Gift 50021 222658996 2008-06-30T13:58:30Z Ohnoitsjamie 507787 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/125.212.86.125|125.212.86.125]] ([[User talk:125.212.86.125|talk]]) to last version by Natl1 {{otheruses}} [[Image:Love gift - Calyx krater Aegisthos painter ca 460 BCE.jpg|thumb|200px|'''Love gift'''<br>Man presents a cut of meat to a youth with a [[Hoop rolling|hoop]]. Athenian red-figure vase, ca. 460 BCE]] A '''gift''' or '''present''' is the transfer of something, without the need for compensation that is involved in [[trade]]. A gift is a voluntary act which does not require anything in return. Even though it involves possibly a social expectation of reciprocity, or a return in the form of prestige or power, a gift is meant to be free. In many human societies, the act of mutually exchanging [[money]], [[property|goods]], etc. may contribute to social cohesion. Economists have elaborated the [[economics]] of gift-giving into the notion of a [[gift economy]]. By extension the term ''gift'' can refer to anything that makes the other [[happiness|happier]] or less sad, especially as a favour, including [[forgiveness]] and [[kindness]]. ==Presentation== When material objects are given as gifts, in many cultures they are traditionally packaged in some manner. For example, in Western culture, gifts are often wrapped in [[wrapping paper]] and accompanied by a [[gift note]] which may note the occasion, the giftee's name, and the giver's name. In Chinese culture, red wrapping connotes luck. ==Occasions== [[Image:gifts_xmas.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Gifts under a [[Christmas tree]].]] The occasion may be: *Expression of [[love]] or [[friendship]] *Expression of [[gratitude]] for a gift received *Expression of [[piety]], in the form of [[alms|charity]] *Expression of [[solidarity (sociology)|solidarity]], in the form of [[mutual aid]] *To share wealth *To offset misfortune *Offering travel [[souvenir]]s *Custom, on occasions (often [[celebration (party)|celebrations]]) such as **A [[birthday]] (the person who has his or her birthday gives [[cake]], etc. and/or receives gifts) **A [[potlatch]], in societies where status is associated with gift-giving rather than acquisition. **[[Christmas]] (people give each other gifts, often supposedly receiving them from [[Santa Claus]]) **[[Saint Nicholas]] (people give each other gifts, often supposedly receiving them from Saint Nicholas) **A [[wedding]] (the couple receives gifts and gives [[food]] and/or [[drink]]s at the [[wedding reception]]) **A [[wedding anniversary]] (each spouse receives gifts) **A [[funeral]] (visitors bring flowers, the relatives of the deceased give food and/or drinks after the ceremonial part) **A [[Childbirth|birth]] (the [[baby]] receives gifts, or the mother receives a gift from the father known as a [[push present]]) **Passing an [[examination]] (the [[student]] receives gifts) **[[Father's Day]] (the [[father]] receives gifts) **[[Mother's Day]] (the [[mother]] receives gifts) **Exchange of gifts between a guest and a host, often a traditional practice **Giving a round of drinks in a [[bar (establishment)|bar]]. **[[Lagniappe]] ==Kinds of gifts== A gift may be one of * an ordinary object, * an object created for the express purpose of gift exchange, such as the armbands and necklaces in the [[Trobriand Islands]]' ''[[Kula ring|Kula]]'' exchange, * an [[alternative giving|alternative gift]] such as a donation to a [[Charitable organization|charity]] in the name of the recipient. * a [[regifting|regift]] of an unwanted gift previously received by the giver. * a virtual object as seen on [[Facebook]], [[LiveJournal]], both of which allow you to purchase virtual gifts or in games such as [[GiftTRAP]] which allow you to give virtual gifts. These are all examples of the [[Virtual_economy|Virtual Economy]] *[[Downloadable gift]]s refer to virtual gifts like e-books, software and music files which you can purchase and instantly download from web vendors. * ==Legal aspects of gifts== {{Main|Gift (law)|Gift tax}} At [[common law]], for a gift to have legal effect, it was required that there be (1) intent by the donor to give a gift, (2) acceptance of the gift by the donee, and (3) delivery to the donee of the item to be given as a gift. In the [[United States]] and some other countries, certain types of gifts above a certain monetary amount are subject to taxation. See [[gift tax]] for more information. ===Tax deductibility for gifts=== Pursuant to {{uscsub|26|102|a}}, property