Looking to read or teach The Gift of the Magi, O. Henry’s famous short story? Read the story on our site or download a printable PDF on this page. This three-page PDF can be printed for a classroom or can be shared online. Enjoy this classic short story ahead of Christmas—or anytime of the year!
The Gift of the Magi was first published in 1905 in The New York Sunday World. The next year, it was published in O. Henry’s short story collection, The Four Million. O. Henry was the pen name of William Sydney Porter, an American writer born in 1862. This simple story has provoked many variations and adaptations, even meriting its own section on Wikipedia to keep track of them all.