Chanuka presents isn’t a minhag. There may be, at best, a small number of legitimate post-WWII halachic sources that justify it as okay to do (and say it isn’t assur whereas other halachic sources assert it is assur), just as playing checkers is okay to do (and many yidden play checkers) even though it isn’t a minhag. No halachic source says “it is our minhag to give Chanuka presents, and make sure you do so every Chanuka”. OTOH, there clearly are centuries of Torah sources saying an upsherin is a yiddishe minhag and state that members of the kehilos that follow these halachic sources should follow and do the minhag.