acquired by gift, bequest, devise, or inheritance is not included in gross income and thus a taxpayer does not have to include the value of the property when filing for taxes. Although many items might appear to be gift, courts have held that the most critical factor is the transferor's intent. ''Bogardus v. Commissioner'', 302 U.S. 34, 43, 58 S.Ct. 61, 65, 82 L.Ed. 32. (1937). The transferor must demonstrate a "detached and disinterested generosity" when giving the gift to actually exclude the value of the gift from the taxpayer's gross income. ''Commissioner of Internal Revenue v. LoBue'', 352 U.S. 243, 246, 76 S.Ct. 800, 803, 100 L.Ed. 1142 (1956). Unfortunately, the court's articulation of what exactly satisfies a "detached and disinterested generosity" leaves much to be desired. Some situations are clearer, however. #"Gifts" received at '''promotional events''' are not excluded from taxation: For example, Oprah's seemingly good deed of giving new cars to her audience does not satisfy this definition because of Oprah's interest in the promotional value that this event causes for her television show. #"Gifts" '''received from employers that benefit employees''' are not excluded from taxation: {{uscsub|26|102|c}} clearly states that employers cannot exclude as a gift anything transferred to an employee that benefits the employee. Consequently, an employer cannot gift an employee's salary to avoid taxation. In addition, policy reasons for the gift exclusion from gross income are unclear. It is said that no justification exists. It is also said that the exclusion is for administrative reasons, both for taxpayers and for the IRS. Without the exclusion taxpayers would have to keep track of all their gifts, including nominal ones, during the year, and this would create additional oversight problems for the IRS. ==Religious views== Ritual [[sacrifice]]s can be seen as return gifts to a [[deity]]. Sacrifice can also be seen as a gift ''from'' a deity: [[Lewis Hyde]] remarks in ''The Gift'' that [[Christianity]] considers [[the Incarnation]] and subsequent death of [[Jesus]] to be a "gift" to humankind, and that the [[Jataka]] contains a tale of the [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]] in his incarnation as the [[Wise]] [[Hare]] giving the ultimate [[alms]] by offering himself up as a meal for [[Sakka]]. (Hyde, 1983, 58-60) In the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] the bread and wine that are [[consecrated]] during the [[Divine Liturgy]] are referred to as "the Gifts". They are first of all the gifts of the community (both individually and corporately) to God, and then, after the [[epiklesis]], the Gifts of the [[Body of Christ|Body]] and [[Blood of Christ|Blood]] of [[Christ]] to the Church. ==See also== * [[Alms]] * [[Altruism]] * [[Atonement]] * [[Charity (practice)|Charity]] * [[Debt relief]] * [[Gift (law)]] * [[Gift tax]] * [[Gift wrapping]] * [[Giving Circles |Giving circles]] * [[Random act of kindness]] * [[Red packet]] * [[Regiving]] * [[Souvenir]] * [[TANSTAAFL]] * [[Xenia (Greek)]] * [[Gratis versus Libre]] ==Further reading== {{Wiktionarypar2|gift|giving}} * [[Marcel Mauss]] and W.D. Halls, ''Gift: The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies'', W. W. Norton, 2000, trade paperback, ISBN 0-393-32043-X * [[Lewis Hyde]]: ''The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property'', 1983 (ISBN 0-394-71519-5), especially part I, "A Theory of Gifts", part of which was originally published as "The Gift Must Always Move" in ''Co-Evolution Quarterly'' No. 35, Fall 1982. * [[Jean-Luc Marion]] translated by Jeffrey L. Kosky, "Being Given: Toward a Phenomonology of Giveness", Stanford University Press, 2002 by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 0-8047-3410-0. == External Links == *[http://www.legistorm.com/foreign_gifts.html Foreign Gifts Database], foreign gifts (whether tangible gifts or travel) received by members of Congress and their staff in the past decade. <!-- This should be stating the obvious, but commercial links are not welcome here, and will be deleted. Ditto for charity gift shops, etc. --> {{Charity}} [[Category:Giving]] [[az:Hədiyyə]] [[bs:Poklon]] [[cs:Dar]] [[da:Gave]] [[de:Geschenk]] [[es:Regalo]] [[eo:Donaco]] [[fr:Cadeau]] [[hi:उपहार]] [[id:Hadiah]] [[it:Dono]] [[he:מתנה]] [[lt:Dovana]] [[nl:Cadeau]] [[ja:贈り物]] [[no:Gave]] [[nn:Gåve]] [[pl:Prezent]] [[pt:Presente (comportamento)]] [[simple:Gift]] [[sk:Dar]] [[fi:Lahja]] [[sv:Gåva]] [[ta:அன்பளிப்பு]] [[bat-smg:Duovėna]] [[zh:禮物]]