Have you menfolk ever found yourself in a tight fix where it is barely a few days before Christmas, and yet you still have to figure out what you could possibly give your most cherished loved one? I know I have, and it was especially difficult, particularly if it was a gift for the love of my life. I have often wondered whether this trait of being clueless at gift-giving is common only among menfolk or, perhaps, is it just me? Hmm…

One of the most cherished and meaningful Christmas stories of love and self-sacrifice is O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi,” a required reading decades ago during my high school years in Ateneo. First published in 1905 and reprinted in many languages, it is a comfort to read. Short but colorfully descriptive; short but expressive; short but meaningful; short but timeless; and short but resonates for all people. O. Henry was the pen name of American short story writer William Sydney Porter, whose vast volume of outstanding work merited the creation of the annual O. Henry Award in 1919 by the Society of Arts and Sciences to promote the art of short story writing.

A precis of a short story:

This short story is a feel-good love story about a struggling young couple, Della and Jim, living in a sparsely furnished home, barely making both ends meet but devotedly madly in love with each other. Between the two of them, the only possessions in the world they treasure are Della’s magnificently beautiful, long brown hair and, for Jim, an exquisitely fine timepiece, a gold pocket watch passed down to him from his father’s father.

It is Christmas Eve, and Della is beside herself because, with only $1.87 that she has saved, scrimped, and squirreled away for months on Jim’s meager $20 weekly salary, she has been unable to find a suitable gift for Jim. Desperate to make Jim happy, Della decides to part with her most valuable possessions and sells her hair for $20. With her beautiful long tresses gone but with the money on hand, she joyfully picks on a gift that would surely make her Jim happy, a modestly but elegantly designed platinum fob chain befitting the true worth of Jim’s pocket watch to replace the miserable-looking ragged leather strap that has seen better years.

While unknowing to Della, Jim also grapples with what he could possibly gift his beloved Della. Burning with love for Della, he sells his most cherished timepiece to purchase a set of beautiful, sleek combs made of pure tortoise shells with jewel-laden rims Della had longed for but knew were not within their reach. When Jim returns home, Della excitedly folds and doubles the tightly clasped fob chain as she eagerly anticipates the moment she will hand her gift to Jim. And yet, at the same time, she was quite anxious and fearful that Jim may not want the way she looked now without her fine, long brown hair.

Upon seeing Della’s tightly cropped and curled hair, Jim reacts with astonishment to Della’s dismay. Nervously, she explains to Jim that she had cut and sold her long hair to have the money to buy a Christmas gift for him. With great trepidation, Della gingerly asks Jim, will you still love me despite my short hair?  Recovering from his surprised demeanor, Jim hugs Della tightly and lovingly reassures her of his great and enduring love as he sheepishly hands his gift of combs to her. In turn, Della coyly smiles as she opens her palm to show Jim her offering, the fob chain. Beaming with a smile and a twinkle shining from his moist eyes, Jim explains to Della that he had parted with his precious pocket watch to have the money for a Christmas gift for her: the combs.

As they tightly embraced, both Jim and Della simultaneously shed tears of joy and laughed at the realization of the now apparent silliness of their gifts, but their hearts melted as one with the touching reaffirmation of their love for each other and their willingness to go to any measure to express that love. The moral of the story? Self-sacrifice trumps all.

This Christmas, when we ponder what gift we could possibly give, let us remember that it is our love and willingness for self-sacrifice for the sake of our loved one, day in and day out, that remains and will always be the best gift we could ever give. Merry Christmas!

Until next week… OBF!

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