This web site is updated weekly so that we may bring you the latest health news in a timely fashion. You may want to bookmark this site for future reference. . The frenzy of holiday shopping that comes over the country at this time of year is not just an expression of crass consumerism.
Families are small and scattered, the divorce rate is high, and people move around a lot.
The giving of gifts is one important ritual that allows people to affirm their social ties and forge new relationships. The emphasis on wrapping gifts is another indication that giving gifts is more than an expression of modern materialism. Wrapping is a way of concealing the commercial quality of the gift. Copyright 1999 by United Press International. All rights reserved.