Gift of the Magi and other O. Henry Stories

The Gift of the Magi

This is the timeless story of Della and Jim, a struggling young couple who seek to give the other the ideal Christmas gift. They barter their most valued possessions to purchase each other's gifts: Della trades her beautiful long hair for a watch fob and chain for Jim's watch and Jim swaps his watch for a tortoise shell comb set for Della. While the physical gifts prove useless, their love is enriched beyond measure.

An O. Henry Holiday

Gifts of the Season

In the early 1900s O. Henry was one of the most widely read authors in America. He  was known to have spent some time in jail and it is believed that he started writing there.  Based on these events, the play opens with him jailed on Christmas Eve. As he tells the stories of “The Gift of the Magi,” “The Last Leaf,” and “Christmas by Injunction,” each comes alive as the actors take over. All of stories the maintain the wit, charm and sweetness with which they were written. 

Christmas With a Twist

Too much sugar this Christmas season? This trio of 10-minute plays provides the perfect antidote, a fun and funny twist to the holiday season.

In "Another Turn of the Scrooge," (3 m) the old curmudgeon we all know and love pays the price for his first good deed as his life takes yet another Christmas turn.

In the second play, "The Man Who Shot Santa Claus," (2 m, 1 w) a man on trial for killing Santa Claus is defended by a slick lawyer, who argues that Santa had it coming!

In the final play, "Gift of the Magi - The Untold Story," (1 m, 1 w) reality sets in just after the conclusion of O'Henry's classic short story, as husband and wife quarrel over the cutting of her hair and the selling of his watch.