Regardless of whether you buy gifts the day before, weeks in advance, or even a year in advance, Christmas presents are a major part of the celebrations.
The reason it is such a central aspect to the holiday is that giving gifts is a common denominator in Pagan and Christian origins.
Howstuffworks.com explains that “Christmas's gift-giving tradition has its roots in the Three Kings' offerings to the infant Jesus. The magi traveled to Bethlehem to present Christ gifts. Some Eastern Orthodox Churches and European countries still celebrate the traditional date of the Magi's arrival –January 6 or Three Kings' Day –with a Christmas-like gift exchange.”
French nuns in the 13th century gave gifts to the poor near Christmas-time, and the Romans who celebrated Saturnalia also exchanged gifts.
However, the modern day gift exchange didn’t really come onto the scene until the 18th century, when it started migrating to the central focus of Christmas.
“By 1867, the Macy's department store in New York City stayed open until midnight on Christmas Eve, allowing last-minute shoppers to make their purchases,” states howstuffworks.com.
As evident by Black Friday and Christmas Eve shopping, this is obviously an American tradition that is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Some lament the secularization and commercialization that gift giving brings Christmas, but it continues to be a huge contributor to children’s joy at Christmas time.
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