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A TEACHER'S GUIDE

In partial fulfillment of Midterm Requirement

SELE17 - Teaching and Assessment of Literature SY: 2023-2024 (Second Semester)

Prepared by:

Bernabe, Alex Julianne

Tariao, Aya Jane M.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………….. 5

Vocabulary List ……………………………………………………………………...…………. 6

Pre-reading Activities

● Activity #1: Yay or Nay ……………………………………………………………….... 7

● Activity #2: Chain Prediction …………………………………………………...…….. 8

● Activity #3: Paint me a Picture ………………………………………………..…….. 8-9

● Activity #4: A Piece of Me ……………………………………………………...……… 9

● Activity #5: Vocabulary Building ………………………………………………….. 9-10

While Reading Activities

● Basic Understanding of the Text

➔ Activity #1: So, What’s Next? ………………………………………………... 11

➔ Discussion Questions ………………………………………………………….. 12

● Analysis and Interpretation of the Text

➔ New Criticism Approach

◆ Activity #2: Show, Don’t Tell ……………………………….…….. 12-13

➔ Structuralism Approach

◆ Activity #3: Lost in Translation ……………………………….….. 13-14

➔ Reader-Response Approach

◆ Activity #4: Dear Diary, It’s Me ………………………………….. 14-15

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➔ Stylistics Approach

◆ Activity #:5 Unwrapping The Gift of Irony …………………….….. 16

➔ Language Based Approach

◆ Activity: Rewrite the Ending ……………………………………..…. 17

◆ Activity: My Wishlist: Figures of Speech Edition ……………...…… 17

◆ Activity:My Wishlist: Symbolism Edition ………………………..…. 18

◆ Activity: What's your love language? ………………………….… 18-20

◆ Activity: Wrapping Up ………………………………………….……. 20

➔ Critical Analysis Approach

◆ Activity #6: Magi™ - The Home Shopping Channel …………… 20-21

● Bridging the Text and Context

➔ Discussion Questions ……………………………………………………..…… 21

Post-Reading Activities

● Activity #1: Modern-Day Adaptation ………………………………………….……. 22

● Activity #2: Gift of Magi: The Movie …………………………………………….….. 22

● Activity #3: Love is the Universal Language………………………………………… 22

● Activity #4: IRL Magi…………………………………………………………………. 22

● Activity #5: The Gift of the Magi - The Live Action………………………………… 22

Copy of the Text ………………………………………………………………………...…. 23-27

Appendices ………………………………………………………………………………… 28-33

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Introduction

“The Gift of the Magi” is a short story written by O. Henry, and was published in 1905.
The story revolves around the loving couple, Jim and Della, who are financially challenged. The
story depicts the selfless love the couple has for each other through their action of sacrificing
their most prized possessions in order to buy a Christmas present for the other.
In the story, Della sells off her beautiful hair to buy a platinum chain for Jim's cherished
pocket watch. Meanwhile, Jim sells his picker watch to buy expensive combs for Della's
beautiful hair. This sacrifice of theirs results in their gifts becoming useless for the other, yet it
emphasizes the true meaning of love and the value behind the thoughtfulness of their gifts.
Through their display of genuine love, selflessness, and thoughtfulness, they were able to mirror
the essence of a wise gift-giver - the Magi.
This teacher's guide comprises numerous activities designed to assist teachers in
comprehending and analyzing the story effectively. It also integrates diverse methods for
teaching literature at an intermediate level of student comprehension. Also, this guide aims to
convey the themes of thoughtfulness, selflessness, and genuine love that transcends hardships.
Beyond just analyzing the themes and overall meaning of the literary work, this teacher's guide
aims to actively engage the students, boost their reading comprehension, enrich their vocabulary,
and foster their critical thinking skills through the implementation of creative and interactive
activities.
The teacher’s guide is divided into four sections. The first section is the vocabulary list,
where unfamiliar words found in the story are listed and defined. The second section is the
pre-reading activities. Take note that the level of the activities in this guide is in the intermediate
level. There are five activities under the pre-reading activities section that will help motivate the
students in warming up their knowledge and understanding of the chosen literary text. The third
section is the while-reading activities. In this section, the basic understanding of the students
about the chosen literary work will be tested with one activity followed by five discussion
questions. This is then followed by five literary approaches (new criticism, structuralism,
reader-response, stylistics, language-based, and critical analysis approach), each containing
activities catered to the focus of the respective approaches, followed by discussion questions that
will examine the understanding and application of critical thinking by the students. This section
ends with five questions that are aimed towards the bridging of the selection with the real world.
The fourth and last section is the post-reading activities, containing five activities that go beyond
the confines of the text. A copy of the chosen selection, “The Gift of the Magi” as well as an
appendix for the materials used in the activities can be found at the end of this guide.
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VOCABULARY LIST:

● Adornments - decorative items.

