Learn how the tradition of exchanging Christmas gifts started. Christmas without exchanging gifts is unimaginable! Giving and receiving gifts is a holistic part of the festivity that everyone looks forward to. But as simple as it sounds, this ritual has historic significance attached to it, and more than one story to explain its origins. Many believe that the custom of exchanging gifts is observed to remember the gifts - gold, frankincense and myrrh which the three magi brought for the baby Jesus. And yet others believe that this practice began with Saint Nicholas’s gifts to the poor during this time of the year. It has only been in recent times that the practice has gained widespread popularity, and today, Christmas is that part of the year when you give unselfishly and take humbly.