It’s Boxing Day!

Now, granted, the name might lead you to believe all Brits are headed down to the arena to see the likes George Foreman or Mohammed Ali duking it out, the day has nothing to do with that type of boxing. (Sorry about the old boxing blokes, don’t know who the boxing hero’s are these days….) Believe it or not, it’s actually a continuation of the Christmas holiday. While some quick thinking might lead you to a couple of ideas as to the meaning, it actually doesn’t refer to boxing up all the unwanted gifts to return to Marks and Spencer, nor does it refer to boxing up the trash. Neither does it give license to finally let cousin Fred have it when he tells the same joke for the twentieth time. The most commonly espoused story is that it was a day for the aristocracy to give the servants off, since they’d have to work on Christmas serving up Christmas pudding to the master. So, they’d get the day after Christmas off and would be sent home with a box of something for the family. Thus “Boxing Day”.

It is also known as St Stephens Day, which seems to me to be a bit more relevant to this day and time than celebrating a day to give a gift and a day off to the lower classes.

~ by bibliophilist on Friday, 26 December 2003.