Boxing Day

For those of you who don't know - boxing day falls on December 26th, the day after Christmas. When I was young I would ask my dad, why it was called Boxing day - and he replied that it was the day where everyone liked to 'box' each other. OK - so that wasn't entirely or even partially true but as a child that reason was enough to suffice me at the time.

But it was an extra bank holiday day where families could still spend together after the holidays. Upon researching the exact origin of the term, it is somewhat unknown but seems to be related to the fact that on this day families would collect their gift boxes from the previous days. In addition, further back in history, it was a day in which servants were allowed the day off to visit their families and their employers would give them a 'box of leftovers' which they could take back to share with their families.

It is only recently that stores have begun to be open on Boxing day but when I was living there some 10 years ago, on Boxing day it was a day of 'holiday' and therefore nothing was open. I remember it being a little bit 'boring' because the stores weren't open, and it was the day after the excitement of Christmas.

In America the day after Christmas is the start of the sales just as it has begun to be in the UK. Stores open early and people rush from their families to the hustle and bustle of the stores to return/exchange items or just to catch a sale.