"The Gift of the Magi" is a short story, written by O. Henry (a pen name for William Sydney Porter), about a young married couple and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money. As a sentimental story with a moral lesson about gift-giving, it has been a popular one 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...
"The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain" is Charles Dickens 19th century novella that concludes his series of five Christmas books written between 1843 and 1848. It is the story of Professor Redlaw, a chemistry teacher who is constantly brooding over the grief caused by past wrongs done to him. Redlaw is haunted by a spirit who takes from him these painful memories, which leaves him unexpectedly bitter. Ultimately the conflict of the novella is resolved in an uplifting way which...
