Today, we see Christmas gifts as an obvious part of the holidays, but their form has changed considerably over the centuries. In some places, gifts are brought by Baby Jesus, elsewhere by Santa Claus or the Three Kings, and some families exchange them at a time other than Christmas Eve. Religious stories, local customs, family relationships and modern commerce have all shaped these traditions.
Christmas gift-giving has no single origin. It is linked to Christian stories about the birth of Jesus and the gifts of the Wise Men, to St. Nicholas’s tradition of charity, and to older European customs of giving presents. The development of shops and advertising in the 19th and 20th centuries also significantly shaped today’s version of family Christmas. This is why both the dates and the gift-giving figures vary from country to country.
Older than modern commerce: the tradition of giving gifts
Giving things as a sign of affection existed long before modern Christmas shopping. People used gifts to strengthen relationships, show hospitality or help those who could not afford something. At different times of the year, such gestures had different religious and social meanings. It is therefore inaccurate to claim that Christmas gifts were invented by a single retail chain.
Christian tradition links gift-giving to the story of the Wise Men who brought gifts to Jesus. In many countries, this connection is also reflected in the Feast of the Epiphany, when children receive gifts from the Three Kings. Smithsonian notes this custom in Spain and many Latin American countries, where gifts are associated with 6 January.
However, there is no reason to pretend that the biblical story explains every detail of today’s Christmas Eve. When a family opens its presents and who symbolically brings them are matters of local tradition. Many customs developed independently and later influenced one another.
St. Nicholas and the idea of a secret gift-giver
One source of today’s customs is the legend of St. Nicholas, a bishop associated with helping the poor and giving gifts anonymously. Smithsonian describes how the American figure of Santa Claus gradually developed from the Dutch name Sinterklaas. His iconography changed during the 19th century through literature and illustrations.
This tradition helps explain why the gift-giver is often mysterious and why presents are given out of children’s sight. It does not mean, however, that all cultures knew the same old man with reindeer. Slovakia’s Ježiško is a different figure in Christmas customs, and St. Nicholas also has his own separate day in December in the Slovak calendar.
It is equally inaccurate to credit a single beverage brand with inventing Santa as a whole. Commercial advertising helped spread his modern image, but historical depictions and literary portrayals existed earlier. When explaining the tradition, it is therefore useful to distinguish between the origin of the figure and the later popularisation of a particular visual style.
Why do children receive most of the gifts?
Today’s family Christmas places children at the centre, but this was not always the case. In an article on the history of commercial Christmas, Smithsonian also describes older customs in which servants and poor people, rather than necessarily the children of wealthier families, received gifts. The spread of the idea of a domestic family holiday also changed who gifts were bought for.
Children receive gifts today partly because they are part of a family ritual: writing wish lists, wrapping presents, waiting and opening them together create strong memories. That does not mean every family must spend the same amount or give children the largest possible pile of packages. Families decide for themselves what the ritual means.
When giving gifts to children, it is also worth discussing expectations. If a gift is presented as a reward for absolute obedience, a child may experience the holiday differently than the family intended. Christmas traditions are not a universal parenting guide. They are customs that can be passed on without competing over the value of things.
Department stores changed the face of Christmas
Modern gift-giving took on a significant commercial dimension during the rise of large stores. Smithsonian states that from the late 19th century, department stores strengthened their holiday window displays and advertising for products intended as gifts. Gift wrapping also became more widespread, turning an ordinary purchased item into a personal surprise.
That does not mean commerce invented gifts. However, it made them a more visible, regular and increasingly important element of consumer culture. Advertising began to shape ideas about what a “proper” gift should be and what an ideal holiday table or living room should look like.
When reading historical sources, it is important to remember the differences between countries. The development of American department stores cannot simply be presented as the exact history of Slovak villages. In Slovakia, local religious traditions, differing availability of goods and later social changes all played a role.
Why are mystery and wrapping important?
A gift could be given without paper, a ribbon or the pretense that it was brought by a fairy-tale figure. Yet these small rituals create anticipation and distinguish holiday gift-giving from an ordinary purchase. Smithsonian points out that wrapping a gift and removing the price tag help turn a commercial product into a personal gesture.
The value of a gift is therefore not only its market price. A handmade item, time spent together or practical help can mean more to someone than an expensive object. It depends on the relationship and on what the recipient truly appreciates, not on a universal rule about an amount or number of packages.
A gift can also create pressure: who received more, who is expected to “return the favour,” or whether something must be bought for every acquaintance. This dimension also has a long social history. The problem is not the tradition itself, but the expectations that individual groups build around it.
Baby Jesus, Santa Claus and the Three Kings: why different figures?
Christmas and winter gift-giving became connected to different holidays and stories in different regions. In Slovakia, people commonly say that Ježiško brings gifts on Christmas Eve. In parts of the English-speaking world, Santa Claus predominates, with gift-giving associated with Christmas morning. In other areas, children receive gifts for the Feast of the Three Kings.
There is no need to decide which version is the “original and only correct” one. These are living cultural traditions with different histories. If a family uses more than one language or lives between two countries, it can easily combine several customs. What matters is understanding roughly where they come from and not presenting one local custom as a global standard.
What people today can take from history
Gifts are given at Christmas because stories of generosity, family customs and, later, commerce came together during this season. Modern wrapping and advertising campaigns changed their visible form, but not the basic human need to show care for another person. A family can choose modest gifts or a shared experience without giving up the holiday tradition.
Sources
- Smithsonian Books – We Wish You a Commercial Christmas (history of gifts and commercial culture) – https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-books/2023/12/11/we-wish-you-a-commercial-christmas/
- Smithsonian Magazine – The Evolving Face of Santa, As Seen in the Smithsonian's Vast Collections (St. Nicholas and Santa Claus) – https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/evolving-face-santa-smithsonian-vast-collections-180953571/
- Smithsonian Institution – Three Kings Day (gift-giving on the Feast of the Three Kings) – https://www.si.edu/collections/snapshot/three-kings-day
Gabriel Čatár
I'm interested in everyday things we encounter but don't always understand. From technology and personal finance to practical guides and fascinating facts about the world. At Offpitch, I focus on topics worth exploring in greater depth, checking the facts and explaining them in a clear, accessible way. My goal is to make sure readers take away something useful from every article.
