The Gift of the Magi

by O. Henry

Thinking about this little story gives me goosebumps. You probably remember it: Della and Jim find themselves with scarce money to buy each other presents at Christmas, so they have to be resourceful. If you don’t know the story, I won’t spoil it for you, but suffice it to say that their love for each other outshines their gifts in a twist of sweet irony. At the very end of the story, says Jim to Della, “let’s put our Christmas presents away and keep ’em a while. They’re too nice to use just at present. … And now suppose you put the chops on.”