● Cascading - falling or flowing in a series of steps or stages.
● Chronicle - a detailed account of important or historical events in chronological order.
● Dandy - excellent, very good.
● Discreet - careful and tactful, especially in avoiding causing offense or attention.
● Dwelling - a house or other building in which someone lives.
● Ecstatic - feeling or expressing overwhelming joy or happiness.
● Fob chain - a short chain attached to a pocket watch, typically worn on a waistcoat.
● Hysterical - excessively emotional or excited, typically to the point of being unable to
act rationally.
● Imputation - the act of attributing something to someone or something.
● Lamely - a weak, awkward, or unconvincing way.
● Meretricious - characterized by vulgar ostentation.
● Parsimony - excessive thriftiness or frugality.
● Pier-glass - large mirror mounted vertically against a wall.
● Uneventful - not marked by important or exciting events.
● Vestibule - a small entrance hall or lobby.
● Wail - to cry out loudly and uncontrollably, typically in grief or pain.
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PRE-READING ACTIVITIES

The following are activities that are designed to motivate the students and encourage their
involvement in the topic and theme of the text. These activities aim to prepare students for the
full understanding of the text.

Activity #1: Yay or Nay

Instructions: The teacher will provide a list of statements related to themes of love, sacrifice,
and gift-giving. The students will be asked whether they agree or disagree with each statement –
Yay if they agree, and Nay if they don’t. The teacher will facilitate the discussion of their
responses and their reasons in class.
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Activity #2: Chain Prediction

Instructions: The teacher begins by displaying the prepared story starter sentence on the
projector screen. This is the first domino in the chain reaction of creativity. The teacher will then
assign the students to a random order. The first student will then be asked to add the next
sentence to the story based on the provided starter and their own imagination. Each subsequent
student will take turns adding a sentence, building upon the previous contributions and
completing the story based on their understanding and their predictions. Discuss the
collaborative effort and the different directions the story could have taken.

Activity #3: Paint Me a Picture

Instructions: The teacher will ask the students to select from among the given images or
symbols which best represent Jim and Della. Let the students create a collage using these visuals
and write short descriptions explaining their choices.
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Activity #4: A Piece of Me

Instructions: The teacher will begin by posing a thought-provoking question to the class:
"Think about a gift you have given or received that held a special meaning beyond its monetary
value." To encourage deeper reflection, the teacher will instruct students to write a short
paragraph about this meaningful gift experience. Students should be encouraged to delve into the
reasons behind the gift's significance. The teacher may choose to divide the class into small
groups for a brief sharing session. The teacher will instruct each group to choose a representative
who will share the most impactful story from their group with the entire class.

Activity #5: Vocabulary Building

Instructions: The teacher will meticulously select key vocabulary words that students might
encounter within the text. The teacher will provide the worksheet for students to work on, with
the key words and their definitions. The students will be asked to construct sentences using the
target vocabulary words. These sentences can directly relate to the story's events or characters,
or students can craft sentences that incorporate the words into their own lives.
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WHILE READING ACTIVITIES

The following are activities that are designed to enhance the students’ comprehension and
reading strategies and foster their critical thinking, analysis, and overall understanding of the
story. Different approaches are implemented to equip students with the necessary tools in
becoming well-rounded readers.

Basic Understanding of the Text:

Activity #1: So, what’s next? (Ongoing)

Instructions: The teacher will provide the students with a pre-designed graphic organizer
specifically crafted for creating a story timeline. The timeline will be composed of significant
events or actions taken by characters, pivotal decisions made, or even moments of intense
emotional impact. Once students have completed the story, the teacher can facilitate a discussion
centered on the timelines.
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Discussion Questions:
1. Who are the characters in the story?
2. When and where is the setting of the story?
3. What is the theme of the story?
4. How can you describe the relationship between the couple?
5. What is the moral of the text?

