‘Tis the season of joy, wonder, and those beautifully wrapped surprises! With Christmas around the corner, have you solved the mystery of who your Secret Santa was last year? Or hope the chit is scribbled with your work bestie’s name to spoil them silly with a gift?
After all, Christmas without gifting is like Rudolph without his red nose!
Christmas isn’t just about sparkly lights, mistletoe, and gingerbread houses. While it’s a season steeped in the history of giving, it also has a bearing on Christmas Gifting as an industry. Moreover, the Santa Rally in the Indian stock market is often the talk of the trading town. Let’s take a ride through this fascinating journey!
Gift Giving
Let’s now step back and take a sleigh ride through the fascinating history of the tradition of gift-giving during Christmastide.
The Ancient Roman Fiesta
Long before Santa’s red suit and reindeer crew, the ancient Roman festivity Saturnalia (December 17 to 23) was a time of merry-making, sharing, and thanking Saturn for the year’s bountiful harvest.
Folks gathered for grand public banquets and exchanged gifts to gain fortunes the following year.
And The Christian Era
Fast forward to the Christian era, and gifting during Christmas became a symbol for the gifts of the Magi or the Three Wise Men — Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar delivering precious presents of myrrh, frankincense, and gold to baby Jesus.
Christmas in Early Modern Europe
Christmas wasn’t always family-focused. Young men would ‘wassail’ or go drunk from house to house, demanding gifts from the upper class.
The Jolly ol’ fella
America tamed Christmas in the 1800s, and the gift receivers turned from lower-class young men to children. And thus, Santa Claus slid through the chimneys!
Know Your Claus
Everyone loves the merry guy who gets his origin from the generous St Nicholas, name from the Dutch “Sinterklaas,” and iconic appearance as the “right jolly old elf” from Clement Clarke Moore’s 1822 poem, An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas, famous as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.
Let’s thank merchant John Pintard for introducing Santa or St Nicholas or St Nick or Father Christmas in the early 1800s.
The Gifting Market Size
Did you know the season’s gift market in India rocks at a staggering $30 billion and is set to grow at a speedy 20-25% every year?
We have more cash to splash, and there’s been a lifestyle switch-up with the rising love for experiential gifting.
From Fruitcakes to More Excitement
Move over, sweaters and fruitcakes. Today’s shoppers crave adventures and moments over physical presents. Think thrilling sports, fancy dining, relaxing spa days, and more as gifts.
This shift has sparked the rise of fresh faces in the scene, like experiential and activity-packed gift hubs.
If Book the Surprise lets you gift unique experiences such as creating a cabana at home or paragliding.
With Gifting Owl, you can send someone wanderlusting in India or abroad. Hint: they have a Wild Dolphin Swim and Cruise in Adelaide.
Christmas Gifting
Skip to the 20th century when Christmas exploded like confetti in America. Santa at shopping malls gave a shop-till-you-drop extravaganza that retailers cashed into and turned gifting into a dazzling industry.
So much so that an average American spends close to $1,000 (approximately ₹83,300) on Christmas gifting.
Stock Market Santa Rally
Christmas has gone global, becoming less about religion and more about sharing good vibes with Kris Kringle or Kris Kindle parties and Secret Santa swaps. The stock market will also be on a festive high with the Santa Claus rally when the stock market sees an upward trend.
The rally has come to India early, shortly after Diwali. Stock prices will rise like the holiday spirit, with Nifty at 20,350 and Sensex at 66,988.
Wrapping Up The Tale
As India has hopped on the gifting sleigh, the stock market high will also be a gift that keeps on giving. As we make our cherished tribe’s Christmas merry and extraordinary, the bulls of Indian markets will also receive gifts from a strong GDP and renewed FPI inflows.
Experts are optimistic that the rally will let the market sustain the momentum and stay on until February!
’Tis the season of gifts, after all, that’s here to stay longer after Christmas!
I’m Archana R. Chettiar, an experienced content creator with
an affinity for writing on personal finance and other financial content. I
love to write on equity investing, retirement, managing money, and more.