The gift Jim and Della give to each other is the gift of sacrifice and unconditional love. Della sacrifices her long hair and Jim his antique pocket watch, which are the prized possessions for each of them. Ironically, of course, Della's sacrifice renders Jim's gift of tortoise-shell combs useless; Jim's sacrifice of his watch makes Della's gift of a watch chain useless as well.
The point of the story--the lesson that transcends the story and even time--is that the best gifts are given from a pure heart. No matter the cost, if a gift is given in sincerity and love, it is a perfect gift. The title of the story is a Biblical allusion to the wise men who brought gifts for the Christ-child. The gifts, which included frankencinse, gold, and myrrh, were traditional gifts presented to a king. Since the word gift in the title of Henry's story is singular, it can not refer to both Jim's and Della's gifts, but instead to the gift of unselfish love they present to one another.
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