Hayes Hodgson

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A Christmas gift or Christmas present is a gift given in celebration of Christmas. Christmas gifts are often exchanged on Christmas Eve (December 24), Christmas Day itself (December 25) or on the last day of the twelve-day Christmas season, Twelfth Night (January 5). The practice of giving gifts during Christmastide, according to Christian tradition, is symbolic of the presentation of the gifts by the Three Wise Men to the infant Jesus.

Gift-giving in general is an ancient tradition that came to be associated with the Christian feast of Christmas.

In ancient Rome, gift giving might have occurred near the winter solstice in December which was celebrated during the Saturnalia holiday.

As Christianity became increasingly widespread in the Roman lands, the custom of gift-giving occurred on New Year's Day. Around 336 CE, the date December 25 appears to have become established as the day of Jesus's birth, and the tradition of gift-giving was tied to the story of the Biblical Magi giving gifts to baby Jesus; together with another story, that of Saint Nicholas, a fourth-century Christian bishop and gift-giver, it slowly became a part of Christmas celebrations in countries such as the United Kingdom; in other Christian countries, the practice of gift-giving occurs early in Advent, on Saint Nicholas Day.

Some early Christian rulers, however, interpreted this story as indications that it should be their subjects who should give gifts to their superiors, and insisted on tributes and tithes during that period. This changed around the turn of the millennium following the popularity of the Good King Wenceslas story based on the life of another historical person claimed to be a gift-giver, Saint Wenceslaus. Christmas gift-giving to superiors became less common, and around the time of the Protestant Reformation, customs of gift-giving to children became increasingly widespread in Europe. The custom spread to the United States in the 19th century. This also coincided with the desire of some elites to reduce the rowdiness of adult Christmas celebrations, which in some places were tied to begging, as "bands of young men, often rowdy, would wassail from home to home and demand handouts from the gentry". Another related aspect was the growing desire by parents to keep children at home, away from the corrupting influence of the urban streets.

Another relatively recent change concerned the time of Christmas gift-giving. For many centuries, gift-giving took place on December 6 around Saint Nicholas Day or in early January after New Year's Eve. The popularity of this custom grew after the positive reception of the 1823 poem The Night Before Christmas and the 1843 novella A Christmas Carol. By the end of the 19th century, Christmas Eve replaced early December or January dates as the most common date for gift-giving in the Western culture.

With the Christmas season lasting twelve days according to the liturgical calendars of many Christian Churches, a gift is given for each of the twelve days of Christmastide in some cultures, while in other Christian households, gifts are only given on Christmas Day or Twelfth Night, the first and last days of the Christmas season, respectively.

The tradition was also embraced by retailers, for whom the weeks and, eventually, the entire month before Christmas became a very profitable period. Around the turn of the 20th century retailers started directing marketing efforts at children in the hopes that they would entice the parents to buy more goods.

It can divide the gifts given by parents into involvement in parental Christmas gift giving and giving branded items as gifts. Up to the 1970s, those six weeks before Christmas accounted for 80% of the toy industry's sales. RetailMeNot research found that UK households expect to splurge an average of £473.83 on presents, making far more profligate than European. It was normal to spend as much as £300 per child. Retailers predicted £1.1bn would be spent on toys during Christmastime 2020, with an average of £105 spent on younger children. The relationship between involvement in giving gifts and giving branded items as gifts was investigated using Pearson's correlation coefficient. A composite mean for involvement in gift giving was calculated at 5.81 with a standard deviation of 1.32. A calculated composite mean for involvement in brands as gifts was 1.74 and a standard deviation of 1.09. However, if parents' assuming it was normal for children to receive a lot of gifts, note that we also made a point to shop for other kids for donations. Besides, if parents plan to give no gifts, it is because they don't want children only live in this society of consumption. They will look for other things that bring more joy to the family.

In the early 2000s it was estimated that shoppers in the U.S. alone spend over $4 billion each day during the Christmas shopping season, with an average individual spending over $1,000 on gifts.

There are concerns that gift-giving during Christmas is too commercial. Seventy percent of respondents to an online survey of 13,576 people in 14 European countries in 2016 said that too much attention is put on spending during the Christmas period, 42% said they felt forced to spend more at Christmas, and 10% borrowed money to be able to afford the gifts.

Economist Joel Waldfogel noted that because of the mismatch between what the giftee values the gift and the value paid for by the giver, the gifts lose between one-tenth and one-third of their value; he calls it the "deadweight loss of Christmas". This leads to gifts often being returned, sold, or re-gifted. In the 2016 European online survey, 15% of respondents were unhappy about their gifts and 10% could not remember what they had received. Twenty-five percent of respondents said they had re-gifted their presents to someone else, 14% sold the items, 10% tried to return them to the store, and 5% returned the gift to the giver. Seniors were more likely to send their unwanted presents to charity, while those aged 25 to 34 "simply threw them away". Gifts that are least likely to be appreciated rely on personal tastes, and include items like perfumes and cosmetics, ornaments, and clothing.

According to researchers from the University of Nevada, poorly-wrapped gifts get a preferable reaction because "presents that are neatly wrapped increase a recipient's expectations."

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After enrolling in flute studies, a beginner must first learn how to maintain proper posture. A good posture not only allows us to master the instrument but also helps us avoid potential health issues in the interim.