Analysis and Interpretation

A. New Criticism Approach

Activity #2: “Show, Don't Tell”

Instructions: The teacher will begin by strategically selecting specific passages from the story
where the author describes the characters' emotions or situations. The teacher will then present
these chosen passages to the class. The teacher will emphasize the importance of textual
evidence. Students should use specific quotes and details from the passages to support their
claims about how the author "shows" the characters' emotions or situations.

Passage #1: Della’s Desperation

"The magi, as you know, were wise men – wonderingly wise men – who brought
gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of Christmas giving. Wisely enough,
they did not put their money all into one present. They spread it out among three. Della’s
heart swelled with managerial pride as she surveyed her possessions. One dollar and
eighty-seven cents. And the pretenses must be maintained at any cost."

Passage #2: Jim’s Stoicism

"Jim looked at Della with a certain grave tenderness. Della did not interrupt him.
He had never been a very good storyteller; and cheerfulness was his usual trade. So it was with
a sigh that he added: ‘The pawnbroker hasn’t got anything I fancy, Della. And I’m not worried
about the watch either. It’s stopped anyway.’"

Passage #3: Della’s Sacrifice

"Della whirled around the chair with a cry and a clutch at her hair. … The long
strands fell like a cascade in her hands, and then, two ropes of it, heavy with dead weight, hung
to her knees like a brown waterfall. Her head was bare but for the short curly fringe that framed
her face in a tier of graded curls. … She could just reach across the table from where she sat and
touch the ends of her hair with her finger tips."
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Passage #4: Jim’s Surprise

"Della entered, shy and trembling, enveloped in a close-fitting grey cloak. Her
head was covered with a brown veil. Jim looked up – then down – not understandingly. …
His eyes were fixed upon her. Perhaps the shortness of the skirt betrayed her. He lifted his
questioning eyes with a puzzled look."

Passage #5: Mutual Realization

"The magi, as you know, were wise men – wonderingly wise men – who brought
gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of Christmas giving. In all their
wisdom, they probably did not put the dressing-up of the wise men for good and sufficient
reasons. … The magi, as I read it, were not conjurers. They were magi. And herein a
lesson for us all. The magi, innocent as babes, came to see him, bearing wise gifts. And
so I find it all wrong. For those who think more of what they give than of what they
receive, are the true wise ones."

Discussion Questions:

1. Analyze the author's word choice. How does O. Henry uses diction to create specific
emotions, establish setting, or develop character traits?
2. How does O. Henry’s use of figurative language enhance your understanding of the text?
3. Identify and analyze the different types of irony present in the story. How does irony
contribute to the overall meaning and impact of the story?
4. What are the symbolic meanings of objects like Della's hair, Jim's watch, and the combs?
How do these symbols contribute to the theme of the story?
5. What is the significance of the title, "The Gift of the Magi"? How does it relate to the
themes and central conflict of the story?

B. Structuralism Approach

Activity #3: "Lost in Translation"

Instructions: The teacher will begin by selecting several excerpts from the story and, with a
playful twist, alter them. The teacher will then divide the class into small groups. Each group
will be assigned a unique, genre-bent excerpt from the story. The groups will embark on a
collaborative mission: to decipher the excerpt and translate it back into its original context within
the story.
After a designated time for group work, the teacher can facilitate a class discussion. Each group
will have the opportunity to present their findings: the genre they identified, the original meaning
of the excerpt, and its significance within the story.
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Sample Excerpts:
A.
Della shrieked, a hair-raising feat,
And grabbed at her mane, a tangled retreat.
Down it tumbled, a cascading sight,
Like a brown waterfall, losing its fight.
Bare scalp remained, a shocking display,
Just wispy curls framing her face all the way.
With a longing touch, from her seated place,
She grazed the shorn ends, a tear on her face.

B.
With a nervous flutter, a cloaked figure emerged from the shadows. A
brown veil concealed most of her face, lending her an air of mystery. Jim,
lost in his own thoughts, looked startled. The figure shuffled closer, a far
cry from the princess he remembered. Her once flowing gown was
replaced by a simple, gray cloak. Was this some kind of wicked spell? Jim
squinted, his brow furrowing as he tried to decipher the clues. Perhaps the
hem of her garment, shorter than usual, held the key to this puzzling
transformation.

