The joy of giving Christmas gifts:

All too often Christmas gifts become more of a chore then a joy. They are expected, they are often expensive causing financial strain, and they come at a high expense of time and effort. However, one of the reasons we give gifts at Christmas is to spread love. There can be a lot of joy found in the giving of Christmas gifts. Look at the first example of giving gifts at Christmas. The three Wise-Men gave expensive gifts without thought for recompense. They expected nothing in return, they just wanted to show their respect and love to the Christ child. If we can use this example in our own gift giving this Christmas, the joy of giving gifts to others can be more readily found. Give gifts that are thoughtful, not necessarily expensive; give gifts without expecting anything in return; give gifts because you want to, not because it is expected. If you can do this you will find the joy of giving.

Christmas gifts are going to be a big expense, and are meant to remind people throughout the year that you love and respect them. So, when giving Christmas gifts, your goal should not be to find gifts that work, but to find the perfect gifts. People appreciate gifts that have thought put into them far more than gifts that don't. Take time to find the perfect gifts.

The history and beginnings of Christmas gift bringers, and gift exchanges:

Besides the three Wise-Men or Magi, there are other stories of gift givers and bringers that have helped form the tradition of giving gifts. Let's take a look at these.

In the Christian religion, the practice of giving gifts at Christmas is traced back to the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh that were given to the Christ child. The three Wise-Men or Magi were kings from the East who were said to have followed a star in the sky, a very great distance, in order to find the Christ child and bring him gifts. Originally the practice of celebrating this event, and the giving of gifts was done on the first day of the Epiphany, which is January 6th. There is a large feast, and the giving of gifts to symbolize the Magi. However, over some time, the tradition of giving gifts came to be more associated with Christmas than with Epiphany, and thus today, gifts are given on Christmas instead of on Epiphany.

While the Christian origin of gift giving came from the Magi, the westernized custom of gift giving came from made up characters and folklore of real people like Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas or St. Nikolaus, Sinterklaas, Kris Kringle, Père Noël, Joulupukki, Babbo Natale, Weihnachtsmann, Saint Basil and Father Frost. The stories all vary, but they are all characterized by the idea of a person traveling the earth and giving gifts to children. Thus exchanging gifts, and the thoughts of Santa bringing gifts on Christmas remains.

So where did Santa come from, and with him the notion of Christmas gift exchanges? The answer is that it changes from country to country.

The popular image of Santa Claus was first created by the German-American cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840-1902). He started out drawing Santa, and then drew a new image annually, beginning in 1863. By the 1880s, Nast's Santa had evolved into the form we now recognize. Various ad campaigns and commercialization of the image, as well as the evolution of his drawings helped create the more standardized image of Santa, we now know.

Of course, Santa is the American gift giving figure, but Father Christmas predates the Santa Claus character by a long way. Father Christmas and his long robes was first recorded in the 15th century. At that time they were more associated with holiday merrymaking and drunkenness then they were with children and gift giving. When Queen Victoria was working to revitalize the Christmas celebrations in Britain, the image of Father Christmas was remade to be a more English version of the Santa found in America.

The French Père Noël evolved along similar lines, eventually adopting the Santa image as it became one of the most widely known images in the world.

In Italy, Babbo Natale acts as Santa Claus, but does not bring gifts, the gift giving is done by La Befana, who gives the gifts on the eve of the Epiphany, not Christmas. They say that La Befana brings children gifts because he set out to give gifts to the baby Christ, but got lost along the way, and so now gives gifts to all children.

There are places and cultures where Santa Claus is accompanied by Knecht Ruprecht, or Black Peter, and others where he has helpers that are elves, or that are companions, such as Mrs. Claus. Who makes and delivers the gifts for Christmas varies by culture. In American culture elves make the gifts in Santa's work shop, and Santa delivers them. In several Latin American countries (such as Venezuela), it is Santa that makes the toys, but he then gives them to the Baby Jesus, who delivers them to the children, therefore mixing the religious and secular aspects of Christmas.

Many of the customs associated with gift giving at Christmas started out religious, or secular, but have found a reconciliation between traditional religious beliefs and modern day globalization, and the iconology of Santa. For example, you may see displays of Santa at the Nativity scene giving gifts to Christ. The celebration of Christmas usually involves Christmas gifts, but whether those gifts come from Christ, Santa, the Ghost of Christmas Present, or some other individual will depend on where you live, what customs you observe, and what is commonly accepted in your culture.

The economic impact of Christmas gifts:

While Christmas gifts are wonderful to receive, and fun to give, they are not just something to be thought of as a trivial aspect of Christmas. Christmas and the accompanying gift giving is typically the largest annual economic stimulus for many nations. Stores will see sales increase dramatically, and many merchandisers focus their efforts all year around creating new items to sell, and new product lines to bring out around Christmas.

The US has a whole season named for Christmas shopping which starts the day after Thanksgiving, often referred to as "Black Friday," and goes through until Christmas, and after as well to cover the after Christmas sales.

Although Christmas Day is the least active day of the year for business and commerce, and many stores are not even open at all, the day of closure is worth the sheer volume of retail sales leading up to it for Christmas gift giving.

However, some would speculate that just because there is a boost during the Christmas season does not mean Christmas actually has a positive effect on the economy. Some would argue that there is actually a loss because what someone spends on someone else is often far less than what that person would spend on themselves. Thus, the time after the gift giving and gift receiving is slower, and the actual amount spent on merchandise is less. Of course there are too many factors to be sure of any of this, so to date most still agree that Christmas and the idea of Christmas gifts actually boost economy.

No matter your reason for giving gifts, or how it impacts the economy, the tradition of Christmas gifts is here to stay, and you can choose to ignore it, as many do, or you can embrace it and enjoy it. Whether you take time to hit the malls, or do your gift shopping online, when you put thought and effort into your Christmas gifts, the affects are felt and appreciated.