LATEST NEWS : Christmas 2009: A Time of Sharing

The countdown to Christmas 2009 is well underway and, in addition to bringing you our latest winter collection, we thought we would take a look back at the long tradition of sharing gifts at Christmas.

The history of giving gifts at Christmas is as old as the festival itself. On that very first Christmas over two thousand years ago, three wise men from the Far East travelled many days and nights in search of the Messiah whose birth they had heard prophesied. Following a shining star in the night sky, the three travelers eventually came upon a simple, unadorned manger in the small village of Bethlehem. The star shone brightly above and inside lay the baby Jesus.

The three visitors from afar had found the Messiah. To honour the occasion, they had brought with them gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh and, in doing so, began a custom of giving gifts that evolved into the tradition that has survived to this day.

The custom of giving gifts to family and friends on a special day in winter can be traced back to the ancient Roman Empire and was a part of their year-end celebrations in honor of Saturn, the harvest god, and Mithras, the god of light. The celebrations included the preparation of special foods, the decoration of homes, and the giving of small gifts, all integral parts of contemporary Christmas celebrations.

During the fourth century, St. Nicholas, a kindly bishop from Myra in Asia Minor, entered Christmas folklore. Known for his generosity, St. Nicholas would often give treats and small presents to local children.

Legend has it that a poor widower in Myra could not afford a dowry for any of his three daughters and so they could not marry. To prevent them from being sold by their father, St. Nicholas was said to have thrown three bags of gold down the family home's chimney to be used as dowries. At least one of the bags of gold is said to have landed in a pair of stockings that had been hung from the mantelpiece above the fire to dry.

From this folklore tale, the legend of St. Nicholas evolved into the popular Christmas figures of Santa Claus and Father Christmas we know today, and the symbolic hanging of stockings above the fireplace in readiness of Father Christmas coming down the chimney to fill them with gifts is still practiced in many Christian countries today.

Then in medieval Europe, the customs became more closely linked with the celebration of the birth of Christ and gifts of cakes, fruits, nuts, dolls and clothing became popular stocking-fillers.

It wasn't until the late 1800s that more elaborate gifts became popular and stories of Santa Claus giving gifts only to the good children became a part of the Christmas tradition. The 20th century saw a rapid rise in the culture of exchanging gifts until we see today that the act of giving gifts is central to Christmas tradition.

While the times have certainly changed over the last two millennia and few Christmas stockings will be stuffed with either frankincense or myrrh this year, gold is the one constant that never seems to go out of fashion.

The global recession may have caused a drop in the demand for gold jewelry , but Royi-Sal has answered the needs of our customers who still want to buy gold this Christmas. By using lighter gold, we have created a new range of jewelry that is literally as good as gold but is much less expensive.

With our new silver jewelry , fashion jewelry , crystal jewelry and body jewelry offerings, we have something for everyone this Christmas.

Click here to download our winter collection catalog.