How the Christmas Gift-Giving Tradition Began

One of the things that excite a lot of people about the holiday season is gift-giving. In fact, the tradition of giving gifts during Christmas has become a commercial enterprise and is the busiest shopping holiday in the United States.

It wasn't about the money.

Gift-giving started as a practice honoring the three wise men that brought gifts of myrrh, frankincense, and gold to the baby Jesus when they visited him in the manger. However, this did not exactly start the tradition of exchanging gifts during Christmas. The three magi only carried out a well-established custom, where people bring gifts to a person of notoriety or nobility when they visit him. They did not really start the custom.

The custom of exchanging gifts during Christmas dates back to ancient Rome, where gifts were exchanged during the New Year and was part of the Pagan winter celebrations of Saturnalia - a feast for the sun god Ra. Ancient Romans would exchange simple gifts or tokens, like branches or twigs from a sacred grove of trees. A lot of the gifts also were in the form of root crops, vegetables, and wheat products to honor the goddess of fertility, Strenia. Later, the gifts became more elaborate items that symbolize good wishes for the coming year. From simple gifts, it soon became fashionable to give gold, silver, and treats with honey.

The early church leaders have tried to outlaw this Pagan custom of exchanging gifts, but the people loved it so much they refused to give it up. The church leaders therefore looked for a Christian justification for this much-cherished practice. And this justification was found in the three wise men’s act of bearing gifts to the baby Jesus, as well as in the concept that Jesus was God’s gift to humankind and comes with the promise of redemption. It was traditionally done every January 6 but was soon transferred to Christmas Day.

Why do we still give gifts today?

For Christians today, gift giving is a way to symbolize the gifts of myrrh, frankincense and gold that was given by the Three Wise Men to the Baby Jesus in the manger. For others, gift giving goes with the image of Santa Claus. Santa rewards good children for being nice the whole year round by giving them toys, candies, and other gifts. No matter how gift giving started, what matters is why we gifts now. For some of us, it is our way of sharing our blessings. It is a way of giving back to other people all the blessing we have gotten for the year that is going to end. For others, it is a way to show their love and remembrance.

Giving a gift is tantamount to saying that you are being remembered and you mean something to the giver. Still others just find joy in giving gifts to family and friends. This is especially true for giving gifts to children. Remember how warm your heart felt when you saw a child's eyes light up at the sight of the gift he received?

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