Affluence and gifts
Wednesday, August 13th, 2008
I was doing some thinking this morning about the role increased prosperity has played in our gift giving and celebrations. For instance, I never remember my Grandmother mentioning a baby shower, but my mother had one, and I’ve had several. Surely people were just as excited about new babies 60 years ago as they are today, and yet the love wasn’t measured by unique baby gifts.
And speaking of baby gifts, did you know that in some cultures, such as Judaism, it is considered bad luck to buy gifts for a child before it is born? OTOH, some cultures, like Hinduism, ritualize the pre-birth showers, prescribing the exact timing for them.
And isn’t it funny that the baby doesn’t care at all?
