Christmas Gifts Biography
(Source google.com)
"Christmas Gift" is an expression traced back as
early as 1844 in the southern United
States . It is derived from the tradition of
saying "Christmas Gift!" among typically poor African American and
Anglo farming families in rural areas, when people would wake on Christmas
morning and rush to say "Christmas Gift" before anyone else. The
person being told "Christmas Gift!" is expected to present the person
saying it to them with a present. In addition, while "Merry
Christmas" is the common and current seasonal salutation, "Christmas
Gift" was an equivalent expression used in the rural south and also in
southern Pennsylvania , Ohio
Valley , West Virginia , and later
in northeastern Texas
as a simple greeting and recognizing the birth of Christ as a gift.
"Christmas Eve Gift" is another variation. The Dictionary of American
Regional English traces the first written uses of "Christmas Eve
Gift" back to 1954. The tradition is similar to the "Christmas
Gift" tradition, but occurs on Christmas Eve. The person being told "Christmas
Eve Gift!" is expected to present the person saying it to them with a
small present, traditionally candy or nuts.
While the birth year of Jesus is estimated among modern
historians to have been between 7 and 2 BC, the exact month and day of his
birth are unknown. His birth is mentioned Christmas musicand caroling, an exchange of Christmas cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various Christmas decorations, including Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths, mistletoe, andholly. In addition, several closely related and often interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, and Christkind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore. Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and in two of the four canonical gospels.
By the early-to-mid 4th century, the Western Christian Church had placed
Christmas on December 25, a date later adopted in the East, although some
churches celebrate on the December 25 of the older Julian calendar, which
corresponds to January in the modern-day Gregorian calendar. The date of
Christmas may have initially been chosen to correspond with the day exactly
nine months after early Christians believed Jesus to have been conceived, or
with one or more ancient polytheistic festivals that occurred near southern
solstice (i.e., the Roman winter solstice); a further solarconnection has been
suggested because of a biblical verse identifying Jesus as the "Sun of
righteousness".
The celebratory customs associated in various countries with
Christmas have a mix of pagan, pre-Christian, Christian, and secular themes and
origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift giving, Christmas
musicand caroling, an exchange of Christmas cards, church celebrations, a
special meal, and the display of various Christmas decorations, including
Christmas trees, Christmas lights, nativity scenes, garlands, wreaths,
mistletoe, andholly. In addition, several closely related and often
interchangeable figures, known as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, Saint
Nicholas, and Christkind, are associated with bringing gifts to children during
the Christmas season and have their own body of traditions and lore. Because
gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened
economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, the holiday has
become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses.
The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the
past few centuries in many regions of the world.
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