Discussion Questions:
1. How is the story structured? Is it linear, or does it follow a non-linear pattern?
2. Identify and discuss recurring motifs in the story, such as hair, time, and scarcity. How do
these motifs contribute to the story's themes?
3. Explore binary pairs such as sacrifice vs. love, material possessions vs. emotional
bonds. How do these pairs intersect and create meaning?
4. From which perspective was the story structured? Why might O. Henry has chosen to tell
the story from this perspective?
5. Does the narrator’s choice influence our understanding of the characters and their
motivations?

C. Reader-Response Approach

Activity 4: Dear Diary, It’s Me

Instructions: Choose a specific point in the story and ask students to write a diary entry from the
perspective of either Della or Jim. Encourage them to reflect on their emotions, thoughts, and
motivations based on the information they have read so far and how they would have felt if they
were Delia or Jim.
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Discussion Questions:
1. How does the story resonate with you personally? Which character did you connect with
more: Della or Jim? Why?
2. Can you think of a time when you made a sacrifice for someone you loved? How did it
make you feel?
3. If the story was told from the perspective of a third-party observer instead of focusing on
Della and Jim, how do you think the reader's perception of their actions and the story's
message would change?
4. What might O. Henry be suggesting about the true meaning of love and sacrifice through
this story?
5. If you could give Della or Jim advice before they sold their prized possessions, what
would it be? Why?
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D. Stylistics Approach

Activity: Unwrapping The Gift of Irony

Instructions: Assign the students to find and identify the specific instances where irony exists.
Using the graphic organizer provided, and have the students write down the ironies they find in
the story and let them identify whether it is situational, dramatic, or verbal.

Discussion Questions:
1. What are some examples of foreshadowing in the story, and how does it contribute to the
situational irony found in the story?
2. Choose one instance in the story where situational irony is used. How does this instance
contribute to the themes found in the story?
3. What are some figures of speech used in the story? How does it affect the tone of the
story?
4. How does the use of omniscient, third-person perspective affect the narration of the story,
as well as the characters and events?
5. Choose a line in the story that captures the theme/s of the story. How do the stylistic
choices used in the line contribute to the theme/s?
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E. Language-based Approach
The following are activities that will enable the students to enhance their language skills:

1. Rewrite the Ending

After reading the story, instruct the students to create their own version of the ending.
Give them sufficient time to think and write their rewritten ending. Afterward, discuss the
re-written version of the ending they have written and ask them to try and justify why they
decided to write such an ending. The alternative endings they will create must be in the form of
poetry or declamation.

2. My Wishlist: Figures of Speech Edition

Have the students list down as many lines or phrases as they can find under each category
of figures of speech: simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole. After listing down the
lines/phrases found in each category, ask the students how the use of the following figurative
language enhanced their understanding of the story. Encourage the students to thoroughly read
the selection by saying that there will be bonus points if they find lines or phrases that use a
figurative language not mentioned in the list!
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3. My Wishlist: Symbolism Edition

After reading the story, have the students identify and list down objects, actions, or
settings found in the text that they think holds deeper symbolic meanings. After identifying the
symbol, let them choose specific word choices or descriptive words that can be associated with
the said symbol. Afterward, discuss how the found symbolisms contribute to the theme and
overall meaning of the story.

4. What's your love language?

Divide the class into three (3) groups. Assign each group with sections of the story where
Della and Jim interact. Have two of the students in each group play as Della and Jim and re-enact
the assigned scene. Let the rest of the members analyze the language used in the dialogue and
discuss how their interaction reveals their characteristics, feelings, and style of communication.
Discuss how these dialogues contribute to the theme/s of the story.

Scene 1:
She looked at her reflection in the mirror long, carefully, and critically.
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“If Jim doesn't kill me,” she said to herself, “before he takes a second look at me,
he'll say I look like a Coney Island chorus girl. But what could I do—oh! what could I do
with a dollar and eighty-seven cents?”

She whispered: “Please God, make him think I am still pretty.”

The door opened, and Jim stepped in and closed it.

