History of Gift Giving

The custom of gift giving goes back to the Roman festival of the Kalends and took place on the first of January during the Winter Solstice. The Roman Emperor received gifts from his administration, as required.

At first, the gifts came in the form of evergreen branches, but these branches weren’t exactly a popular present. Eventually, gifts of honey and cakes replaced the evergreens, symbolic of a new year filled with sweetness and prosperity.

In the states, gift giving began in the 1820's, though advertising for the concept began years earlier. By the 1840's, they became a mainstream in American society, and vaulted tremendously in the 1930's when Coca-Cola incorporated Santa Claus into its marketing campaign.