Answer: "The Gift of the Magi" is a short story by O. Henry that was first published in 1905. It is a story about a young couple, Jim and Della, who are deeply in love but very poor. The story is famous for its themes of selflessness and sacrifice, as well as its use of irony.
In the story, Jim sells his gold watch to buy combs for Della's long hair, and Della sells her long hair to buy a chain for Jim's watch. The gifts that they buy for each other become meaningless because of the sacrifices that they have made, but the love between them remains strong.
The gold watch and long hair are symbols of their love and sacrifice, as they give up something material that they treasure to show their love for each other. The fact that Jim gives up something that cannot be reclaimed (his gold watch) while Della gives up something that will regrow (her hair) adds to the irony and theme of sacrifice in the story.
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