It's The Simple Show, and you've got yourself a holiday episode.

Hey, I'm Tish Hawson Rider, and on The Simple Show, we normally talk about books, travel, and life at home.

You can find all these episodes at the simple show.com, where I typically chat with one of my friends about this short list of delights in life.

But for this episode, I've got a treat for you. It's story time. The Gift of

the Magi is a short story first published in a collection of works by O. Henry, the pseudonym for

William Sidney Porter. First appearing in 1906, Porter worked as a weekly storywriter for

New York World, and he specialized in closely observed tales of

everyday people. Oh Henry short stories are known for wit, wordplay, worm characterization, and

clever twist endings. And I'm going to read one to you. Aside from doing what I do or working

for NPR, one of my dream jobs is to read audiobooks.

I come from a line of voice people.

My dad has done voiceover work and my grandpa was a morning show radio DJ for many, many

years.

So I like to think I come by it honestly.

Either way, I love reading out loud.

So this short story is for you, but feel free to drag your kids over to the speaker if they want.

The Gift of the Magi is free in the public domain, so I'll also include links in the show notes for where to download it.

And big thanks to my friends at Around the World Stories, this episode's sponsor.

They publish one new audio story a week about the adventures of children from other cultures.

They're fun, memorable, and culturally authentic stories that help develop a child's interest

in the broader world.

Every week, the stories also come with a parent guide to deepen the experience, making it even

...