Christmas gifts have become a huge part of the Christmas holiday. Just about everyone who celebrates Christmas exchanges Christmas gifts. It is interesting that, with the general belief that Christmas is a celebration of Christ’s birthday, so many people give Christmas gifts to one another.
The origin of Christmas gifts…
I often wondered why people exchange Christmas gifts in celebration of Christ’s birthday, so, being the seeker of knowledge that I am, I dug into the origin of Christmas gifts and this is what I learned.
Christmas is primarily a Christian tradition and from that viewpoint, exchanging of Christmas gifts dates back to the birth of Jesus. The Bible tells us that the Magi, also known as the wise men or the kings of the East, were among the first to visit and worship Christ at his birthplace in the manger in Bethlehem.
To honor the newborn King of the Jews the Magi brought treasures and gifts of gold, incense and myrrh. Thus, the giving of Christmas gifts became a Christmas tradition among Christians.
The tradition of Santa bringing Christmas gifts to children dates back to the days of Saint Nicholas in the 4th century. Legend has it that Saint Nicholas was the bishop of Myra (now known as Demre or Kale in modern-day Turkey). He is said to have been a wealthy, generous man with a heart for giving, especially to children and those in need.
Eventually, due to Saint Nicholas’s gift giving spirit, people began exchanging gifts on December 6th, Saint Nicholas Day, also known as the day of St. Nicholas’s feast.
Fun Fact: The Dutch still celebrate the December 6th St. Nicholas holiday, called Sinterklaas in Dutch. The tradition holds that Sinterklaas comes from Spain on the eve of the holiday and delivers a bag of gifts to all the good children.
As cultures merged, times changed and legends evolved the legend of St. Nicholas and the tradition of gift giving combined with the holiday of Christmas, the celebration of Christ’s birth. The exchanging of Christmas gifts along with Christmas gifts from Santa became part of the Christmas holiday.
