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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Season of giving also about receiving


Charlotte Karling wraps presents for her grandchildren in her home in Spokane on Tuesday afternoon.  
 (Holly Pickett / The Spokesman-Review)

Charlotte Karling decidedly has the Christmas spirit.

Some might think she has reason to dislike this time of year – her father passed away earlier this month, and a son died three Decembers ago. But Karling says she appreciates the season on a deeper level because of that. The hustle and bustle, the lights and music, the religious foundation – she likes it all.

And gift-giving, which many decry as the over-materialized aspect of the season, is an integral part of it.

“I think getting and giving are equally important,” Karling said. “Receiving is just as important as giving – especially when you’re receiving with delight and joy, because then you’re giving back.”

Karling’s attitude helps her enjoy the season. But it also may have a more concrete benefit, according to surveys by a Washington State University researcher – it could help bring in more gifts.

David Sprott, an associate professor of marketing at WSU, has studied the link between holiday attitudes and actions for several years. While many of his findings aren’t likely to surprise you, one might: People who enjoy Christmas the most and who like shopping and giving gifts tend to receive more gifts, as well, though they don’t necessarily spend any more.

Sprott and his colleagues in the world of gift-giving research consider a lot of factors that might never cross your mind when you’re tearing into the wrapping paper on Christmas morning – things such as reciprocity, bargaining, anxiety, social networks.

The universal human practice of gift-giving is fraught with meaning and messages, scientists say. Gifts say: I love you this much. But they also say: What’d you get me?

For some researchers, this exchange can be boiled down to simple economics – “One could ascertain that trustworthiness is negotiated through the giving of a high-priced gift because of the tension and indebtedness it brings into a relationship,” as one research paper on gifts says.

Others assert that gift-giving rituals provide a framework for societies to manage networks and relationships – a method of strengthening or weakening the bonds between people.

Research into gift-giving ranges into some surprising areas, from the influence of online shopping to the patterns of gift-giving based on sexual orientation. Margaret Rucker, a professor at the University of California-Davis, has performed studies that show that gay men in romantic relationships tend to spend more time choosing a gift for their partners than heterosexual men.

With less social support for homosexual couples, “the material reflection of the relationship becomes much more important,” she said in a UC-Davis news release.

Sprott and his colleagues have done several studies about the influence of attitudes during the holidays. They developed a scale to measure how much people like the season by having them rank their agreement with statements such as, “I love Christmas.”

Then the subjects are given scenarios to react to – such as a crowded, headache-inducing shopping trip a few days before Christmas. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the amount of distress such an experience causes is directly related to how much overall enjoyment a person gets from the season.

“People who really love the season just get into it,” Sprott said. “They don’t mind all the lines and all the hustle and bustle, because that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

Sprott, who has also studied the effect of scents, sounds and sights on consumers, has three children of his own and categorizes himself as a fan of Christmas.

“It’s one of my favorite times of the year,” he said. “That’s one of the main reasons I study it.”

In Sprott’s studies of Christmas attitudes, he’s found that people who really love the season don’t actually give more gifts or spend more money overall – but that they do tend to receive more gifts. It’s possible that such people give more thoughtful, personal gifts, building stronger long-term relationships.

Karling said she knows people in her family who spend the whole year looking for the right gifts for loved ones.

“They have the gift of giving,” she said.

She said people should expand their view of giving to include the “gift of time” – helping a sick friend, doing charitable work for those in need. That’s the way to follow the true model of Christmas, she said.

“I think that Jesus is the best gift ever,” she said. “Because he gave, we want to give.”

One of her favorite all-time Christmas gifts probably cost just cents. Her son gave her a packet of flower seeds, and planted them for her.

“Year after year,” she said, “they come up.”