In our present day society there exists a certain amount of expectation placed the idea of "gifts". For the majority of the time, gifts are expected to be given or received. There are the cases of birthdays, holidays, and personal celebrations, which are preconceived and reciprocal. If you give someone a present for their birthday, you might expect one back when your time comes around. There are also the cases of gift giving that are completely spontaneous, but quite often gifts act like bribery specimens.
I don't think that there is such thing as a "free gift". There is always some ulterior motive other than the fronted generosity. For example, when companies give out "free gifts", more often than not they are trying to spread free advertising. In many instances, people use gifts, both big and small, in order to get other people to reciprocate their generosity by helping them out in one way or another. Political lobbyists would be a prime example of this type of gift giving.
In my own experiences growing up in a Chinese family, I celebrated Chinese New Year where I would receive red packets of money call hong bao's as gifts from all the adults. When I was younger, I did not understand the dynamics placed on the gift giving. When I got older I began to understand that it was just a way for the older generation to ensure that they are taken care of when they age. I don't mean to imply that there is always this overbearing negative connotation to gift giving, but simply, that no gift is truely free.
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