THE THOUGHT OF GIFT

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Regardless of the great diversity in race, language and religion, gift giving has been a universal custom. Throughout a protracted history, gift-giving has transpired through cultures and practices, taking place in different occasions. The term ‘gift wrapping’ refers to the act of enclosing a gift

with materials.

 

Howard (1992), defines gift-wrapping as “a visual signal that is usually associated with happy events in a person’s life”. Professor Howard’s definition has highlighted the act of packaging an object - on top of the mundane intention to conceal and deliver the gift in an aesthetic pleasing form; it also initiates the elements of surprise. On hindsight, it is rather amusing to view how much history, culture and psychology is driven by the effects of something as simple as a gesture of wrapping a gift.