AChristmas gift orChristmas present is agift given in celebration ofChristmas. Christmas gifts are often exchanged onChristmas Eve (December 24),[1] Christmas Day itself (December 25) or on the last day of the twelve-dayChristmas season,Twelfth Night (January 5).[2] The practice of giving gifts during Christmastide, according to Christian tradition, is symbolic of thepresentation of the gifts by theThree Wise Men to theinfant Jesus.[3]
Gift-giving in general is an ancient tradition that came to be associated with theChristian feast ofChristmas.
Inancient Rome, gift giving might have occurred near thewinter solsticein December which was celebrated during theSaturnalia holiday.[4]
AsChristianity became increasingly widespread in the Roman lands, the custom of gift-giving occurred on New Year's Day.[5] Around 336 AD, the date December 25 appears to have become established as the day of Jesus's birth, and the tradition of gift-giving was tied to the story of theBiblical Magi giving gifts tobaby Jesus;[6][7] together with another story, that ofSaint Nicholas, a fourth-century Christian bishop and gift-giver, it slowly became a part of Christmas celebrations in countries such as the United Kingdom; in otherChristian countries, the practice of gift-giving occurs early inAdvent, onSaint Nicholas Day.[5][4]
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Some early Christian rulers, however, interpreted this story as indications that it should be their subjects who should give gifts to their superiors, and insisted on tributes and tithes during that period. This changed around the turn of the millennium following the popularity of theGood King Wenceslas story based on the life of another historical person claimed to be a gift-giver,Saint Wenceslaus.[5] Christmas gift-giving to superiors became less common, and around the time of theProtestant Reformation, customs of gift-giving to children became increasingly widespread in Europe.[5] The custom spread to the United States in the 19th century. This also coincided with the desire of some elites to reduce the rowdiness of adult Christmas celebrations, which in some places were tied to begging, as "bands of young men, often rowdy, wouldwassail from home to home and demand handouts from the gentry". Another related aspect was the growing desire by parents to keep children at home, away from the corrupting influence of the urban streets.[8][9]
Another relatively recent change concerned the time of Christmas gift-giving. For many centuries, gift-giving took place on December 6 aroundSaint Nicholas Day or in early January afterNew Year's Eve. The popularity of this custom grew after the positive reception of the 1823 poemThe Night Before Christmas and the 1843 novellaA Christmas Carol. By the end of the 19th century,Christmas Eve replaced early December or January dates as the most common date for gift-giving in theWestern culture.[5]
With theChristmas season lasting twelve days according to theliturgical calendars of many Christian Churches, a gift is given for each of thetwelve days of Christmastide in some cultures, while in other Christian households, gifts are only given onChristmas Day orTwelfth Night, the first and last days of the Christmas season, respectively.[2]
The tradition was also embraced by retailers, for whom the weeks and, eventually, the entire month before Christmas became a very profitable period.[5] Until the 1970s, those six weeks before Christmas accounted for 80% of the toy industry's sales.[10] Around the turn of the 20th century retailers started directing marketing efforts at children in the hopes that they would entice the parents to buy more goods.[8] In the early 2000s it was estimated that shoppers in the U.S. alone spend over $4 billion each day during the Christmas shopping season, with an average individual spending over $1,000 on gifts.[5]
The number of gifts given from a parent to a child can vary widely. Some purchase many gifts for their kids as a way to go "all out" for Christmas; others avoid material gifts in favor of other ways to bring joy to their family.[11] There are concerns that gift-giving during Christmas is too commercial. Seventy percent of respondents to an online survey of 13,576 people in 14 European countries in 2016 said that too much attention is put on spending during the Christmas period, 42% said they felt forced to spend more at Christmas, and 10% borrowed money to be able to afford the gifts.[12]
EconomistJoel Waldfogel noted that because of the mismatch between what the giftee values the gift and the value paid for by the giver, the gifts lose between one-tenth and one-third of their value; he calls it the"deadweight loss of Christmas".[13] This leads to gifts often being returned, sold, or re-gifted. In the 2016 European online survey, 15% of respondents were unhappy about their gifts and 10% could not remember what they had received. Twenty-five percent of respondents said they had re-gifted their presents to someone else, 14% sold the items, 10% tried to return them to the store, and 5% returned the gift to the giver.[12] Seniors were more likely to send their unwanted presents to charity, while those aged 25 to 34 "simply threw them away".[12] Gifts that are least likely to be appreciated rely on personal tastes, and include items like perfumes and cosmetics, ornaments, and clothing.[14]
According to researchers from theUniversity of Nevada, poorly-wrapped gifts get a preferable reaction because "presents that are neatly wrapped increase a recipient's expectations."[14]
Common Christmas gift packaging materials and styles:
The Twelve Days of Christmas, also called Twelvetide, are also associated with festivities that begin on the evening of Christmas Day and last through the morning ofEpiphany. This period is also called Christmastide ... one early American tradition was to make awreath on Christmas Eve and hang it on the front door on Christmas night. The wreath stayed on the front door through Epiphany. Some families also baked a special cake for the Epiphany. Other Old Time Traditions from around the world include: Giving gifts on Christmas night only. Giving gifts on the Twelfth Night only. Giving gifts on each night. On the Twelfth Night, a Twelfth Night Cake or King Cake is served with a bean or pea baked in it. The person who finds the bean or pea in his or her portion is a King of Queen for the day.
Popular tradition has it that there were three Magi because they presented three gifts to Jesus out of their treasure chests. The presentation of the gifts to Jesus out of their treasure chests. The presentation of the gifts is supposed to be the origin of the practice of giving Christmas presents.
This exchange network of ceremonial welcome was mirrored in a second reciprocity allowing early Christians to imagine their own magi: the phenomenon of giving gifts.
Most people today trace the practice of giving gifts on Christmas Day to the three gifts that the Magi gave to Jesus.
Media related toChristmas gifts at Wikimedia Commons
