Does jewellery make a good Christmas gift? Our jewellery gift ideas for Christmas offer a meaningful alternative to the ‘usual’ Christmas presents because they can have real symbolic significance at this special time of year.
Spiritual and religious jewellery makes an ideal Christmas present for friends and loved-ones who have Christian faith or belief. And, in our SHOP we have a lot of faith jewellery .
But also, the Christmas holiday season is a time to wish people prosperity, success and good health . . whatever their particular faith or belief; and you can see a range of Christmas Presents in our SHOP featuring jewellery for wellbeing, prosperity and good luck – and to help friends and loved-ones combat any adversity, hardship, misfortune or ill-health in the coming year . . making an ideal Christmas gift with real meaning. In particular, the little Indalo charm is said to be a protector against misfortune and bad luck.
But is jewellery a good idea as a Christmas gift?
On the occasion of Christmas in the 21st century, presents are often exchanged as a ritual . . sometimes with little reflection on their meaning. But, from a religious point of view (which is, after all, fundamentally how the concept of Christmas began), Christmas gifts can be construed as conveying our love and best wishes to friends and family with a Christian meaning.
On the winter solstice (December 23) in the days gone by before Christianity, it was customary for a man to dress up and cover himself in Holly. A woman dressed similarly in Ivy (Holly’s female counterpart). Together they paraded along the streets hand in hand to say Goodbye to the old year and Hello to the new. This symbolic interaction between Goddess and God during the time of decline of nature was intended to guide in the new light of the Sun-God and encourage the growth of fresh and renewed vegetation during the coming year. (Incidentally, today, the Holly King has been stylised by the figure of Santa Claus who is one of the many folklore characters that arise at this time of year, and which have age-old importance and meaning.)
Stockings used to be hung by the chimney so that Santa (or indeed the ubiquitous Saint Nicholas, the 4th Century Bishop and gift-giver) could throw coins down it – which fell into the stockings. And so, to this day, we put out our stockings in the hope that a similar bit of good fortune will befall us. The door to the house can be left open to allow evil spirits to depart and a candle can be placed in a window to burn all night, guaranteeing good fortune for the home for the next year. In many parts of the world, as the stars come out on the Eve of Christmas, small oil lamps are lit in the house and, after Mass and Christmas dinner, people fill the streets: Some dance to the sound of music; others sing Christmas carols . . although less frequently today.
Christianity has adapted many of these old traditions. For example, the door to the house is sometimes left unlocked so that Mary and Joseph can make use of a welcome. Sometimes a loaf of bread filled with caraway seeds and raisins is left on the table with a jug of milk next to a lit candle. Children in many Catholic households think of the Three Wise Men as bearers of gifts. Tradition says that they arrive on January 6, the date on which the Three Wise Men gave gifts to the baby Jesus. (This is the beginning of the feast of Epiphany.) Shoes are filled with straw and barley for the tired camels (or horses/donkeys) that must carry their passengers through the night. Nowadays, it is common for sweets to be added overnight by the parents, so that, in the morning, the straw and barley (which has miraculously been “eaten” by the animals), has been replaced by delicious sweets.
Mistletoe, another Christmas tradition with a long history (and which, in the Celtic language, means “heals all”), was believed to have all sorts of miraculous qualities, including the power to cure illness, and to banish evil spirits, and so represented good luck. To this day, it is still used at Christmas time to bring good fortune and bestow blessings on those who kiss beneath it.
The Christian jewellery (and particularly Camino jewellery ) in our SHOP is full of significance at this time of year . . said to combat any negativity, worry, anxiety or stress encountered by people of the Christian faith when starting something new or adventurous (like starting out on a new Camino or entering the new year, for example): Founded in the Christian faith and rooted in spiritual belief, our Camino jewellery is intended to promote positivity, optimism and success for those that wear it.
Is jewellery a good holiday gift idea at Christmas?
For centuries, across different cultures around the world, jewellery has had a spiritual and mystical connotation defined by symbols. Nowhere is this more apparent than in our spiritual jewellery, especially Christian faith jewellery . There is a long history of jewellery featuring talismans or charms designed to offer protection from evil, and impart wishes of safekeeping, faith and grace . . and often good health, wealth and good fortune too. Our spiritual jewellery is in line with that tradition.
Many of our religious jewellery pieces such as pendants, necklaces, bracelets, etc, feature symbols based on notable religious beliefs. Because of our close connection with Spain, a great deal of our Christian / Catholic jewellery is from Spain and is hand-crafted by artisans and silversmiths in small workshops across the country: Córdoba, Almería, Malaga, Murcia, Valencia, Galicia and Asturias. Our Camino de Santiago jewellery in particular is significant: Concha Scallop shell necklaces and bracelets, Cruz de Santiago / St James cross pendants, Cruces de Caravaca, Tau crosses, and so on. Of course, we also stock St Christophers, Guardian Angels, Hamsas (hand of Fatima), and simple Christian crosses.
We also stock jewellery amulets which contain water from the spring at Lourdes in France – said by some to unlock the power of faith and hope. The local Church that administers Lourdes says that the water doesn’t appear to have any specific scientific or medical properties . . only the power of faith and prayer.
Christmas is a time to wish people happiness, prosperity, luck and good health . . whatever their faith or beliefs; and you can see Christmas presents in our SHOP comprising jewellery with real meaning.
This can be more secular, non-religious or temporal jewellery like our gemstone jewellery: And we also stock necklaces, bracelets and earrings featuring inspirational charms such as Butterflies, SeaHorses, the Yin-Yang symbol, Dream and Faith tokens, lucky Horseshoes, Shamballa bracelets and so on. In particular, the little Indalo charm is said to be a protector against adversity, hardship, misfortune and ill-health . . and so ideal as a Christmas gift too.
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