“Jim, darling,” she cried, “don't look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and sold
it because I couldn't have lived through Christmas without giving you a present. It'll grow
out again—you won't mind, will you? I just had to do it. My hair grows awfully fast. Say
‘Merry Christmas!’ Jim, and let's be happy. You don't know what a nice—what a
beautiful, nice gift I've got for you.”

“You've cut off your hair?” asked Jim, laboriously, as if he had not arrived at that patent
fact yet even after the hardest mental labor.

Scene 2:
“You've cut off your hair?” asked Jim, laboriously, as if he had not arrived at that patent
fact yet even after the hardest mental labor.

“Cut it off and sold it,” said Della. “Don't you like me just as well, anyhow? I'm me
without my hair, ain't I?”

Jim looked about the room curiously.

“You say your hair is gone?” he said, with an air almost of idiocy.

“You needn't look for it,” said Della. “It's sold, I tell you—sold and gone, too. It's
Christmas Eve, boy. Be good to me, for it went for you. Maybe the hairs of my head were
numbered,” she went on with sudden serious sweetness, “but nobody could ever count my
love for you. Shall I put the chops on, Jim?”

Scene 3:
Jim drew a package from his overcoat pocket and threw it upon the table.

“Don't make any mistake, Dell,” he said, “about me. I don't think there's anything in
the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less. But
if you'll unwrap that package you may see why you had me going a while at first.”
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For there lay The Combs. She hugged them to her bosom, and at length she was able to
look up with dim eyes and a smile and say: “My hair grows so fast, Jim!”

“Isn't it a dandy, Jim? I hunted all over town to find it. You'll have to look at the
time a hundred times a day now. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks on it.”

Instead of obeying, Jim tumbled down on the couch and put his hands under the back of
his head and smiled.

“Dell,” said he, “let's put our Christmas presents away and keep ’em a while.
They're too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs.
And now suppose you put the chops on.”

5. Wrapping Up
Assign the students to write an outline of the story. Instruct the students to only include
the important points, and to not include minute details.

F. Critical Literacy Approach

Activity: Magi™ - The Home Shopping Channel

Instructions: Group the class into two (2) groups. The first group will be assigned to advertise
and sell their assigned item: Della’s beautiful hair. Similarly, the second group will be assigned
to advertise and sell their assigned item: Jim’s prized pocket watch. Each group should act as if
they are in a home shopping channel and persuade the viewers (teacher and classmates) to
purchase the item.
Discussion Questions:
1. How does the narrative illustrate the difficulties and harsh realities experienced by
individuals in the working class, like Della and Jim?
2. How does the story present the societal expectations and pressures surrounding
consumerism and gift-giving during the Christmas period?
3. Going beyond the idealized representation of their sacrifice, what larger societal
challenges and economic circumstances influence the characters' situation?
4. Beyond the romanticized portrayal of their sacrifice, what broader societal issues and
economic realities contribute to the characters' circumstances?
5. Are there alternative decisions or choices the characters could have considered, given
their limited resources and the societal pressures they were under?
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Bridging Text and Context:

Let the students read the questions first. Afterward, instruct them to choose one question
out of the five questions that they would like to answer. Allow there to be thinking time (around
3-5 minutes should suffice) before they present their answer in front of the class.

1. Are Della and Jim's struggles with money and their way of showing love still relevant
today? Have you heard of similar situations people face nowadays?
2. Christmas gifts and traditions have changed since the story was written in the 20th
century. How have they changed? Do these changes reflect broader societal shifts in
values and priorities?
3. In the story, Della and Jim feel pressured to buy expensive gifts despite already
struggling financially. Does this remind you of anything happening now? Do you agree
with the notion that buying things doesn't always demonstrate care? Why or why not?
4. The story uses humor and situational irony to convey a message. Do you think people
from different cultures or time periods would find the humor and irony equally funny or
surprising? Why or why not?
5. The story shows how Della and Jim face limitations due to their social class. Does this
situation seem true to life for the time period the story is set in? Are there still similar
situations today where certain groups of people have fewer opportunities or advantages
compared to others?
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POST READING ACTIVITIES

Activity #1: Modern-Day Adaptation (Group Project)

Instructions: In groups, rewrite the story in a modern setting, adapting the characters, situations,
and challenges faced by Della and Jim to a contemporary context. Discuss how the story's core
message remains relevant across time.

