History of Christmas Gift Giving

While many people believe that the act of giving gifts during Christmas became a tradition due to the biblical story about how the three wise men brought gifts of gold, myrrh, and frankincense to the baby Jesus, these gifts were not the first winter gifts given. In fact, gift giving during the winter is an ancient tradition that can even be traced to winter-solstice celebrations before the famous birth occurred. During the ancient ceremonies of Saturnalia, which were celebrated for seven days beginning on December 17, Romans believed that their generosity of trading gifts would bring them good fortune in the coming year. In the beginning, these gifts were very modest and included things like wax candles, fruits and nuts, inexpensive wine, and lamps that were tied with a bit of holly to signify the return of light that would come with the passing of the winter equinox. Children would receive small items like terra-cotta rings and tiny dolls made from dough. Later, however, the gifts became more elaborate items like silver and silver objects.

When December 25 was designated as the day to remember the birth of Christ during the 4th century, the popularity of celebrating Saturnalia had begun to fade. Since the newly designated holiday now fell during the same time period of the traditional celebrations of Saturnalia, many Christians brought with them the tradition of gift giving. Gift giving during the celebration of Christmas did not seem to be fully accepted, however, because some Christians disliked the connection to the Pagan holiday, and the tradition quickly became a memory. In fact, gift giving during the Christmas season remained absent until the Victorian Era of the 1800s when Queen Victoria's tradition of giving gifts in celebration of the New Year merged with the Christmas holiday. By this time, many Christians were drawn to the practice of gift giving during Christmas because it reminded them of the activity of the Magi, who was said to have given gifts to the baby Jesus. These days, although the customs and dates for the giving of presents vary from country to country, Christmas is celebrated throughout the world by the giving of gifts.

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