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Kugler compares Christmas present-opening traditions from twelve different families. He finds three commonalities uniting his informants' gift traditions: all emphasized the anticipation of gifts more than the actual gift-giving, most involved an emphasis on an important meal, and most indicated that they had a tradition that ordered the opening of presents. He studies the ways in which families blend distinct traditions and create new traditions for new generations. He concludes that his informants' traditions are too diverse to be easily categorized.