On the 10th of December 2018 at the ZEW in Mannheim Prof. Axel Ockenfels (University of Cologne) and Prof. Achim Wambach (ZEW) invite to the Christmas lecture. Thematically, the economic perspectives on giving or not giving at Christmas are discussed. From an economic point of view, giving presents for Christmas results in a loss of welfare. Therefore, the tradition is – when considering the homo oeconomicus – ineffective. But can gifts really be limited to material goods?