The whole story: Christmas day is the celebration of the birth of Christ, and was usually spent in church. Then there was a period of time for travel for families to gather, symbolizing the travels of the three wise men from the east. During this time, according to legend, many came to see the Christ child and drop off gifts, which led to the tradition of people giving gifts every day during this period. The Feast of Epiphany on January 6th is the celebration of the arrival of the three wise men and the delivery of their gifts to the Christ child, and is the traditional day that a feast was held for families who had finally gathered during this holiday season. In feudal societies, this was also one of the feast days that a land owner was required to provide a feast to his vassals and serfs (the other was Easter).