By Irinna Schwenke
ijs@email.byu.edu
'Tis better to give than to receive...but who came up with this famous notion anyway?
With Christmas right around the corner, the tradition of giving and receiving gifts is upon us.
In a hunt to find the history of gift giving, several Web sites deal with Christmas: its history, the annual ordeal of gift giving and other famous customs.
There are many explanations on how the practice of gift giving originated.
One theory goes back to the Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Calends. The very first gifts were simple good luck emblems such as twigs from a sacred grove. Soon gift giving escalated to food, small items of jewelry, candles and statues of gods.
To early Christians, gift giving was a pagan holiday and therefore severely frowned upon. However, people would not part with it.
Some justification was found in the original gift giving of the Magi and from figures such as St. Nicholas. According to Hypermart, gift giving was accepted by the Middle Ages.
At the History of Christmas Web site, another theory is presented.
English shopkeepers of the 18th century placed ads noting items appropriate as holiday gifts. Cash tips, little books and sweets were given by parents to children.
The practice of gift giving worked in one direction. Children received gifts, but did not participate in giving back to their superiors.
So how did the exchange of gifts from dependents to superiors begin?
Good old American influences.
Both 20th-century influence and diligent marketing has made giving gifts the norm.
Now that the tradition of gift giving is a two-way affair, it brings headaches to both parents and children during the Christmas season.
Long lines, annoying children and messy shelves typify Christmas shopping across the country.
With this in mind, its no surprise that in some Germanic languages closely related to English, the word gift also means poison.
There is a history of gifts of tainted food or other articles being used to poison their recipients.
The association of the two words may be a shrewd psychological insight that gifts can lacerate as well as delight.
Here is an example.
Unlike other gift-giving events in society, such as birthdays or weddings, Christmas celebrations involve the simultaneous exchange of presents.
Because gifts can be an expression of the actual or desired relationship between individuals, there is a sense in which Christmas giving requires people to make an annual assessment of where they stand with friends and family.
The trick is to ensure that these assessments will be mutual.
The horror of buying someone a gift that is too cheap, while he or she buys something too expensive, typifies the Christmas season.
But is that really what is important?
Perhaps the practice of gift giving did originate in Rome or Europe, but there is another place that sometimes goes unnoticed - Bethlehem.
After Jesus Christ was born, wise men came to look for the newborn Savior. They brought with them three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Today, in honor of friends and family, gifts are exchanged to honor them for what they do during the year.
Gifts are not the essence of Christmas. It is better to give than to receive. It feels good to share gifts with others.
Whether the gifts are cheap or expensive, it is important to remember that gifts should be given in the true spirit of Christmas.
The spirit of love.