The Art of Gift Giving

Even with term papers and final exams rapidly approaching, the holiday season has taken over at Neumann. The trees are up all around campus, gingerbread houses were being made in the dining hall, and the performance of the live nativity just passed. A major component of the holidays, however, is the gift giving.

The excitement takes off trying to pick out the perfect gift to say, “I love you.” Choosing what wrapping paper design to use, and if the gift looks better with a bow or some ribbon also requires some thought. But, ultimately, the most exciting thing is seeing the look on loved ones faces as they open the gift. So, NeuPress asked students what the best gift is that they have ever given or received and why.

But before sharing Neumann students’ exciting gifts, there is one mystery that should be explained first -- the custom of gift giving and how it came about.

Gift giving has been traced back to ancient Romans, and the celebration where gift giving was cultivated was the festival of Saturnalia. The purpose of the celebration was to give thanks to the agricultural god Saturn, and it was celebrated from December 17th to the 23rd. Some festivities included a public banquet, singing, and gift giving.

The presents that were given at these festivals, however, were not anything expensive. The people who celebrated actually believed that the simpler the gift the stronger the bond that was made between the gift giver and the receiver. Like the holidays today, Saturnalia was celebrated at the end of the calendar year until the festival came to an end in 312 AD.

Later, most of the traditions in Saturnalia were revived and used to celebrate Christmas. The tradition of gift giving was established in Christianity when people began to associate presents with the Magi giving gifts to baby Jesus after his birth. This custom was reinforced by the life of Saint Nikolaos, or Saint Nicholas, who was notable for his enjoyment of giving gifts. Other holidays aside from Christianity, like Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, have picked up the art of gift giving.

In current days, gift giving has become a vital part of our holiday season celebration, with people spending more and more on their loved ones every year. In 2021 the average amount spent during the holiday season was up 14.1% from 2020. But gifts are a good thing, they bring family and friends closer. They show that someone cares.

When reflecting on past gifts, it was clear there was a pattern when it came to gift giving at Neumann. Students have a meaningful reason behind the gifts they give, even if they’re simple.

A good example is what student Sam Holmberg gave her mother for Christmas. “It was a photo album of pictures from all the vacations we went on in the past few years. She really likes sentimental gifts and our family loves to travel, so she really appreciated the work I put into making it.” 

“I had a friend that really like penguins,” recalled Teni Jehanian, “so I bought her an adoption where she like adopted a penguin and gave a donation in her name.” Once again, a simple but meaningful gift with a lot of thought put into it.

On the flip side, Anthony Lonetti remembered a gift he had received, “The best gift I’ve ever gotten was my cat Rocky cause he kept me going in a dark spot of my life.”

During this stressful yet joyous time of year, students can still briefly put their stress aside and shop for their families as well as enjoy the gifts they receive after their hard work all semester long.