Christmas Bonus
Although the Christmas Bonus seems to be a very contemporary facet of the Christmas holiday, it actually began as a practice at the turn of the 20th century. The goal of the bonus was twofold.
First, it was to show that there existed a certain personal relationship (even when there wasn’t one) between an employee and his or her boss. Secondly, the bonus was seen as a symbolic gesture to show the workers that their bosses believed they contributed a greater value to the company than they were being compensated.
However over time, the bonus has sometimes become an expected supplement to income and has thereby lost some of its significance as a gift. It now can be part of the bargaining process in determining an employee’s salary.
Adapted from: The Modern Christmas in America: A Cultural History of Gift Giving by William B. Waits.
