It's not the size of the gift that counts..

It's sometimes hard to remember the real reason for Christmas when you look around the garishly decorated shopping centres, or rush around like mad on Christmas Eve looking for that last-minute gift.

Despite the over-eating and the frenzied tearing off of wrapping paper, the traditions of Christmas are deeply rooted in Christianity.

December 25 is the day Christ was born. The gifts we dutifully buy stem from the gifts given by the three wise men to Christ when he was born: gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The legend of Santa Clause stems from Saint Nicholas, who lived in the fourth century and came to be known for generous gifts.

St Nicholas Day is still celebrated in Germany and some other European countries on December 6, the day of the good saint's death.

One story concerning Saint Nicholas tells how he helped the three daughters of a nobleman who had become so poor that his daughters had no dowries and could not marry.

On three successive nights, Saint Nicholas went to the nobleman's home and dropped a bag of gold down the chimney. Add some reindeer from Lapland, change the lean Saint Nicholas into a fat, jolly gentleman in a red-and-white snowsuit, garble the name a bit and you have Santa Clause (or Father Christmas as he is called in South Africa).

Although the origins of Christmas are quite clear, countries and people around the world have adapted their own traditions to the holiday.

However you spend this festive season, may it be good, peaceful and filled with laughter.

And remember, it's not the size of the gift that counts, it's the thought behind it.- Staff Reporter

• This article was originally published on page 9 of Pretoria News on December 22, 2006