2024-12-12
6 分钟The Economist Hello, I'm Rosie Blore.
I host The Intelligence, our daily news and current affairs podcast.
Welcome to Editor's Picks.
Here's an article we've chosen from the latest edition of The Economist.
The man who has everything is only the start of your worries.
What about the uncle with the obnoxious views and the teenage niece you scarcely know?
Suggestions for what to get people for Christmas abound.
But collectively, classic stories provide one of the best guides to gifts.
An overarching lesson is that a present is not just an object,
but a statement about you, the recipient, and your feelings towards them.
Another is that gifts are a chance to express hostility as well as affection.
Prisons are often the continuation of warfare by other means,
used to placate foes and rivals as much as to hearten friends,
especially in ancient literature and myth.
In the Iliad, Agamemnon mollifies the wrathful Achilles with treasure,
horses and slave girls.
Gifts can even be exchanged during combat itself.
Ajax and Hector maul each other like hungry lions,
writes Homer, then break off to swap keepsakes instead of blows.
A gift to your estranged relative could offer them a festive truce.