What's with the tissue?

[potioncat]

No: HPFGUIDX 95050

 <ladyramkin2000 at y...> wrote:
>x> What exactly is going on with the "gifts" the Dursleys send Harry 
at 
> Christmas e.g. a single tissue, a 50p coin? Why do they bother to 
> send him anything?  Is it part of the contract Petunia has 
> reluctantly agreed to, to protect Harry, that some token must be 
sent 
> and is she sending the very least she can get away with?  

Potioncat:
I was wondering about that too, and came up with pretty much the same 
thought.  Somehow it is a requirement.  I notice that they do not 
give  him a birthday present. Perhaps it's required that they 
acknowledge him with a gift while  he's away from the house. Since we 
are starting to think that her protection of Harry may give her 
protection as well, she would be motivated to send gifts. (Perhaps 
Father Christmas brings them to Hogwarts?)

I was also wondering if there is some set of rules for what the gifts 
have to be...not that an old sock would be on the list, but like the 
poem for brides, "something borrowed, something blue, something old 
something new."  So that she follows the rules with as little as she 
can get by.

OK now I'm going to have to go back and look at the gifts to see if 
there is some pattern.  I hope I'm not counting red herrings here!

Potioncat