Did you have great holidays?

a short story by O’Henry first published in 1905; a Short Story Film was made in 1980
As a sentimental story with a moral lesson about gift-giving, it has been popular for adaptation, especially for presentation at Christmas time. The plot and its twist ending are well-known, and the ending is generally considered an example of comic irony
The story was initially published in The New York Sunday World under the title "Gifts of the Magi" on Dec 10, 1905.
It was first published in book form in the O. Henry Anthology The Four Million in April 1906.

makes a gift  valuable?
2. Describe the most valuable gift you have ever received or given
3. What atmosphere does Christmas holiday usually create / supposed to create? Explain your answer.
4. What does O. Henry mean when he says that "life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating“?
5. What is irony in your understanding?
Irony: the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning
Can you spot the difference between the situational, verbal and dramatic irony? What is it?

at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.
2) A furnished flat at $8 per week. It did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad.
3) A very thin and very agile person may, by observing his reflection in a rapid sequence of longitudinal strips, obtain a fairly accurate conception of his looks.
4) There were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride.
5) Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings.

to prudence and reason
7) She got out her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work (B) repairing the ravages made by generosity added to love. Which is always a tremendous task, dear friends—a mammoth task.
8) Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail.
9) White fingers and nimble tore at the string and paper.
10) a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails, necessitating the immediate employment of all the comforting powers of the lord of the flat.

Gift of the Magi / STORY

to emphasize how strongly someone feels about smth or how extreme a situation is E.g. The mere thought of it (= just thinking about it) makes me feel sick. The mere idea/ possibility of smth
2) Nothing too fancy now - decorative or complicated E.g. I wanted a simple black dress, nothing fancy. The decorations were a little too fancy for my tastes.
3) That was dandy when we could afford it - very good E.g. I’m doing just dandy, thanks.
4) The queen of Sheba - Kingdom in pre-Islamic southwestern Arabia, frequently mentioned in the Bible
5) Simple design, quietness value - can you explain the metaphor?
6) Look like a chorus girl – please explain

Henry -- Short Story Film -- 1980 - YouTube

characters foolish and then the wisest of all?
2) What similarity exists between the Magi and the story characters?
3) Was it a Christian movie for you? Can you name any other Cristian movies?
4) What is the secret of the story and film? Why is it so touching and popular among people of all ages?
5) What is your attitude towards the idea of sacrifice (related to human relationship)?

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION: