Christmas present" redirects here. For other uses, see Christmas Present and Christmas Gift.

Christmas gifts underneath a Christmas tree.

A Christmas gift or Christmas present is a gift given in celebration of Christmas. Christmas gifts
are often exchanged on Christmas Day itself, December 25, or on the last day of the twelve-
day Christmas season, Twelfth Night (January 5).[1] The practice of giving gifts during Christmastide,
according to Christian tradition, is symbolic of the presentation of the gifts by the Three Wise Men to
the infant Jesus.[2]

Contents

• 1History
• 2Economic impact
• 3Wrapping
• 4Further reading
• 5See also
• 6References
• 7External links

History[edit]

Wise men give gifts to Jesus, woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld, 1860
Gift-giving in general is an ancient tradition that came to be associated with the Christian feast
of Christmas.
In ancient Rome, gift giving might have occurred near the winter solstice in December which was
celebrated during the Saturnalia holiday.[3]
As Christianity became increasingly widespread in the Roman lands, the custom of gift-giving
occurred on New Year's Day.[4] Around 336 CE, the date December 25 appears to have become
established as the day of Jesus's birth, and the tradition of gift-giving was tied to the story of
the Biblical Magi giving gifts to baby Jesus;[5][6] together with another story, that of Saint Nicholas, a
fourth-century Christian bishop and gift-giver, it slowly became a part of Christmas celebrations in
countries such as the United Kingdom; in other Christian countries, the practice of gift-giving occurs
early in Advent, on Saint Nicholas Day.[4][3]

Christmas advertising mentioning gifts from c. 1900

Some early Christian rulers, however, interpreted this story as indications that it should be their
subjects who should give gifts to their superiors, and insisted on tributes and tithes during that
period. This changed around the turn of the millennium following the popularity of the Good King
Wenceslas story based on the life of another historical person claimed to be a gift-giver, Saint
Wenceslaus.[4] Christmas gift-giving to superiors became less common, and around the time of
the Protestant Reformation, customs of gift-giving to children became increasingly widespread in
Europe.[4] The custom spread to the United States in the 19th century. This also coincided with the
desire of some elites to reduce the rowdiness of adult Christmas celebrations, which in some places
were tied to begging, as "bands of young men, often rowdy, would wassail from home to home and
demand handouts from the gentry". Another related aspect was the growing desire by parents to
keep children at home, away from the corrupting influence of the urban streets.[7][8]
Another relatively recent change concerned the time of Christmas gift-giving. For many centuries,
gift-giving took place on December 6 around Saint Nicholas Day or in early January after New Year's
Eve. The popularity of this custom grew after the positive reception of the 1823 poem The Night
Before Christmas and the 1843 novella A Christmas Carol. By the end of the 19th
century, Christmas Eve replaced early December or January dates as the most common date for
gift-giving in the Western culture.[4]
With the Christmas season lasting twelve days according to the liturgical calendars of many
Christian Churches, a gift is given for each of the twelve days of Christmastide in some cultures,
while in other Christian households, gifts are only given on Christmas Day or Twelfth Night, the first
and last days of the Christmas season, respectively.[1]