<P> A Christmas gift or Christmas present is a gift given in celebration of Christmas . Christmas gifts are often exchanged on December 25 . </P> <P> The tradition of gift - giving is an old one, but it became associated with Christmas more recently . It is a relic of a pagan custom, namely, the winter solstice which in Europe occurs in December . This was celebrated in ancient Rome with gift - giving during the Saturnalia holiday, which took place that month . As Christianity became increasingly widespread in the Roman lands, the custom of gift - giving continued . Around the year 336 AD the date of December 25 appears to have become established as the day of Jesus's birth, and the tradition of gift - giving was reinterpreted and tied to the story of three Magi giving gifts to baby Jesus; together with another story, that of Santa Claus based on the historical figure of Saint Nicholas, a fourth - century Greek bishop and gift - giver, it slowly became a part of Christmas celebrations . </P> <P> Some early Christian rulers, however, interpreted this story as indications that it should be their subjects who should give gifts to their superiors, and insisted on tributes and tithes during that period . This changed around the turn of the millennium following the popularity of the Good King Wenceslas story based on the life of another historical person claimed to be a gift - giver, Saint Wenceslaus . Christmas gift - giving to superiors became less common, and around the time of the Protestant Reformation, customs of gift - giving to children became increasingly widespread in Europe . The custom spread to the United States around the 19th century . This also coincided with the desire of some elites to reduce the rowdiness of adult Christmas celebrations, which in some places were tied to begging, as "bands of young men, often rowdy, would "wassail" from home to home and demand handouts from the gentry ". Another related aspect was the growing desire by parents to keep children at home, away from the "corrupting" influence of the urban streets . </P> <P> Another relatively recent change concerned the time of Christmas gift - giving . For many centuries, gift - giving took place on December 6 around Saint Nicholas Day or in early January after New Year's Eve . The popularity of this custom grew after the positive reception of the 1823 poem The Night Before Christmas and the 1843 novella A Christmas Carol . By the end of the 19th century, Christmas Eve replaced early December or January dates as the most common date for gift - giving in the Western culture . It is custom for one to open a single gift on the evening of Christmas Eve . </P>

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