How does gift giving relate to the stories of the bible at Christmas?

Kellie2: How does gift giving relate to the stories of the bible at Christmas?
I know that about saint Nicolas and all of that but what relation does this have to the bible. Isn’t Jesus the greatest gift of all? Why must we give gifts to eachother when the Christmas gift is the gift of our savior. Doesn’t that seem to be enough? I’ve always found it strange

Answers and Views:

Answer by Bria
Because someone somewhere gave one gift and everyone did and it became tradition it has nothign to do with the Bible

Answer by Dave RC
Jesus IS the greatest gift of all! One can help others come to Christ by praying the rosary for them daily. The rosary is God’s preferred means for obtaining conversions. See the following promises.

The rosary is explained here:

The fifteen promises of Mary to Christians who recite the rosary:
1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive signal graces.
2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.
3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against Hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.
4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish.
6. Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries, shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just, he shall remain in the grace of God and become worthy of eternal life.
7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.
8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces; at the moment of death, they shall participate in the merits of the saints in Paradise.
9. I shall deliver from Purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.
11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.
12. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire Celestial Court during their life and at the hour of death.
14. All who recite the Rosary are my sons, and brothers of my only Son, Jesus Christ.
15. Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

God bless!
Dave

Answer by se7en_lights
exchanging gifts, the xmas tree, wreaths, lights on the house, ornaments, candles… these are all pagan practices and pagan rituals that celebrate the solstice. they are not xian in nature.

Answer by Peadar
Luke 3.11 “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.”

We should give gift’s, all year round to those who are less fortunate than ourselves. That is the christian thing to do.

Answer by Maffoo
A combination of:

– Saint Nicholas (nothing to do with the Nativity)
– The Wise Men that came bearing gifts
– Pagan practises in England before Christianity got here, so that Christianity could essentially ‘slip under the radar’.

Answer by The Stapler
The wise men brought gifts.

Or some stupid sh*t like that.

Answer by Incredibly Credible
It is cultural, as well as being Pagan. Sorry, but the date of Christmas has nothing to do with the birth of a man with long hair and a beard, it is a Pagan holiday.

Answer by Rabid Fish
the wise men brought gifts so you have to also
jesus was born under a tree so thats why we have christmas trees.

Answer by Esther
The wise men brought gifts to Jesus. It’s merely a tradition. If you don’t want to do it, tell people to give you nothing.

I love giving gifts, and I know it gives others pleasure to give me things.

Of course Jesus is the most important. That goes without saying.

Answer by is spelnilg ralely imrtoapnt?
see honey, theres this little strange concept called ‘love’ shared with friends and family and spouses. when people feel this ‘love’ they tend to want to show it. and since this season has always been filled with holidays and celebrations, we use this time and love to give to our community. sharing is caring!

Answer by Pam
I like to think its a reflection of his love for us.

Answer by Nightwind: Mwa ha ha!
Why does it have to be in the Bible to make sense?

The birth of the Savior seems like a reasonable thing to celebrate, yes? So how do you celebrate it? A Christmas meal isn’t Biblical either. Does that make it bad? Gift-giving is a cultural and community activity done in many faiths for many celebrations.

Historically, however, Christmas has frequently NOT been a major celebration. Easter is the primary Christian holiday. The stress on the importance of Christmas as well as the stress on gifts occurred in the 19th century. It was a conjunction of increased piety and, ironically, senses of conspicuous consumption.

Answer by selena_girl18
Christians believe it was because the 3 wise men brought gifts to baby Jesus when he was born.

Answer by ΛbstrΛct !
This day called “Christmas” has NOTHING to do with the Bible. Find me a verse in scripture which tells us to celebrate this day? Jesus wasn’t even born on December 25th. What makes me sick is that were told to live by the Word of God, and I see Christians putting up trees and handing out gifts. How hypocritical is that?

