1992, in ''[[Rugrats]]'' episode 27 "The Santa Experience", Phil doesn't know what to get Lil, so Angelica convinces him to give up his precious Reptar doll to get Lil crayons for her coloring book and then convinces Lil to give up the coloring book to get a space helmet for Phil's Reptar doll even though Angelica was now in possession of it. The twins both believe the sacrifice is the greatest gift of all, leaving Angelica in bitter Christmas spirits until she returns the original gifts.
* In 1993, an episode of ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' had TV's Frank selling his hair and buying Dr. Forrester a watch fob. However, Dr. Forrester did not sell his watch to buy Frank a comb, merely thanking Frank for the watch fob for his still-owned watch.
*The title of the 1999 Christmas episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'', "[[Grift of the Magi]]", is a reference to the story.
* A parody appears in the 1999 ''[[Futurama]]'' episode "[[Xmas Story]]", in which [[Zoidberg]] gives [[Amy Wong]] a set of combs, only for her to reveal that she sold her hair to a wigmaker to buy a set of combs for [[Hermes Conrad]], who then reveals that ''he'' sold his hair to a wigmaker to buy a set of combs for Zoidberg. Zoidberg then reveals that he has purchased Amy and Hermes' hair to wear on his head.
* In the 1999 Disney Christmas Video ''[[Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas]]'' Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse do an adaptation of The Gift of the Magi.  Mickey trades his harmonica to buy Minnie a chain for her watch and Minnie trades her watch to get Mickey a case for his harmonica.
* The beginning moments of the 2002 special ''[[It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie]]'' feature gags based on the story. For example, while [[Rizzo the Rat]] sells his collection of rare cheese to buy [[Gonzo (Muppet)|Gonzo]] a dish for his mold collection, Gonzo reveals he sold his mold collection to buy Rizzo a cheese slicer.
* In 2004, during the intro of Season 1, Episode 7 of [[The L Word]] ("L'Ennui"), [[List of The L Word characters#F|Marina Ferrer]]'s lover, [[List of The L Word characters#W|Francesca Wolff]], synopsizes the story while she seduces the ''[[Ballet dancer|prima ballerina]]'' of the [[opera]] for which she is the [[costume designer]].
* The 2009 Christmas episode of ''[[Robot Chicken]]'' features a parody of "The Gift of the Magi", where Jim refuses to sell his watch for expensive brushes and buys Della lingerie instead, much to her displeasure.
* In the 2009 Christmas special of ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'', "[[Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation]]", Candace sells her necklace that she was planning on trading for earrings, to buy her boyfriend Jeremy a new guitar, while Jeremy trades his old guitar which he was planning on trading for a new one, to buy Candace the earrings she wanted. This twists the story so that each party ends up with the gift they wanted anyway.
*In the 2010 Hallmark Christmas movie special of ''[[Heartland (Canadian TV series)|Heartland]]'', "[[A Heartland Christmas]]", Ashley sells her [[Charm bracelet]] to buy her husband Caleb a new belt for his "[[All-Around|All-Around Cowboy]]" belt buckle, while Caleb sells his "All-Around Cowboy" belt buckle to buy Ashley the Star charm she was looking at earlier in the movie for her Charm bracelet. Upon this discovery, Ashley likens it to an "[[O. Henry]]" moment, recounting the story before Caleb interrupts her with a kiss.
* [[The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.]] season 2 episode 5 features the storyline, with  display cabinet for figurines and a customizable bear doll for a sewing kit that are sold to buy the respective gifts.
* The second track on the 2011 album ''[[Knife Man]]'' by [[AJJ (band)|AJJ]] is entitled Gift of the Maji 2: Return of the Maji in allusion to this fable. 
* The 2012 music video of the Hindi [[ghazal]] song 'Aur Ahista Kijiye Baatein' by [[Pankaj Udhas]] is based on The Gift of the Magi. It tells the story of an Indian girl living abroad who falls in love with a local biker, and she sells her hair to buy bike accessories for him. When she hands the gifts to him, he reveals he sold his bike to buy a [[saree]] and flowers for her. It stars [[Bollywood]] actress [[Sameera Reddy]].
* Volume 9 of "[[My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, as I Expected]]", released in 2014, features a play adaptation of The Gift of the Magi performed by children.
* The 2016 [[Tantei Opera Milky Holmes]] special episode, ''Fun Fun Party Night - Ken to Janet no Okurimono'', features a parody of "The Gift of the Magi." The title is a reference to the Japanese title of the story, "Kenja no Okurimono''."''
* In 2018, an episode of ''[[Puppy Dog Pals]]'' entitled "Bingo and Rolly's Birthday" had each of the two dog characters trading their prized possessions (a stick collection and a Captain Dog action figure) to obtain gifts for each other (a box for the stick collection, and a spring to repair the launcher on the action figure).
* A parody appears in the 2019 ''[[Family Guy]]'' episode "Bri, Robot", in which [[Peter Griffin]] gets a job as a masseur, using the money he earns to buy [[Lois Griffin]] a comb for her beautiful hair, only for her to reveal that she sold her beautiful hair to buy him a bottle of massage oil.
* In ''[[Glee (TV series)|Glee]]'' season 2, episode 10, Mr. Shue talks about the tale with their students in the choir.
* In 2019 composer [[Eric Whitacre]] composed and conducted a one-act chamber opera of The Gift of the Magi for five soloists, piano, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale.
* In [[Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star]] by Brandon Mull, Errol Fisk references the tale while conversing with Kendra about his livelihood.
* In [[Honkai: Star Rail]], the quest line "Hook’s Gift" is based on this tale.
* In November 2023, [[StarKid Productions]] and composer Clark Baxtresser's musical ''VHS Christmas Carols'' premiered live at the Apollo Theater in Chicago, featuring a segment based on ''The Gift of the Magi''. Originally a 2020 virtual show based solely on [[Charles Dickens]]' ''[[A Christmas Carol]]'' that would receive a live run and recording in 2021, a first act was added in 2023 to adapt ''Magi'' in addition to [[Hans Christian Andersen]]'s ''[[The Little Match Girl]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.teamstarkid.com/vhs-christmas-carols-2023 | title=VHS Christmas Carols 2023 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of Christmas-themed literature]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikisource|The Gift of the Magi}}
* [http://www.auburn.edu/~vestmon/Gift_of_the_Magi.html "The Gift of the Magi"] by O Henry
* {{librivox book | title=The Gift of the Magi | author=O. Henry}}
* [http://edsitement.neh.gov/launchpad-o-henrys-gift-magi-common-core-exemplar O'Henry's "The Gift of the Magi":Common Core Exemplar from NEH's EDSITEment]
* [http://www.shmoop.com/gift-of-the-magi/ "The Gift of the Magi"] study guide, teacher resources, themes, quotes

{{O. Henry}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gift of the Magi, The}}
[[Category:1905 short stories]]
[[Category:Christmas short stories]]
[[Category:American short stories]]
[[Category:1900s short stories]]
[[Category:Irony]]
[[Category:Short stories by O. Henry]]
[[Category:Short stories adapted into films]]
[[Category:Works originally published in the New York World]]