One of my very favorite Christmas stories is “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry. It is a delightful and whimsical story of Delia and Jim Young, a young married couple with very little money. Jim has suffered a thirty-percent pay cut, and the two must scrimp for everything. They each have a possession which they treasure. For Jim it is the gold watch that was his father’s and his grandfather’s. For Della it is her thick and glorious brown hair. The story goes on to describe how each sacrifices their treasures to lift the spirits of the other with a carefully chosen Christmas gift. Jim sells the watch to buy tortoise shell combs for Della’s hair, and she sells the hair to buy a platinum chain for Jim’s watch. O. Henry ends this wonderful Christmas tale in this way:
“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 wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.”
My Christmas wish for each of you is that you take on the role of the magi and lift the spirits of others this holiday season. 
Maryanne Ross 