Christmas Giving and a Brief History of Benevolence

Nov 30, 2010 Michael Streich

Christmas Gift Giving Began at Bethlehem - Mike Streich photo image

Christmas giving is rooted in Matthew's account of the Magi's visit to Bethlehem, but has become a theology of charity to lessen the suffering of the poor.

In the English Christmas carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” the singer’s true love begins by giving a “Partridge in a Pear Tree” and ends with twelve “Drummers Drumming.” Giving at Christmas has been part of the Christmas tradition since the identification of the feast day with Saint Nicholas in the 12th Century.

It is the Matthew account in the New Testament, however, that provides the model for giving (Chapter 2.11). During the period of Industrialization, especially in England, giving at Christmas became part of social charity, an extension of goodwill designed to bridge the gap between rich and poor.

The Gifts of the Magi at the First Christmas in Bethlehem

The first Gospel writer, Matthew, describes wise men or Magi that arrived in Jerusalem seeking a newly born child that they believed to be a king. They found this babe in Bethlehem, traditionally in a stable, although some translations refer to a house (New American Standard Bible; Luther’s German translation; Revised English Bible).

The Magi opened “their treasures” and presented the newly born king with, “gifts of gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.” Virtually all New Testament translations agree on these three gifts. The giving of three different gifts has also led to the conclusion that there were three wise men, although no account specifies an exact number.

Frankincense was incense of the highest quality. Luther translates it as “Weihrauch,” used by the Church during Mass and other important liturgical functions. Myrrh was a resin used in perfume. Myrrh was also identified with the “balm of Gilead,” mentioned in Genesis 37.25.

This “balm” was also used for medicinal purposes. In Jeremiah 8.22, for example, the prophet, lamenting over the evils of God’s people and the coming destruction of Jerusalem, asks, “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?” All three gifts mentioned by Matthew were costly and each was symbolic. Gold was symbolic of kingship.

Christmas Giving Turns to Social Charity in Modern History

The example of the Magi as well as legends that sparked gift-giving in the life of St. Nicholas legitimized the exchange of gifts at Christmas. Although some Catholic religious communities like the Franciscans had a long tradition of selfless giving to the poor, the universalization of giving in response to income disparity and social poverty began with the period of Industrialization.

In Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is confronted on Christmas Eve by two men in his money-lending business, soliciting funds for the poor: “At this festive season of the year…it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and Destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time.” In her extensive study of Christmas in the United States, Art History professor Karal Ann Marling equates the Dickens story, in part, with the “cruelties of the new industrial order.”

The overriding aspect of redemption for Scrooge, as with other similar Christmas story protagonists, points to the greater good within society. Scrooge represents the greed of an industrial period that is confronted by its own banality and class distinctions replaced by a type of brotherhood of man that equates Christmas with benevolence and social goodwill.

The Act of Giving at Christmas in the Contemporary World

The legacy of what has been called the greatest “charity sermon” of the 19th Century has led to contemporary giving at another period in history of growing wealth disparity and spiraling poverty, even in the developed nations.

Perhaps because of the stark contrasts of Christmas lights and joyful singing and millions living below the established poverty base, holiday charity has become the norm and grows every year.

Mailboxes are full of urgent appeals, Salvation Army bell ringers brave the cold at public places, and local television stations report on community activities designed to restock food banks or provide shelter for the homeless. In every case, the motivation springs from a special time of the year that conveys the message of sharing.

The Greatest Gift at Christmas According to Christian Views

For many Christians, the greatest gift at Christmas is the birth of Christ and the free gift of salvation that the “king of kings” brings. A German hymn states that “Every year, the Christ-child comes again.” The image of the baby Jesus is symbolic of the act of giving. Christmas is all about giving: God the Father, “gave his only begotten son” (John 3.16). The wise men gave their treasures. Jesus gave his life so men might live.

The act of giving at Christmas is more about motivation than substance. In Mark’s Gospel (12.41ff) Christ observed a “poor widow” who brought two small copper coins (the “widow’s mite”) to the treasury, but the coins represented all that she had. This is the ultimate form of sacrificial giving, an action highlighted in all of the world’s major religions.

Even Jesus acknowledged that there will always be poor people. The act of giving will never do away with poverty. This fact alone points to the reason giving, particularly at Christmas, is important. Giving instills an attitude or perspective that humbles the giver and makes him a better person. Charles Dickens ends A Christmas Carol by writing that it was always said of Scrooge that, “he knew how to keep Christmas well.”

Sources:

• Karal Ann Marling, Merry Christmas! Celebrating America’s Greatest Holiday (Harvard University Press, 2000)
• New American Standard Bible (Moody Press, 1973)
• Michael Paterson, Voices from Dickens’ London (David & Charles, 2007)

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