In short, here's how to hold a flute properly for optimal posture and technique:

In this article, we'll discuss these postural tips, but first, let's go through some preliminary statements about posture relevant to flautists.

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It should go without saying that postural health is important for general wellbeing. If your posture is poor, your body may not undergo its processes as it should. Poor posture, in turn, creates deficiencies that could potentially lead to major health issues down the road.

Some complications stemming from lousy posture include spinal dysfunction, back pain, and joint degeneration. For the record, bad posture can also lead to mental health issues, as seen in this study. I'm not a doctor, but we would want to avoid instances of these issues occurring to the best of our abilities.

All of this is relevant for playing the flute but also for other activities and chores. For the purposes of this article, we will only be focusing on good posture for flute playing, but it's important to keep these facts in mind for life in general.

Our bodies are not naturally designed to play the flute, and the instrument is not ergonomic by any stretch. In fact, it is argued that it's one of the least ergonomic musical instruments because of the location of its headjoint and its overall distribution. Furthermore, since it's meant to be played off-center, you would have to stretch a part of your body, and the weight is not handled equally.

Fortunately, the flute is not a heavy instrument when compared to other woodwinds (there are larger flutes, but they're less conventional). However, you're still bound to feel discomfort when playing it for long periods, especially if your positioning is wrong. You could circumvent some of these drawbacks by following the recommendations below.

After explaining why it's important to hold the flute properly, let's discuss how to achieve proper posture. To that effect, we'll go over the instructions laid out at the beginning of this guide:

Sitting and standing straight should go without saying. If you slouch, your spine will suffer, and spine damage can be potentially irreversible.

It doesn't matter if you are sitting or standing; you should pay close attention to your back and ensure it is aptly aligned. By doing this, you're not only eluding back problems in the short and long term, but you'll also remove the unwanted curvatures that may hinder the passage of air from the lungs all the way to the foot joint.

If you sit, ensure your abdomen is free to move and is not compressed. As you correct this, you optimize airflow and enhance comfort. To attain this, try to keep your legs straight and remain at the edge of the seat so that the thighs create a downward slope. If available, try sitting on a high stool.

Your neck should also be reasonably straight relative to the flute. Position your head straight above your shoulders whenever possible. Avoid hunching forward or leaning back (which is tempting for those striving to maintain good posture).

Finger positioning is not to be overlooked, for this could make or break your action. Before all else, it's of utmost importance that your fingers feel relaxed on the keywork.

Understandably, owners of open-holed flutes will be met with an additional challenge. Greater precision in their fingerings is required than those players with close-holed flutes. However, you may have to rethink your strategy if you feel strain while attempting to cover the holes. Ironically, open-holed flutes require you to adjust your positioning, so they should make following these guidelines easier.

With that said, one of the first aspects to look after is the shape you produce with your fingers as you lay them on the flute. Try to figure out a way to keep all your fingers slightly curved as you play the notes, avoiding instances of stretching. All the keys should be reachable without having to perform significant shifts.

Related article: Is Flute Fingering The Same As Saxophone?

Let's now go over the positioning of each hand:

The left hand is commonly the closest to the embouchure and the one that could present the most challenges. That's because the wrist would have to remain at a forced angle relative to the arm for you to maneuver the keys. The instrument's weight should be supported by the region between the thumb and the index finger.

These are the positions for each finger:

The right hand is responsible for holding the tail end of the instrument, also known as the foot joint. This hand sits barely more comfortably and naturally on the flute. Just as with the left hand, ensure that the right hand creates a C shape at all times and that the fingers are curved and relaxed.

The fingers should be in the following positions:

Holding the flute parallel to the floor will enable better airflow, as air goes directly from the mouth across the embouchure hole without unwanted rebounds, resulting in a brighter and clearer output (thus, devoid of unwanted squeaks). To do this, keep your elbows out (not close to the body) to retain proper posture and maintain the flute at a 90º angle relative to your body.

This practice is also called “holding the flute level” and is particularly important for classical flutists because they are demanded to play with greater tonal purity.

Notably, this is one of the least heeded pieces of advice in non-academic settings. Oftentimes, jazz musicians like to tweak their flute's angle to produce “unorthodox” effects. The same can be said of flutists in the rock scene (Ian Anderson comes to mind). Seemingly, a freestyle approach to flute playing is far more tolerated around these musical circles.

Nonetheless, even if you're less inclined to play “clean” tones, the habit of holding your flute level is still encouraged for postural reasons. Not only will it improve your playability, but it would also aid in preventing long-term injuries as you won't create tensions on your back or neck. A crooked flute will force you to tilt your head often to find a workable embouchure, which is not an ideal situation.

The guidelines outlined in this article are useful, but they should not be grounds for further tension and strain. Playing an instrument should not be a burden. Rather, the instrument should feel natural to the player.

For these reasons, I feel compelled to point out that these recommendations are not to be heeded 100% of the time. Our bodies need a degree of movement and flexibility. However, in more demanding contexts, you should be prepared, which is why we must develop the correct postural habits with our flutes.

Alas, these habits take some time to form. With that in mind, the earlier you start creating them, the faster your technique will improve. As was explained above, your comfort and technique will increase, along with long-term benefits to your overall health.