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Why Do Children Get Presents on Christmas, Anyway?
The Holidays Mean Gifts For Children
Donating gifts to poor children as Christmas charity started only after gift-giving to the children of one’s own family and friends became a common ritual.
Gifting in general is not according to ‘good behaviour’ and does not have an exclusive link to the Christian faith.
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Even if the gift choices are pre-planned, the ritual of exchanging gifts has tremendous value and significance.
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The Christmas evolution
Santa and his reindeer, the carols, the lights, and the massive consumer spending on gifts did not happen immediately upon the birth of Christ.
By the mid-1800s, the holiday had picked up v...
The creators of the modern American Christmas
Thomas Nast gave us our image of Santa, but Henry Bessemer figured out how to make steel rapidly, cheaply, and abundantly. He completely revolutionized some of the greatest of human industries.
His rails connected almost every corner of the United States, making it possible to move products and messages of love across the nation.
How the train propelled the idea of Christmas
Society's view was propelled by trains full of Christmas trees, Christmas cards, and Christmas gifts.
The Christmas tree came first as big business in the 19th century. Christmas trees were hauled by train from Maine to New York City. Along with the Christmas tree came the Christmas card. The last piece of the holiday was the tradition of giving gifts. A Times article in 1890 declared "an epidemic in giving and receiving presents".
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The Psychology Of Exchanging Gifts
According to French anthropologist Marcel Mauss, gift-giving carries many legal, moral, economical and spiritual aspects, and is significant for the whole social fabric. Many ancie...
Social Behaviour: The Gifting Protocol
The Gift protocol is a non-voluntary strategy to affirm and strengthen the moral bonds of society.
It is a competitive, formal game that diminishes the pure value of gifts and makes it into a set of rules.
The Rules Of Social Gift Exchange
- Gift-giving is a moral act, with social consequences if done incorrectly. If one signals that he or she is not doing the ‘presents’ thing, the person is then banished from this formality.
- Receiving shoddy gifts with a warm 'thank you' is a part of the ritual based on pretentiousness and social deception.
- Wrapping and personalization of gifts matter, that is why cheques or vouchers feel cold.