One of the popular customs that's associated with Christmas is gift-giving. Gift-giving is primarily for children during this time of year. Children look forward to this holiday season and they have a list that's a mile-high of all the toys and other items they desire this holiday season. The custom of gift-giving during the holiday season began even before the birth of Christ. The union of Christmas and gift-giving was gradual and began before the birth of Christ. In ancient Rome, gifts were exchanged during the New Year's celebrations. They were simple: few twigs from a sacred grove and some food. Many gifts were in the form of vegetables in honor of the fertility goddess Strenia. During the Northeastern European Yule, fertility was celebrated with gifts made of wheat products, such as bread and alcohol. Emperor Caligula of Rome declared to all that he would be receiving presents on New Year's Day.
In the book of Matthew in the Bible following the birth of Christ, we read of the account of the three wise men bringing gifts to the little baby Jesus. Jesus was born in Jerusalem in the days of Herod the King. Three wise men came from the east inquiring of the Christ child. The wise men had seen his star in the east and they came to worship him. King Herod had inquired of the wise men of what time the star appeared. Matthew 2:8-11 says, "And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, "Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." What a special time that was! The wise men presented gifts unto the newborn child; the saviour that was to die for the sins of the world.
After the advent of the church, the early church leaders tried to outlaw the custom, but the people cherished it too much to let it go. There was controversy over the celebration of Christmas and all the trappings involved with it throughout the history of the world, but the modern concept of the gift-giving tradition as we know it today stems from Victorian England. There were two traditions that the Victorians practiced. One was the cobweb parties in which each family was assigned multicolored yarn. The people followed their color through the maze of yarn to the present tied at the other end. Another tradition was the Christmas pie. Everyone gathered arond a large bowl of grain into which small gifts had been given. Each person took turns dipping their spoon into the grain "pie" and whatever Christmas treated they scooped up was theirs to keep.
Gift-giving in America became a tradition in America when the Christmas holiday was rejuvenated in America in the nineteenth century. The Germans had brought the Christmas tradition to America in New York. They had brought Santa Claus with them to America, who was a mystical gift-giver. He played a major role in the gift-giving tradition in America, especially with young children. Legend has it that Santa Claus gives gifts to deserving children during Christmas. The poem that Clement Clarke Moore wrote in the 1800's entitled, "A Visit from St. Nicholas" reinforces Santa's gift-giving myth. After the Santa tradition began in America, Santa or one of his earlier models became responsible for presents left in an ever-increasing number of stockings. Merchant stores began advertising Christmas shopping in 1820, and by the 1840's, newspapers were creating separate sections for holiday advertisements; which often feature images of the newly popular Santa Claus.
The tradition of gift-giving being associated with Santa Claus and young children continues this very day in America. Every year you'll find men dressed up as Santa Claus in the shopping malls across America and a host of children will be lined up to see Santa presenting their Christmas requests to him. The sad part about it is that parents have led their children to believe Santa is the giver of gifts. It's the Lord. All the bounty that we receive comes from God above. It's never right to give credit to someone for God's blessings other than God himself. It's true that God uses people to bless us with gifts, but the ultimate source of all our blessings comes from the Lord; not Santa Claus. We've made Santa Claus an idol in America.
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