Did you have great holidays?

1.

1. Did you have great holidays? Please,
share what is Christmas for you
2. A few words about the film / story
WORKING PLAN:
3. Pre-watching activities: vocabulary list
& expressions ~ 20 mins
4. A movie: ~ 14 mins
5. Post-watching activities: personal
opinions, group work, feedback, plans
6. Merry Christmas!
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2.

GIFT OF THE MAGI / O’HENRY
• "The Gift of the Magi" is a short story by O’Henry first
published in 1905; a Short Story Film was made in
1980
• As a sentimental story with a moral lesson about giftgiving, it has been popular 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 comic irony
• The story was initially published in The New York Sunday
World under the title "Gifts of the Magi" on Dec 10, 1905.
• It was first published in book form in the O. Henry
Anthology The Four Million in April 1906.
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3.

GIFT OF THE MAGI / PRE-READING
ACTIVITIES
1. In your opinion what makes a gift valuable?
2. Describe the most valuable gift you have ever received or given
3. What atmosphere does Christmas holiday usually create / supposed to
create? Explain your answer.
4. What does O. Henry mean when he says that "life is made up of sobs,
sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating“?
5. What is irony in your understanding?
Irony: the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning
Can you spot the difference between the situational, verbal and dramatic
irony? What is it?
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4.

GIFT OF THE MAGI / STORY
1) Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the
vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent
imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.
2) A furnished flat at $8 per week. It did not exactly beggar description, but
it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad.
3) A very thin and very agile person may, by observing his reflection in a rapid
sequence of longitudinal strips, obtain a fairly accurate conception of his
looks.
4) There were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they
both took a mighty pride.
5) Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings.
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5.

Gift of the Magi / STORY
6) When Della reached home her intoxication gave way a little to
prudence and reason
7) She got out her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work (B)
repairing the ravages made by generosity added to love. Which is always a
tremendous task, dear friends—a mammoth task.
8) Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of
quail.
9) White fingers and nimble tore at the string and paper.
10) a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails, necessitating the
immediate employment of all the comforting powers of the lord of the flat.
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6.

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7.

GIFT OF THE MAGI / VOCABULARY
1) 2 mere children - used to emphasize how strongly someone feels about smth or
how extreme a situation is E.g. The mere thought of it (= just thinking about it) makes
me feel sick. The mere idea/ possibility of smth
2) Nothing too fancy now - decorative or complicated E.g. I wanted a simple black
dress, nothing fancy. The decorations were a little too fancy for my tastes.
3) That was dandy when we could afford it - very good E.g. I’m doing just
dandy, thanks.
4) The queen of Sheba - Kingdom in pre-Islamic southwestern Arabia, frequently
mentioned in the Bible
5) Simple design, quietness value - can you explain the metaphor?
6) Look like a chorus girl – please explain
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8.

THE MOVIE WITH SUBTITLES: 15 MINS
Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
-- Short Story Film -- 1980 YouTube
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9.

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION:
1) Why did O’Henry call his main characters foolish
and then the wisest of all?
2) What similarity exists between the Magi and the story
characters?
3) Was it a Christian movie for you? Can you name
any other Cristian movies?
4) What is the secret of the story and film? Why is it so
touching and popular among people of all ages?
5) What is your attitude towards the idea of sacrifice
(related to human relationship)?
Thanks for your contribution!
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10.

Thanks for your contribution!
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11.

BEST CHRISTMAS FILMS!
• 1. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
• 2. Tangerine (2015)
• 3. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
• 4. A Christmas Carol (a.k.a. Scrooge) (1951)
• 5. The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
• 6. A Christmas Story (1983)
• 7. Bad Santa (2003)
• 8. Die Hard (1988)
• 9. Carol (2015)
• 10. Comfort and Joy (1984)
• 11. Peace on Earth (1939)
• 12. Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
• 13. It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947)
• 14. 3 Godfathers (1948)
• 15. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
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