Answer by lawrenceba549
Yes, Jesus is the greatest gift of all to those who choose to believe.
However, the practice, in the Christian sense, is based upon the three Wise Men coming after the birth and bearing gifts for the infant. It is meant to represent the respect of the Kings for the birth of one they acknowledge to be greater than they.
So, too, are the representations for the presents for children; after all, do we not wish them to be better both financially and spiritually than ourselves?

Answer by charles
The materialistic culture we live in drives the precedent of the wise men bringing gifts to Jesus to maximum financial advantage.

Answer by Ms KC
THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTMAS
It was not until several hundred years after Jesus lived on the earth that people began to commemorate his birth on December 25. But that was not the date of Jesus’ birth, for it evidently took place in October. So why was December 25 chosen? Some who later claimed to be Christian likely “wished the date to coincide with the pagan Roman festival marking the ‘birthday of the unconquered sun.’” (The New Encyclopædia Britannica) In winter, when the sun seemed weakest, pagans held ceremonies to get this source of warmth and light to come back from its distant travels. December 25 was thought to be the day that the sun began its return. In an effort to convert pagans, religious leaders adopted this festival and tried to make it seem “Christian.”

The pagan roots of Christmas have long been recognized. Because of its unscriptural origin, Christmas was banned in England and in some of the American colonies during the 17th century. Anyone who even stayed home from work on Christmas day had to pay a penalty. Soon, though, the old customs were back, and some new ones were added. Christmas once again became a big holiday, and that is what it still is in many lands. Because of the connections that Christmas has with false religion, however, those who want to please God do not celebrate it or any other holiday that has its roots in pagan worship.

Answer by Ms Blue
Jesus is the greatest gift that mankind will ever receive Kellie your right, but remember the three wise men that came to visit the baby Jesus? They brought him gifts that were symbolic to honor his birth/arrival. Gift giving is wonderful I mean it is a birthday we are celebrating right? 🙂

Answer by Rico JPA
Folks were exchanging gifts at winter solstice fests long before Christianity. Why stop? If you want to fold it in, there are the gifts the Magi brought the baby Jesus. Gold, because he was a prince of the earth, Frankincense, because he was high priest, and myrrh, because (and this was understood by folks of the middle east back then) he would conquer death (myrrh was used for embalming). Or, if it’s Saint Nick, hey, he was left a fortune by his parents, who died early, and he was raised in the monastery by his uncle. In the town of Myra, the legend goes, there were three girls…a poor man had three daughters but could not afford a proper dowry for them. This meant that they would remain unmarried and probably, in absence of any other possible employment would have to become prostitutes. Hearing of the poor man’s plight, Nicholas decided to help him but being too modest to help the man in public, (or to save the man the humiliation of accepting charity), he went to his house under the cover of night and threw three purses (one for each daughter) filled with gold coins through the window opening into the man’s house.

One version has him throwing one purse for three consecutive nights. Another has him throw the purses over a period of three years, each time the night before one of the daughters comes “of age”. Invariably, the third time the father lies in wait, trying to discover the identity of their benefactor. In one version the father confronts the saint, only to have Saint Nicholas say it is not him he should thank, but God alone. In another version, Nicholas learns of the poor man’s plan and drops the third bag down the chimney instead; a variant holds that the daughter had washed her stockings that evening and hung them over the embers to dry, and that the bag of gold fell into the stocking.

Of course, these are Stories, not histories. I don’t know about you, but for me, gift giving makes me feel as good (if not better) than gift receiving. But random gift giving often creates awkward situations and feelings of inappropriate intimacy or reciprocal obligations. It’s nice to have a time of year when the giving of gift is socially sanctioned and freed from most misunderstandings.

Answer by lainiebsky
Some time after the custom of exchanging gifts came to be associated with Christmas as well as the older festival it usurped, some cleric invented the story that gift giving was Christian in that it was a reminder of the gifts the magi brought to Jesus.

Answer by Eva Luten >3
Money and bible stories are both printed on paper . Money is worth something though .

As for Saint Nicolas he was invented by the Greek Orthodox church to establish credibility . just like Jesus he doesn’t show up in any verifiable historical record . Presents a bit of a pattern doesn’t it ?

Answer by katie
The gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.