A Season of Gift Giving
Harold Penner
Thanksgiving in Canada has passed and our thoughts turn to the next holiday season of the year, Christmas; the time of year when we in the Christian community remember the birth of the Christ child. The season includes church Christmas programs, banquets, family gatherings, and, for some, family vacations. One practice that is included in many of these events is the practice of gift giving. This has become one time of year when we in North America most emphasize the practice of giving gifts to others.
In our families many of us may pull tickets so that each person buys a gift for one other person. We may give our younger children money to purchase gifts for family, friends, or teachers. In our churches we may speak of the baby Jesus as God’s gift to mankind, or of the gifts the Magi brought when they came to visit Jesus, and tie these to the idea of giving gifts to others during the Christmas season. As this practice of gift giving during the Christmas season has developed over the years this has become a strong cultural concept that people from other cultures emulate when they immigrate to North America. It has become a mark of being a member of North American society.
But, what about other practices of gift giving? Are there other times and places when gift giving may be practiced? Of course, we also give gifts to children on their birthdays and to adults on significant birthdays. We present gifts at weddings and anniversaries, or to commemorate other important life events.
As people of other cultures migrate into our neighbourhoods and we begin to interact with them we soon note that they also bring a variety of gift giving practices unique to their cultural background. One notable practice is that of gifts related to travelling. For people from some Asian countries the practice is to take gifts along when travelling back to visit their families in their countries of origin. They will take items from North America to present when they meet their family or friends back home. While in their home country they will purchase items there to bring back with them to present to family or friends in North America as a token of friendship.
Business people who do a lot of travelling to other countries to purchase or sell product also learn the importance of giving gifts in some cultures as a part of the business interaction. In some cultures it may just be an incentive to complete a financial transaction. In other cultures it may a sign of relationship and business is about relationships.
What motivates you to give gifts? Is it a business transaction, a cultural expectation or an expression of love and gratitude? For followers of Christ, reflecting on the blessings we have received from God should naturally lead to a desire to pass on those blessings to others. One way is through giving of gifts.
Harold Penner is a stewardship consultant at the Winnipeg, Manitoba office of Mennonite Foundation of Canada (MFC). For stewardship education and estate and charitable gift planning, contact your nearest MFC office or visit Mennofoundation.ca.