Each Christmas, every other article and blog post complain about how commercialized Christmas has become, how it’s lost it’s true meaning beneath a mountain of gift wrap. Last year, my family of three celebrated our first Christmas together sleeping beneath the tree with lots and lots of presents. I celebrate Christmas for many reasons, one of which are the gifts. I mean really, who doesn’t love presents? I love presents!!

What’s wrong with buying gifts during the holiday season? Some Scrooges extol the virtues of holiday abstinence and have given up gift giving all together. To them, I say bahumbug! Gift giving is one aspect of consumerism that I can get onboard with.

Gift Giving: What is it good for?

The minimalists and the anti-materialism-ists will have you believe that “the reason for the season” is long forgotten and that Christmas nowadays is all about senseless consumption of things that don’t matter. They paint a picture of obligatory gift exchanges, wishlists created with the expectation of receiving, and masses fighting their way to sales, consuming for the sake of consumption. However, without some degree of consumerism, there would be little in the way of showing gratitude and experiencing generosity; Christmas consumerism is good for something.

Four things, in fact.

Express Love

My brother is not big on words or for showing affection (what is it with boys?); he expresses his love and appreciation towards his family by showering them with gifts. His gifts are always thoughtful and generous and make the receiver feel special. Gift giving is an expression of love as much so as a hug and a kiss or saying the words “I love you”.

Show Gratitude

Daniel was laid off shortly after we were married. It was a difficult time; we were a young couple with school debt on a single income. My parents really helped us out by buying us groceries every so often and slipping cash into our pockets for us to furnish our empty home. Once Daniel started working again, we decided to save extra hard to get my mum a Louis Vuitton bag for Christmas. It was something she’s always liked but would never buy herself. It was our way of saying thank you.

Keep Traditions

One of my favourite things about Christmas is our traditional family gift exchange. Some years we do Secret Santa, some years we buy presents for everyone, but every year there are riddles and decoys. One Christmas my dad presented a big box to my then twelve year old sister. She unwrapped with bright eyes to find a box with a picture of a modem. “I got you unlimited internet! Now you can use the internet without my permission,” said my dad. My sister’s eyes clouded over with disappointed. She continued to open the box to find a lovely sweater she wanted.

Another year, my dad bought my mum a magnify glass to help with her farsightedness; she was not pleased and berated my father while we, kids, rolled on the floor dying with laughter. She, in return, got him five Tim Horton’s gift cards that had been gifted to her over the year; she didn’t know the balance on any of the cards and admitted to having perhaps used one or two. We bought my dad a flask that year and then raided his stash to supplement his gift with a bottle of his finest liquor (I didn’t have the time to go the LCBO before the gift exchange). My dad, pleased with the choice of liqour said, “oh! I have a bottle of this”, later to yell “Hey! this is MINE!”

Whether it’s a gag gift (my dad’s specialty), a regift (my mum’s speciality), or gifts that don’t appear as they seem, the point isn’t the presents itself, but the act of gift giving together as a family.

Experience Generosity

What would be of generosity if it wasn’t for the act of giving gifts? Last Christmas, my mum’s sisters lavished our baby son with big expensive plastic toys. To be completely honest, I can do without the toys (not big on plastic, not big on big things in a small space), but their generosity touched me. They had gone out and picked out toys they thought Lucas would love and they were willing to spend the money on him, knowing that it would bring him brief moments of amusement. Receiving undeserved gifts are a privilege and they should be accepted with gratitude.

The Gift of the Magi

A short story titled “The Gift of the Magi” was published in 1905; the story was about a young couple who show the depth of their love to one another by the gifts they give. In short, they both sell the one possession which they take pride to buy the other the perfect present.

Gifts are a way to outwardly communicate an inward expression of gratitude and love. Holiday shopping doesn’t come without it’s challenges – crowded parking lots and overflowing malls characterize the insanity – but the true act of giving requires sacrifice of time and money. Generosity brings families and friends closer together and instills a sense of joy that is in line with the true meaning of the Christmas season: a gift of the baby born in a manger on a silent night.