"The Gift Of The Magi" by O'Henry is about Jim and Dell sacrificing their most valuable possessions in order to bring happiness to each other.
The story starts off with Dell who cuts off and sells her presumably beautiful hair in order to buy a Christmas gift for her husband Jim. Once Jim returns to their home however he stares at Dell with a bewildered expression, Dell thinking Jim doesn't like her now short hair, anxiously tries to get Jim to talk to her. Though once he does the results make Dell become self conscious and she is constantly telling Jim(who seems rather confused) that her hair grows fast and that she did it for him.
After Jim's short moment of confusion however he reassures Dell that he loves her just the same but wants her too unwrap and look inside a package that he has in order to see just why he was so flabbergasted, you see unbeknownst to Dell at the time Jim had sold his gold pocket watch in order to buy her an expensive set of tortoise shell combs for her hair.(Hair that was earlier cut in order to buy him a gift. Is it not ironic?)
Dell crying tears of joy holds the package to her chest and starts to babble on to Jim about how her hair grows fast. After a short amount of time Dell calms down, turns to Jim and says that she would like too give him his gift, so she grabs her present to him and holds it out onto her palm.What was the present that Dell had bought for Jim you ask? Why, it was a gold chain for his pocket watch of course.(Oh, how the irony never cease to exist.)
Jim seeing his gift smiles and sits down on the couch,he then tells Dell that their presents are too nice to use right now and that they should put them away for the time being.Jim then goes on to tell Dell that he had sold his pocket watch in order to buy her the lovely set of tortoise shell combs and then in a nonchalant manner says she should probably "put the chops on."(I'm going to assume that it means they'll have pork chops for dinner.)
Truly Jim and Dell care for each other dearly or else they would not have sacrificed their greatest treasures in order to give the other something they knew would make them happy.
