WHEN’S THE RIGHT time to put up the Christmas tree? Should Santa gifts ever be wrapped? Is a new outfit essential for Christmas Day? These are just a few of the topics that divide opinion over the festive season.
Each week, we’ll be diving into a new Dinner Table Debate, getting to the bottom of the most contentious Christmas questions.
This week: Do your Santa gifts come wrapped or unwrapped?
From squeezing down chimneys to keeping track of the naughty or nice list – as well as remembering each home’s preference for wrapped or unwrapped gifts – Ol’ Saint Nick certainly has his work cut out for him.
Christmas gifts today are seen as an homage to the Three Wise Men and their offerings of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus. But the tradition dates much further back to when pagans in Europe and the Middle East gave gifts during winter festivals, such as Saturnalia, an ancient Roman festival in honour of Saturn.
As Christianity became increasingly widespread across Europe, the popular custom of gift-giving continued and developed links with the festival held to celebrate Jesus’ birth.
While we now know the jolly man who delivers our presents at Christmas as Santa Claus, his story dates way back to the third century, and a monk named St Nicholas.
St Nicholas is believed to have been born near Myra (modern day Turkey) sometime around 280 AD and became known for handing out bags of money he inherited to the poor. Over the years, his popularity spread and his story was introduced to the US in the early 1800s.
His name then evolved from ‘Sinter Klaas’ in Dutch, where he maintained a positive reputation, to ‘Santa Claus’ in English. By the 1890s, children could meet Santa at department stores and the image of Santa began being used in advertising.
Nowadays, Santa Claus is celebrated as the figure who delivers gifts to children around the world at Christmas time – but the way that he presents his gifts remains divisive.
So tell us: Do your Santa gifts come wrapped or unwrapped?
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