Almost everyone has heard of the beloved story “The Gift of the Magi.” The short story, written by O. Henry in 1905, follows Della, a poor man’s wife who desperately wants to give her husband, Jim, a special Christmas present. She is known for her long, beautiful hair, and she decides to sell it to make enough money to buy her husband a gold chain for his pocket watch.
Jim also wants to purchase his beloved wife a beautiful Christmas gift. Knowing how she treasures her hair, he pawns his prized possession, the pocket watch, and makes enough money to buy Della a set of luxurious combs for her hair.
At the end of the story, the couple exchange gifts and realize the irony of their sacrifices. They recognize the depth of their love for one another was the true gift exchanged between them.
Freida McFadden, a recent powerhouse author who gained recognition for her psychological thriller novels, released a spinoff of “The Gift of the Magi” entitled “The Gift.” In this version, Stella, a similarly unfortunate wife with nothing but gorgeous hair to her name, works overtime at a diner to support her new husband as he finishes his time at law school. As she wraps up her late shift on Christmas Eve, she receives a text from her husband saying that they will be exchanging gifts for each other at midnight to celebrate their first Christmas as husband and wife. She realizes that she has no gift for her husband, and she feels as though she’s failed as a new wife.
Stella stumbles upon a strange old woman who invites her to come by her pawn shop on her way home. Nervous, Stella complies, hoping to trade her necklace for a gift. However, the woman tells her the necklace is worth nothing, leaving Stella discouraged and with nothing else to trade.
The woman compliments Stella’s hair and offers to accept it as a trade for a shiny pocket watch chain to attach to Justin’s beloved pocket watch from his late father. Stella agrees, allowing the woman to buzz her head.
When Stella arrives home, Justin is far less grateful than anticipated for the watch chain, and he is angry that Stella cut her beautiful hair. His gift for her is a burnt pan of brownies alongside a disastrous mess in the kitchen. As they fight, Stella glances longingly at the knife used to cut the brownies and makes a life-changing decision.
In the end, it is revealed that the odd old woman’s daughter was in love with Justin, and the woman set out to ruin Stella’s beauty to destroy their relationship so her daughter could have the man for herself.
McFadden’s twist on the classic tale fits her typical trend of thrilling and slightly horrific stories whilst creating a version no one has ever seen before. It includes homages to the original story while adding dark elements and making them blend together in a new and modern way. I would highly recommend reading both versions as a Christmas tradition to anyone who is a fellow lover of spooky and twisted stories!
