I’m thinking about O. Henry today. It is that time of the year. But I’ll get to that in a minute.
O. Henry was born into this world as William Sydney Porter. He is one of those writers whose work feels even richer once you know a little bit about his own story.
The good and the bad. His life was woven together with equal parts trouble and brilliance.
Did he always want to be a writer? Who knows. But before he ever sold a story, he jumped from job to job. I’m not kidding. He worked as a pharmacist, bank clerk, draftsman, journalist, and other things. Porter was always trying to find his place in the world.
But then came the moment that changed everything. He faced accusations of embezzlement at the bank where he worked.
So. He freaked out a little bit. Panicked. And with that, he fled the country. He went down to good old Honduras for a short time. But then he learned his wife was dying. So, he returned home, fully aware he would be arrested.
She passed away not long after he got back to be with her. And then, he faced the music of his crimes. He entered the Ohio Penitentiary to serve a three-year sentence.
Oddly enough, prison became the spark. Porter worked as the prison pharmacist, which gave him some freedom, and he began writing short stories under the pen name O. Henry. He did this to protect his daughter from scandal.
After his release, he moved to New York City, where he poured out story after story. Great stories. They were warm, witty, compassionate portraits of everyday people. His twist endings became legendary.
But Porter always had trouble with him. He struggled with drinking and a lack of money until the end. He died when he was only 47.
Even still. He had a gift as a master storyteller. His inner goodness and humanity still shine through every line.
He wrote one of those great stories with The Gift of the Magi.
The Gift of the Magi is O. Henry’s most famous story for a reason. It captures the tenderness of real love with a simplicity that still stings a little.
We all know the story. It centers on Jim and Della, a young couple living in a tiny apartment. They have nothing. They were scraping by on very little. With Christmas approaching, both want desperately to give the other a meaningful gift. The trouble is, they barely have anything to spend.
And so it went. Della had long, beautiful hair, which was her one treasured feature. Jim has a gold watch passed down through generations. Each silently decides to give up their most precious possession for the other. Della sells her hair to buy Jim a fine chain for his watch. Jim sells his watch to buy Della elegant combs for her hair.
They discovered their gifts in a mix of surprise, sorrow, and quiet wonder. The presents were useless. Despite that, the moment is overflowing with love.
O. Henry reminds us that real giving isn’t about usefulness or value. It’s about the heart behind the gesture.
He calls this “the magi,” which translates into the wise ones. He named it this because of Jim and Della’s love. Those two were humble, sacrificial, and somewhat imperfect. Maybe there is a little bit of this in all of us.
I think this is the kind of wisdom the season still needs.
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“Where there is great love, there are always miracles.” — Willa Cather
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“A loving heart is the truest wisdom.” — Charles Dickens
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“Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” — Harper Lee
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