I work in tourism and recently found out what Boxing Day is.
So, in the UK and its commonwealths, (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Trinidad and Tobago) a tradition called Boxing Day exists. It takes place the day after Christmas, December 26th, the Feast of Saint Stephen (the first Christian Martyr).
In modern times, in those countries, this day has become the American equivalent of Black Friday with huge store sales.
But the origins of this tradition are very different. Originally, in these cultures, Boxing Day was the day after Christmas because it was the day that boxes of gifts were given to the poor that had been donated in churches the day before. You see, people would bring gifts for the poor to church on Christmas. The church then distributed those gifts to the needy in the area the next day.
What a great tradition. It’s very moving when you think about it. The rich could remember on Christmas Day that the day is about giving, not about receiving. The poor, who would not be able to receive their gifts until the 26th, were left to focus on the gift of Christ to the world on Christmas.
How did such an enlightenment tradition not spread as is, and instead morphed into a shopping day in the UK, and its commonwealth, and even a sister commercial holiday in Black Friday in the U.S.?
Let’s bring back the original Boxing Day!
