The Gift of the Magi

One of my favorite stories at Christmas time is by O. Henry, The Gift of the Magi. I remember as a young girl reading this story with my mom. I even did a report on O. Henry and acted out the story, The Gift of the Magi for my class. In that reenactment, I used my grandfather's pocket watch and used a beautiful comb that my mother had (I believe it may have been my great grandmother's). 

On Sunday morning, I read the short story to my girls. We talked about the magi, making sacrifices for others, and true love. Now, in all honesty, this may sound somewhat sugary and sweet, but my girls did find parts of it a bit comical (especially when I began to shed a tear or two near the end!). But, I do think the end result of sharing this with my girls made a little impact on them.


Let me say that if you haven't read O. Henry's story, you should. And, if you have read it now is a great time to reread it. Finally, it is a great example of someone giving up what is most valuable to them for the love of another. And I think all children benefit from this lesson.

Here is an online copy of the story.