Activity #2: Gift of Magi: The Movie

Instructions: Design a movie poster for a film adaptation of “The Gift of the Magi.” Capture the
story's essence through visuals, including the title, character representations, and a tagline that
reflects the central theme.

Activity #3: Love is the Universal Language

Instructions: Assign the students to research the gift-giving customs and traditions of different
countries. Among the results, the students are to choose only one custom/tradition that they
resonate with and present it creatively. Let the students’ creativity take free rein for this activity.

Activity #4: IRL Magi

Instructions: Assign the students to research for real-life people who are known to be
philanthropists or have done and accomplished deeds that can be considered as selfless acts of
love, generosity, and sacrifice to others. Include the name, history, and deeds of the chosen figure
in a short documentary film with a duration of about 5-7 minutes.

Activity #5: The Gift of the Magi - The Live Action

Instructions: Task the students with the creation of a bucket list containing a planned date with
their special other (can be with their family members, relatives, friends, or partner). The date
should be fun and thrifty to truly emulate the story of “The Gift of the Magi.” At the end of the
date, the students should have a compilation of pictures that they documented as proof and
present it to the class.
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The Gift of the Magi

ONE DOLLAR AND eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies.
Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the
butcher until one's cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing
implied. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day
would be Christmas.

There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did
it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with
sniffles predominating.

While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a
look at the home. A furnished flat at $8 per week. It did not exactly beggar description, but it
certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad.

In the vestibule below was a letter-box into which no letter would go, and an electric button from
which no mortal finger could coax a ring. Also appertaining thereunto was a card bearing the
name “Mr. James Dillingham Young.” The “Dillingham” had been flung to the breeze during a
former period of prosperity when its possessor was being paid $30 per week. Now, when the
income was shrunk to $20, the letters of “Dillingham” looked blurred, as though they were
thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D. But whenever Mr. James
Dillingham Young came home and reached his flat above he was called “Jim” and greatly
hugged by Mrs. James Dillingham Young, already introduced to you as Della. Which is all very
good.

Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She stood by the window
and looked out dully at a grey cat walking a grey fence in a grey backyard. Tomorrow would be
Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. She had been saving
every penny she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn't go far.
Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. Only $1.87 to buy a present
for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him.
Something fine and rare and sterling—something just a little bit near to being worthy of the
honor of being owned by Jim.

There was a pier-glass between the windows of the room. Perhaps you have seen a pier-glass in
an $8 flat. A very thin and very agile person may, by observing his reflection in a rapid sequence
of longitudinal strips, obtain a fairly accurate conception of his looks. Della, being slender, had
mastered the art.
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Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. Her eyes were shining
brilliantly, but her face had lost its color within twenty seconds. Rapidly she pulled down her hair
and let it fall to its full length.

Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a
mighty pride. One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. The
other was Della's hair. Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would
have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels
and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim
would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at his beard from
envy.

So now Della's beautiful hair fell about her, rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters.
It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her. And then she did it up again
nervously and quickly. Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed
on the worn red carpet.

On went her old brown jacket; on went her old brown hat. With a whirl of skirts and with the
brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she fluttered out the door and down the stairs to the street.

Where she stopped the sign read: “Mme. Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds.” One flight up
Della ran, and collected herself, panting. Madame, large, too white, chilly, hardly looked the
“Sofronie.”

“Will you buy my hair?” asked Della.

“I buy hair,” said Madame. “Take yer hat off and let's have a sight at the looks of it.”

Down rippled the brown cascade. “Twenty dollars,” said Madame, lifting the mass with a
practised hand.

“Give it to me quick,” said Della.

Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings. Forget the hashed metaphor. She was
ransacking the stores for Jim's present.

She found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. There was no other like it in
any of the stores, and she had turned all of them inside out. It was a platinum fob chain simple
and chaste in design, properly proclaiming its value by substance alone and not by meretricious
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ornamentation—as all good things should do. It was even worthy of The Watch. As soon as she
saw it she knew that it must be Jim's. It was like him. Quietness and value—the description
applied to both. Twenty-one dollars they took from her for it, and she hurried home with the 87
cents. With that chain on his watch Jim might be properly anxious about the time in any
company. Grand as the watch was, he sometimes looked at it on the sly on account of the old
leather strap that he used in place of a chain.

