Why White Gift Sunday

Hidden in Plain Sight: White Gift Sunday

The story of White Gift Sunday began in 1903, in Painesville, Ohio, where a woman was troubled by her children arguing over the value of different gifts. She suggested that they, together with other children of the Sunday school who were bringing gifts to church for those in need, should wrap the gifts in white paper. The uniformity of decoration would obscure the gifts’ value. The idea allowed everyone to participate in the joy of giving without regard to economic status.

The ideas behind the origin of the White Gifts tradition resonate for us today. Poverty may be obvious to the attentive observer, but there are many communities in which poverty goes unseen. Churches continue to play a vital role not only in making someone’s Christmas with simple gifts, but also in declaring that unseen needs are not forgotten. This is the joy that Mary expresses in the Magnificat—that God sees the needs of the people and desires us to rectify injustice, reconcile relationships, and mend the broken.

The liturgical significance of the White Gifts is the visibility of the offering and the ability of people of all ages to contribute. 

For us at St. Columba's Church this tradition involves, as part of the worship service, the giving of anonymous white paper-wrapped gifts or money in small white bags all placed under or hung on our Jesse tree. All the donations today as well as the loose coin collected for the past 6 weeks are for the Gazette Christmas Hamper fund.