Della, who had been saving up for a long time for a great Christmas gift for her husband Jim was moved to tears after discovering that she only had a dollar and eighty seven cents left with her for buying the present. Her husband was a great man whom she loved dearly and the little money she had managed to save up was barely enough to get him a present as wonderful as the person that he was. Della did not want to spend the Christmas without gifting her husband a fine and rare present so she cooked up a way to procure the money. Della had the most beautiful hair which flew down to her knees like a brown cascade. She went to a hair shop and sold off her beautiful hair for twenty dollars which was just enough to buy an elegant looking platinum chain for Jim’s gold time-piece which was a prized heirloom that the couple possessed. She ran home and curled her hair in a desperate attempt to repair the damage that her love for Jim had done to her hair and beauty. When Jim reached home and saw Della’s cut hair he was neither angry nor surprised. He just gave an incomprehensible expression which made Della cry out and explain him that she had to sell off her hair to buy him a gift. Jim who had still not come to terms with the fact that Della had sold off her hair took her in his arms and consoled her. He took out his gift for her hoping that his gift would explain his reaction. Upon unwrapping Jim’s gift Della found the prettiest jeweled combs made out of tortoise shell for her hair which Della had craved for knowing that she could never possess it. Now she had those combs but her hair was gone! This made Della break into sobs which only stopped when she remembered about the wonderful gift that she had got for Jim. Upon opening his present, Jim found the platinum chain for his watch and in-spite of Della’s wish that he put on the chain on his time-piece; he could not, as he had sold off that heirloom to get money for Della’s gift. This story ended there after the gifts were opened.