Christian exchange gifts in order to celebrate Christmas. This is an ancient tradition and one of the main reasons for giving and receiving presents at Christmas is to remind us of the gift-giving incident by three wise men to baby Jesus. In fact, Christmas itself is the big gift that God gave the world about 2000 years ago – Jesus!
The Bible verses, John 3:16, says:
“God loved the world so much, that he gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him may not be lost but have eternal life.”
The main perseverance of exchanging gifts at Christmas is about giving, charity, goodwill, and generosity as well as giving of gifts between family and friends. Unfortunately, nowadays people are more focused on giving gifts to their friends and family members and forget the main significance of Christmas.
Reasons We Give Gifts At Christmas
Christmas is a traditional time for giving presents. However, many people also give presents at Christmas for personal reasons. The reasons vary by individuals but there are some common motives. Let’s check them out!
Religious Context
This is a very common reason people give gifts at Christmas. Gift-giving is a very old tradition and it has its root in pagan rituals held during the winter. For Christian, this gift-giving ritual was redirected to the Three Wise Men, the Magi, who gave gifts to the infant Jesus. Since then, all over the world families and friends give presents to each other. This being said, when Christmas was domesticated in the 1800s in the United States, most children believe in a Christmas gift-bringer by versions of Santa Claus. In other countries, Santa Claus has other versions. In Germany, they believe that it is the Christkind, in Spain, they believe it is the Wise Men and in parts of Italy they believe it is an old lady called Befana.
Expression Of Love
If you are in a friendship or a relationship then you should always do something to express your love and show that person how much you care for him or her. There are various ways you can do that but a gift during Christmas is the best because you don’t have to wait for another occasion to give a gift. Moreover, a beautiful and thoughtful gift will have more impact on that person while celebrating Christmas. Giving a gift is the perfect manner to show your sincerity, as well as good intentions to that person.
Imitating The Three Wise Men
The tradition of gift-giving at Christmas is to intimate the three wise men. It is said three wise men or three kings visited Jesus after his birth and presented gold, frankincense, and myrrh as a gift.
According to the Book of Matthew –
“a bright star led the magi from the east until it stopped over the place where the child was, and upon entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother” (Matthew 1:24).
So it is clear that the gifts from the three wise men showed respect and reverence for the son of God. Likewise, nowadays people exchange gifts during Christmas to show their love, appreciation, respect to family members, friends, co-workers, etc.
Celebrate The Occasion
There is no better way to celebrate Christmas than gift exchanging. We can celebrate different types of celebrations like the birthday party, wedding ceremony, Christmas party, office celebration, and many more. Among their birthday, wedding and Christmas are very special because these three occasions is a very important event in one’s life. Christmas comes once every year and there is no age limit to celebrate Christmas as well as no age limit to give him/her a gift. So it is very important to give extra attention to the occasion and a unique gift is a great way to do that. And for a Christmas celebration, you should pick a thoughtful gift that the gift recipient would cherish throughout his/her life.
Business Promotion
Many businesses take the opportunity to promote their business during the Christmas holidays and giving gifts is a great way to do that. Many corporations send gifts to their loyal clients to thank them for their business. For small businesses, it is a great way to advertise the company and create positive public relations.
Exchange Gift To Stay In Touch
Not seeing someone for a very long time is a big reason that plays a significant role in running a relationship. Giving and receiving gifts can strengthen a long-distance relationship as it shows how much you love each other. Christmas is a great occasion to give gifts to your loved ones and that special person of your life and tells the gift recipient that you still care for him/her. If you give a daily use item as a Christmas gift then the person will remember you every time he or she uses the product.
Thank You Gifts
Many people use the Christmas season as an opportunity to send Thank You gift to individuals for their services and efforts throughout the year. It is a great way to thank someone who has helped you or provided you a favor. It shows that you are thankful to him/her for his or her bits of help. The gift recipient will truly feel your thankfulness when you give gifts for uplifting happiness and wellbeing. You have to be selective when picking a gift. You must choose a gift that will indicate your gratitude towards the gift receiver. During Christmas people give Thank You gift to a wide variety of peoples, such as:
1. Teachers
2. Postmen
3. Doormen
4. Newspaper delivery people
5. Domestic workers
Many businesses also give Thank You gifts to employees to express appreciation for the work that they have done during the previous year. Most of the time, this gift comes as money or should say Christmas bonus.
A Gift To Say Sorry
People frequently make mistakes in their life. Some mistakes can cause trouble to other people or can hurt them and in situations like these, only a simple apology is not enough to make the sufferer forgive you. So giving a gift during Christmas is the best way to show the person how sorry you are for your mistakes. In situations where words are not enough, a gift can do the job. You should choose an appropriate gift to ease the situation.
Charitable Donations
A charitable donation is also a form of gift-giving during Christmas. It is also a great way to keep the Christian ethic of helping people who are in need of money, food, clothes, etc. So during Christmas, many people donate money or items; and it is a significant part of many non-profits’ yearly fundraising budget.
Final Thought
The custom of giving presents makes the Christmas season full of surprises and joy. Moreover, it reminds us of the magical birth in a stable so long ago and influences us to carry the deep meaning and purpose of exchanging gifts during Christmas.