Christmas Presents – A Look into the Past and Present

On Saturday, November 6th, 2010 at 6:58 pm, No Comments »

When it comes to both giving and receiving presents, Christmas is the best time of the year to do so. People don’t often stop to reflect why this is but there is some history as to how this practice came about.

Many historians trace the tradition of giving Christmas presents back to the Ancient Romans. The Romans celebrated the festival of Saturnalia during the time of the year we now call Christmas. This was a period of gift giving; even between master and slave.

As it stands today, Christmas time is mainly a Christian festival to mark the birth of Jesus. The story of His birth tells us that three Wise Men, the Magi, brought gifts for the infant Jesus. As a result, many believe that the giving of presents for Christmas has been established as a reminder of this act of giving so long ago.

No matter how you view the reasoning behind the giving of gifts during the Christmas season, everyone agrees on one thing: The common struggle to decide what to give loved ones a gift at this time of year. It sometimes takes a great deal of thought to get a special gift year after year that will not only show an expression of love but also be received with appreciation.

Among the many ideas to deal with this potential dilemma is to consult the lists of top Christmas presents that are advertised in all forms of media from September to December each year. There are articles and features to be found on the top presents for kids, the top toys, the most popular games and the bestselling personalized gifts.

Regardless of finding the right gift, the budget has a huge part to play in shopping for Christmas presents as well. As is often the case, everyone has been steered into spending more than they can afford on that special something for their loved ones at least once. But is this really being done in the true spirit of Christmas?

The fact is, nowhere in the nativity story does it state that the Magi maxed out their credit cards in order to bring gifts for the newborn baby Jesus, right?

Personalized gifts are always popular, but they don’t have to be expensive hand engraved items in order to convey an expression of love to the recipient. They can be personalized by you with the love and care that will make them doubly special. Think about plain, inexpensive items you can buy for your loved ones that can then be personalized at a low cost by you.

Handmade Christmas presents can often be produced inexpensively. If money is the issue, you do have time you can use as a commodity to fashion a handmade gift instead of spending money you don’t have. Just don’t wait until the last minute! Homemade preserved fruits or chocolates can be a welcome and delightful change from the often overpriced and inferior quality commercially produced gifts.

Remember, the tradition behind the giving of gifts is to express a sentiment, not to impress with how much you spent or to outdo the mother in law! For those who still treat this time of year as an excuse for overindulgence and overspending, maybe the time has come that they return to more traditional values.

Christmas presents do not need to be expensive or opulent. They simply need to be thoughtfully chosen or prepared with love to truly celebrate this special time of year.