The Everything Family Christmas Book (15 page)

T
he giving and receiving of gifts has become one of the central themes of the modern American Christmas. Indeed, a strong holiday selling season often means the difference between a good and a bad year for retailers. There was, however—not so long ago—a time when Christmas involved no gift exchange whatever, and in some countries that remains the case. The union of Christmas and gift giving was a gradual one, and, in fact, the full story of the bright packages beneath the tree begins in the days before the birth of Christ.

Gifts and Celebrations, Old and New

In ancient Rome, gifts were exchanged during the Saturnalia and New Year’s celebrations. At first these gifts were very simple—a few twigs from a sacred grove, statues of gods, food, and the like. Many gifts were in the form of vegetation in honor of the fertility goddess Strenia. During the Northern European Yule, fertility was celebrated with gifts made from wheat products, such as bread and alcohol. As time went on, gifts became more elaborate and less edible.

Like many old customs, gift exchange was difficult to get rid of, even as Christianity spread and gained official status. Early church leaders tried to outlaw it, but the people cherished it too much to let it go. So instead, as with other customs, church leaders sought a Christian justification for the practice. They found it in the Magi’s act of bearing gifts to the infant Jesus, and in the concept that Christ was a gift from God to the world, bringing in turn the gift of redemption and everlasting life.

While most giving was done on a voluntary basis, some leaders did their best to ensure a plentiful season for themselves. One year, Emperor Caligula of Rome declared that he would be receiving presents on New Year’s Day; he then ridiculed gifts he deemed inadequate or inappropriate. And Henry III closed down the merchants of England one December because he was not impressed with the amount of their monetary gifts.

After Christianity had established itself throughout Europe, Christmas celebrations were quite common; gift giving as a component of Christmas Day, however, was not. The concept of a gift exchange on the holiday itself remained more the exception than the rule, and much of the gift giving at that time was confined to New Year’s, as in the days of the ancient Romans. Some countries, particularly those under Spanish cultural influence, saved gift giving for Epiphany (January 6), the day marking the visit of the Magi to Jesus.

England Leads the Way

Even though the roots of the Christmas present extend to ancient times, the gift-giving tradition of today owes perhaps the most to Victorian England. The Victorians, who brought a renewed warmth and spirit to Christmas after it had experienced a long period of decline, made the idea of family (and particularly children) an integral part of the celebration. Also important to them was the act of helping the less fortunate in society. Friendliness and charity filled many hearts during their Christmas season, so giving gifts was a natural.

No one personifies “It’s the thought that counts” more than the Victorians. To them, the act of giving was far more important than the present, and the ultimate reason for giving a gift was as an expression of kindness, a sentiment that tied in nicely with the historical tradition of the holiday.

Accordingly, Victorians surrounded the act of gift giving with a great deal of ingenuity and merriment; simply tearing into a cache of wrapped boxes would have been to miss the point. Far more thought and preparation were in order during the holiday season.

Cobweb parties, for instance, were lots of messy fun. Each family member was assigned a color, then shown to a room crisscrossed with yarn of various colors. They then had to follow their assigned color through the web of yarn until they reached the present tied to the end. Yarn was also used to wrap small gifts: The ball was unwound, then rewound to conceal the present.

The Christmas pie was another favorite diversion, although it was not exactly edible. Small gifts were concealed in a large bowl of grain. After Christmas dinner, everyone gathered around the pie and took turns taking a spoonful. Whatever treat was in your spoonful was yours to keep.

Though Victorian gift giving was filled with the spirit of Christmas, much of the actual exchange was still done on New Year’s Day. It was only in the late 1800s that the custom was finally transferred to Christmas.

Across the pond, Christmas was taking a similar shape in America, where the Victorians greatly influenced the American Christmas, including gift giving. America expanded on the concept with the addition of Santa Claus, however, whose forerunner, St. Nicholas, was legendary for his generosity. The association with gifts was a natural one, and soon, Santa or one of his earlier incarnations became responsible for the presents left in an ever-increasing number of stockings.

The Economics of Christmas

By the late nineteenth century, the simple and essentially nonmaterialistic gift-giving tradition had begun to fade. Christmas had come face to face with commercialism, and the new message was: Buy. It wasn’t long before shopping and the idea of gifts had woven itself into the fabric of the holiday. This transition was encouraged by merchants (and everyone else in the developing economies of Europe and America) who stood to benefit from a year-end buying binge.

It was—and is—an open question whether this development did more harm than good to the holiday. Skeptics wonder whether the emphasis on buying, shopping, and getting ultimately brings more happiness or disappointment—especially to those who can afford little.

Others have found a new and robust variation on the holiday spirit in the shopping-related hustle and bustle around Christmastime. Perhaps, they argue, it is too much to expect that Christmas, having adapted itself to so many civilizations over the years, wouldn’t be affected by the modern consumer culture in which we live. In the end, it’s likely that the best way to approach Christmas gift giving is with both viewpoints in mind.

What Was Given?

Back in the days of Ancient Rome, a citizen might have received the makings of a nice salad for Saturnalia; a Victorian chap might have had the pleasure of a new pipe or a snuff box. But what about here in North America?

Twentieth-Century Toys

In the first part of the twentieth century, gifts were a great deal simpler than they are today. Clothing was a staple for adults and children, with the latter getting a toy or two for enjoyment. The first decade of the past century, however, gave us two childhood classics: the Crayola crayon, which was first produced in 1903; and the teddy bear, which came along four years later.

The teddy bear was created by Morris and Rosie Michtom, after they saw a cartoon of the day that detailed a hunting trip taken by President Teddy Roosevelt. The president had refused to shoot a bear that had been tied up for him; in the cartoon, the bear was portrayed as tiny and helpless.

After Rosie Michtom made a stuffed bear cub in 1907, her husband displayed it in the window of his store, along with a cartoon of Roosevelt saving a bear cub, which had inspired her. The bear was very popular, and eventually the Michtoms received permission from the president himself to mass market the stuffed cubs as Teddy Bears. For youngsters who liked to tinker, Tinker Toys came along in 1914. Raggedy Ann dolls were mass produced in 1918, becoming one of the more popular dolls of that time. In general, dolls and games were favorites during this period, as they still are today. Other highlights of this time were rideable toys: sleds, rocking horses, and red wagons.

Toys of the Great Depression

Despite the Depression of the 1930s, toy manufacturers continued to come up with occasional classics that people somehow managed to scrape enough money together to buy. Yo-yos were quite popular, and the Red Ryder BB gun was a big seller. Introduced in 1938, the gun got its name from a comic-book character, one of the first of a very long (and ever-growing) list of toys based on comic, television, or movie characters.