Once again we find ourselves in the midst of the holiday season carrying forward many traditions that have been handed down for centuries. For many of us one of those traditions is gift-giving. We spend a great deal of time shopping to buy just the ‘right’ gift for friends and family, even service providers and coworkers; then we wrap them and decorate them with ribbons and bows. But have you ever stopped to think about how that tradition started? And what makes a good gift?
Actually you may be surprised that our modern gift-giving roots, as well as many of the traditions we honor today, date back to Pagan celebrations. These traditions have lasted for thousands of years and pre-date Christianity and the gifts of the magi which are commonly thought to be the origin of giving gifts. Not really so. Many local traditions were carried down through the ages and were adopted by the early Christians who sought to convert those they called pagans.
The winter solstice (the shortest day of the year) was a time of merriment and celebrating with big feasts and ale after a season of working hard harvesting for the winter as also was the Saturnalia celebration in Rome. After all who doesn’t enjoy a good celebration in the midst of a dark, cold winter? The holiday of Christmas was not actually adopted until about the fourth century and American Puritans actually banned the holiday in Boston from 1659-1681. One Christmas historian likens the holiday traditions to a snowball rolling through European regions gathering bits and pieces of rural and native traditions into a growing snowball of things we have come to celebrate today.
Originally gift-giving took place to celebrate the New Year and in some parts of Europe this is still a tradition; France is one country that carries on this tradition. The early Druids made a gift of their holy plant, mistletoe, with wishes for an auspicious new year. Roman gifts were branches from sacred trees. English royalty often received jewels and gold to mark the New Year until the Victorian age. Other common English gifts were gloves and oranges stuck with cloves to preserve them and to be used for wine flavoring. America was influenced by the German and Dutch traditions and therefore gives gifts at Christmas instead.
American settlers found the Native American peoples of the Northwest with their own tradition of gift giving, the Potlatch or “give-away” where people exchanged gifts in competitive ways at a ceremonial gathering to see who gives the most precious item. The Potlatch caught on with the European settlers in the 1800’s.
The legend of Saint Nicholas in Europe plays a role in modern gift-giving traditions as well. As one of many stories of his generosity goes, Saint Nicholas would kindly drop bags of gold into windows of those in need. One time he dropped a bag that landed in an stocking hung up to dry of an widower’s daughter (hence the hanging of stockings became another tradition). Since he passed away on December 6th and he was considered a Saint, that day is marked in Europe for him, but really has nothing to do with Christmas other than his spirit of giving. Yet his spirit traversed the seas all the way to New York City where several Dutch gentlemen of the 19th century were part of the creation of the Santa Claus figure that we know and love today.
Perhaps the best-known poem of the English language, “The Night Before Christmas” written in 1821 bequeathed us the jolly magical figure of St Nick and the idea of bringing gifts to children via the chimney. However, it wasn’t until German, Thomas Nast, a cartoonist and illustrator created the drawing of Santa Claus that his caricature became the well-known jolly old St Nick of today. By the way, Nast also created the Democratic donkey and Republican elephant as party emblems and had a role in the development of the symbol of Uncle Sam. A picture is indeed worth a thousand words!
Most certainly legends, cartoons and poems blended and combined traditions from many cultures over time. It can be said that Europeans brought many of the traditions to the new world, but Americans as a melting pot embellished and commercialized the holiday like no other country had.
By the 1870’s giving gifts became quite popular especially for those more well off. Many gifts were handcrafted, but the most gifts were purchased. Many children made gifts for their parents from discarded items. The Christmas tree became a gift-holder and boxed packaging became popular. In 1900 a plain white box was the normal gift container. Magazines for women began giving tips and ideas for gifts, decorating and making the ‘perfect gift’ in the early 1900’s. In 1932 scotch tape was marketed, and other types of ribbons and bows were added to the wrapping frenzy.
Now with a little history of how gift-giving came to be popularized, what actually constitutes a good gift? Personally, I was influenced by my mother who really tried to find a gift that would have meaning to the receiver. She also created some beautifully decorated gift boxes! I try to do the same, and as I see things through the year, I purchase something that I think someone might enjoy.
However, there is one gift we have not explored….that is the gifts we are to the world. Each of us has a gift (s) that we were born with, or learned along the way. Perhaps you are a painter, a writer, or a good listener. We should honor and respect those gifts as well and encourage everyone to use their talents and gifts to their fullest potential. You’ve heard the saying, ‘don’t die with your music still in you.’
How many times have we been naysayers of someone, or had someone put down one of our gifts as ‘not good enough’ or not what they would have done. As a youngster from a creative family, my art was always admired by my teachers…well until high school when one teacher discouraged me and I never took another art class. Up until then I wanted to be an interior designer. My naiveté’ let him influence me. Now as an adult, I have taken some art classes, and have many artistic talents. But I never pursued an artistic career. Perhaps you had a similar experience where you let your gift go untapped.
Please take some time this season to share your gifts with the world, and think about ways in the 2016 that you can grow and shine and ‘be the gift’ that keeps on giving! It really is the best and perfect gift to give to others- you! Happy holidays!