Why Do We Give Gifts At Christmas?

Gifting presents to loved ones is a wonderful feeling. Seeing their faces light up as they open gifts to a surprise you have been holding in for the whole of December fills us with joy. But why do we give gifts to loved ones at Christmas? In this article, we will explore the story behind this gift-giving ritual and why it has become a sentimental piece of our Christmas celebrations.

History of Gift Giving at Christmas

Christmas celebrations were very different from how we celebrate the festival today. However, early recordings of the celebration suggest that we still hold some of those same traditions we practice today. Predating the birth of Christ, the Winter Solstice was a celebration of the changing season during the Neolithic period. People during this period would celebrate the last days before Winter descended, and a part of this celebration was the practice of gift-giving, although not quite how we would present gifts today. Gifts were hung on trees as an offering to the Gods and Goddesses to protect them during the Winter, which is also the first record of trees being a place for gifts.

In ancient Rome, the celebration of Saturnalia fell during the Winter Solstice and honoured the Roman God of agriculture and time, Saturn. During this celebration, Romans would exchange gifts with one another, particularly during Sigillaria, when loved ones would receive small terracotta figurines as a will of good fortune. These practices have been carried on for a long time, but to find a much more similar way of gift-giving at Christmas, we must go back to the Victorian era. Queen Victoria made it a tradition amongst upper-class families to gift one another over Christmas. Queen Victoria herself wrote in her diaries about the gifts she received, including jewellery, art and paintings.

The Real Santa Claus: Who Was St. Nicholas?

Long before Santa Claus became known as the jolly man who lives in the North Pole, historians believe that the Santa we know today was based upon the patron saint of children, Saint Nicholas. Although there is no record of whether the legends of St. Nicholas are true, his stories have contributed to how we associate Santa Claus today. St. Nicholas was known for his reputation of giving secret gifts to people in need. He would even drop gold down chimneys so that he could present gifts to people unexpectedly. The belief that this mystical man still lives today was made popular through stories and poems, ‘The Night Before Christmas’ and ‘The Friend of Children’ both contained references to Santa Claus, which have remained prevalent in our celebrations of Christmas today.

Christmas Gift Giving Traditions from Around the World

Around the world, gifting presents on Christmas differs from how it is traditionally done in Western culture. In China, it is common to gift others apples wrapped in colourful paper to offer good fortune and peace, a far cry from the Brazilian tradition of Amigo Secreto, where friends would gift each other small presents throughout Christmas, only revealing their identity on Christmas day. Christmas in Africa is mainly a period of attending church; however, gifts are given to those less fortunate than themselves. Across Europe, there are a few different traditions. Russian children have to sing a song in exchange for presents, whilst in Denmark, presents are traditionally gifted to animals delivered by the Julemanden. In Iceland, the festive tradition of Jólabókaflóð is practised, which is an exchange of books to one another on Christmas Eve, followed by an evening reading. There are many more different Christmas traditions from around the world, all unique and wonderful, but many with interesting stories behind them.

How many presents are you supposed to give at Christmas?

As with many parents, deciding how many presents to gift your child is difficult. They may have presented you with a long list of gifts they would like, or they are constantly changing their minds about the gifts they want the most. In these circumstances, it is important to be realistic about what you can afford and your values towards presents at Christmas.

People take many different approaches to presents for children around Christmas.

Here are a few rules which are common among parents:

• Quality over quantity: gifting your child with presents they want the most is more valuable to them than it is having lots of less meaningful presents.
• The rule of three: when Jesus was born, three kings travelled from afar to present gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. In Christian households, this tradition is replicated to represent the three presents gifted to Christ when he was born.
• The gift of four: it is also common to give four very particular gifts: something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read. Following this rule helps children understand that they can’t always have what they want when there are other things they need.

The key at Christmas is to set a budget and stick to that budget, no matter how much you want to give to your children. In a 2022 study on the spending habits of parents, the average amount spent on Christmas presents per child was £180. However, this figure is by no means a target, and it is more important to encourage your child to appreciate any present they receive.

Presents at Christmas can come in all shapes and sizes, and the element of surprise can bring joy to the faces of a child when they tear through the wrapping paper of the gifts they receive. You can make this surprise even more special through Christmas bling bags and surprise eggs.

Struggling to find a present for the children in your family this year, why not take a look at the top Christmas gifts to give this year, or take a look at our Christmas toys selection here at The Entertainer.

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