This is Hidden Brain. I'm Shankar Vedantam.

In The Gift of the Magi, a short story written by O'Henry and published in 1905, a young husband and wife each struggle privately with a dilemma.

Christmas is coming and neither has enough money to buy the other a gift.

Della has only $1.87 saved up.

Jim has almost nothing.

You probably know how the story turns out.

Della sells her beautiful long hair

in order to buy Jim a fine chain for his watch,

the most valuable thing he owns.

Meanwhile, Jim sells his watch to pay for a set of expensive combs for Della's hair.

Each gift negates the other.

At the end of the story, O'Henry writes, the magi, as you know, were wise men, wonderfully wise men,

who brought gifts to the babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents.

Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication.

And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat

who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house.

But in a last word to the wise of these days,

let it be said that of all who give gifts,

these two were the wisest.

Of all who give and receive gifts,

such as they are the wisest.

Everywhere they are wisest.

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