The tradition of giving gifts at Christmas

Published: 2024-12-17 17:00:00
Categories : Actuality , Celebrations

Table de fête, Noël en Alsace

In today’s society, Christmas is an unmissable event in the calendar. Whilst it is customary to give gifts to children and loved ones, this practice is relatively recent in terms of festive traditions. This tradition is not to be confused with new year presents, which is a custom dating back thousands of years.

Gifts have always been used to celebrate events, often associated with a religious element. End-of-year celebrations like Saint Nicolas, where children have always been given sweet treats, or the Nativity, when the wise kings offered gifts to the baby Jesus, could easily be mistaken for the origin of Christmas gifts. However, these are different traditions…

The tradition of giving gifts at Christmas over the centuries

The tradition of giving gifts at Christmas dates back to the 19^th century. At the time, the winters were much harsher and, as a result, they were more dangerous for children and the season was feared. To celebrate the end of the year, parents thus got into the habit of giving gifts to their children. They would give them a rare and, for the time, expensive treat: an orange, which was seen as a symbol of prosperity. Over the years, the orange was gradually replaced with a sweet treat or sweets (which were largely preferred by the children).

Then came Christmas 1893, which marked a turning point in the tradition of Christmas gifts: drawing inspiration from American shops, Le Bon Marché created its very first Christmas toy display. Little by little, sweet treats were replaced with toys as a shift began to be seen in the tradition. The new custom became increasingly popular and all of the big department stores in Paris then began to create window displays with toys for Christmas: rocking horses, porcelain dolls, wooden soldiers, etc. However, it remained a practice reserved for the upper classes and it wasn’t until the post-year period that toys became more commonly accessible.

Following the trauma of World War II, parents wanted to spoil their children and would buy toys to do just that. Midway through the 20^th century, toys became an industry in their own right. In the late 1980s, through multiple promotional spaces, shops began to ramp up their encouragement for toys to be bought for 25^th December. This was the start of advertising for Christmas gifts…

Christmas as we know it today

In collective thought, Christian end-of-year traditions such as Advent, Saint Nicolas and even the Nativity have gradually become intertwined to form a single celebration: Christmas. The various symbols have been combined, helping to create that much-loved and unique ambiance that spreads through us all each December.

Christmas now has its very own imaginary world and multiple customs. Towns and villages host popular Christmas markets, huge decorated trees brighten up public spaces, and children write letters to Father Christmas… Traditionally, families gather around a generous meal on Christmas Day, or on Christmas Eve in some countries. Then, overnight on Christmas Eve, Santa Clause comes and leaves presents underneath the tree, ready to be discovered the next morning. Regardless of the traditions celebrated by each family, it’s a special time for treating loved ones and seeing their faces light up as they discover their gifts.

Celebrating Christmas with the Maison

The history of giving gifts for Christmas anchors the Maison Alsacienne de Biscuiterie in a precious legacy: the legacy of giving sweet treats to loved ones. We celebrate this tradition by putting together Christmas Gift Tins, with an assortment of butter biscuits and soft biscuits, lovingly packed into a box featuring classic Christmas colours. A decadent gift selection that is perfect for either gifting or pulling out when you have visitors at Christmas, leaving guests to (re)discover their favourite Christmas treats.

To best reflect the spirit of Christmas in Alsace, our Maison has also created Collections which let you give the gift of assorted iconic Christmas products: Bredele, gingerbread, and even Lillikoug^® all create a singular flavour experience!