Gifts

Since different cultures have different customs concerning gifts, here are some pointers about how U.S. Americans give gifts:

As a rule, gifts are given to relatives and close friends. They are sometimes given to people with whom one has a casual but friendly relationship, such as a host, but it is not necessary or commonplace. Offering gifts to teachers or people in official positions is problematic. Sometimes those gifts can be misinterpreted as an effort to gain favorable treatment from that person, so one must be clear about why one is giving a gift to a professor or other person in authority.

Christmas is the main gift-giving holiday observed in the United States. It is when most U.S. Christians give gifts. Otherwise, gifts are given on occasions that are special to the recipient, such as birthdays, graduation, weddings, and childbirths. Sometimes a gift is given when a person has a new house or is moving away.