When Della reached home her intoxication gave way a little to prudence and reason. She got out
her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work repairing the ravages made by generosity
added to love. Which is always a tremendous task, dear friends—a mammoth task.

Within forty minutes her head was covered with tiny, close-lying curls that made her look
wonderfully like a truant schoolboy. She looked at her reflection in the mirror long, carefully,
and critically.

“If Jim doesn't kill me,” she said to herself, “before he takes a second look at me, he'll say I look
like a Coney Island chorus girl. But what could I do—oh! what could I do with a dollar and
eighty-seven cents?”

At 7 o'clock the coffee was made and the frying-pan was on the back of the stove hot and ready
to cook the chops.

Jim was never late. Della doubled the fob chain in her hand and sat on the corner of the table
near the door that he always entered. Then she heard his step on the stair away down on the first
flight, and she turned white for just a moment. She had a habit for saying little silent prayers
about the simplest everyday things, and now she whispered: “Please God, make him think I am
still pretty.”

The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow,
he was only twenty-two—and to be burdened with a family! He needed a new overcoat and he
was without gloves.

Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail. His eyes were fixed
upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her. It
was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had
been prepared for. He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face.

Della wriggled off the table and went for him.

 25

“Jim, darling,” she cried, “don't look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and sold it because I
couldn't have lived through Christmas without giving you a present. It'll grow out again—you
won't mind, will you? I just had to do it. My hair grows awfully fast. Say ‘Merry Christmas!’
Jim, and let's be happy. You don't know what a nice—what a beautiful, nice gift I've got for you.”

“You've cut off your hair?” asked Jim, laboriously, as if he had not arrived at that patent fact yet
even after the hardest mental labor.

“Cut it off and sold it,” said Della. “Don't you like me just as well, anyhow? I'm me without my
hair, ain't I?”

Jim looked about the room curiously.

“You say your hair is gone?” he said, with an air almost of idiocy.

“You needn't look for it,” said Della. “It's sold, I tell you—sold and gone, too. It's Christmas Eve,
boy. Be good to me, for it went for you. Maybe the hairs of my head were numbered,” she went
on with sudden serious sweetness, “but nobody could ever count my love for you. Shall I put the
chops on, Jim?”

Out of his trance Jim seemed quickly to wake. He enfolded his Della. For ten seconds let us
regard with discreet scrutiny some inconsequential object in the other direction. Eight dollars a
week or a million a year—what is the difference? A mathematician or a wit would give you the
wrong answer. The magi brought valuable gifts, but that was not among them. This dark
assertion will be illuminated later on.

Jim drew a package from his overcoat pocket and threw it upon the table.

“Don't make any mistake, Dell,” he said, “about me. I don't think there's anything in the way of a
haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less. But if you'll unwrap
that package you may see why you had me going a while at first.”

White fingers and nimble tore at the string and paper. And then an ecstatic scream of joy; and
then, alas! a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails, necessitating the immediate
employment of all the comforting powers of the lord of the flat.

For there lay The Combs—the set of combs, side and back, that Della had worshipped long in a
Broadway window. Beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jeweled rims—just the shade to
wear in the beautiful vanished hair. They were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had
 26

simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were
hers, but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone.

But she hugged them to her bosom, and at length she was able to look up with dim eyes and a
smile and say: “My hair grows so fast, Jim!”

And them Della leaped up like a little singed cat and cried, “Oh, oh!”

Jim had not yet seen his beautiful present. She held it out to him eagerly upon her open palm.
The dull precious metal seemed to flash with a reflection of her bright and ardent spirit.

“Isn't it a dandy, Jim? I hunted all over town to find it. You'll have to look at the time a hundred
times a day now. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks on it.”

Instead of obeying, Jim tumbled down on the couch and put his hands under the back of his head
and smiled.

“Dell,” said he, “let's put our Christmas presents away and keep ’em a while. They're too nice to
use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now suppose you
put the chops on.”

The magi, as you know, were wise men—wonderfully wise men—who brought gifts to the Babe
in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no
doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I
have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most
unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the
wise of these days let it be said that of all who 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.
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I. APPENDICES
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