Always witty, often outrageously funny, and filled with O. Henry’s famous plot twists, these stories take readers from New Mexico and Texas, through New Orleans, and to New York City to find the holiday spirit all across America. You’ll meet characters only O. Henry could have imagined: Maida, a shop clerk who scrimps and saves for a new dress to wear to the employee holiday party. Stuffy Pete, a homeless man who suffers through the generosity of back-to-back Thanksgiving dinners. The Frio Kid, a murderous outlaw who unexpectedly commits a single act of generosity. Whistling Dick, a tramp who stumbles upon a potentially lethal act of arson and robbery. Cherokee, a gold prospector who strikes it rich and decides to play Santa Claus. And Fuzzy, an alcoholic “soldier of misfortune,” who stumbles upon the lost rag doll belonging to a millionaire’s five-year-old daughter.