The tradition of opening presents during the Christmas season has a rich history. According to St Matthew, the Magi didn’t just give their treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Jesus — they opened their treasures. This event inspired the tradition of opening presents to celebrate the Epiphany. In Spain and much of Latin America, this custom continues to this day.
However, another tradition of opening presents arose from the fourth-century story of St Nicholas, who dropped sacks of gold through the window of a poor father so he could pay his daughters’ dowries and thus save them from a life of prostitution. In the Low Countries, children still open presents on the eve or the morning of St Nicholas’s feast day on 6 December.
