What is Boxing Day?

[Blue Meanie]

This is for all of our UK and Canadian Members. Today is Boxing Day in The UK and Canada right?? Just curious what it celebrates/traditionalizes?

[palitoy]

1) No, it's just Thursday today.

2) Boxing Day is the day after Christmas, there are several competing theories on it's origins (they don't teach us squat about it either), what was known as "Christmas for servants" is more or less a day for Family and friends now. It's a bank holiday.

It was traditionally the closest thing to Black Friday Canada had, it was illegal to open your shop on boxing day but many places like "Sam the Record Man" would and offer 70% off merchandise and door crashers. They'd get fined by the police but it was worth it. It was fun and typically polite.

Now all stores open and it's a bunch of lame sales with people being all aggressive. I waiting in the world's longest line for an X Box One last year, never again.

I love Boxing Day and rarely get out of my bathrobe unless I run out of beer.

[daz71]

we were told at school when presents were given on christmas day they were put in boxes as they were easier to wrap .the day after was for collecting the boxes together to dispose of them hence the name boxing day but that was the day after christmas day,today is just a normal thursday.

[Captain Big Trousers]

Boxing Day is the day after Christmas Day, and is traditionally the day UK families settle their Christmas Day arguments by boxing (Queensberry Rules). The winners are entitled to their selection of the loser's presents.

[Marvelmania]

Interesting. I had always kind of wondered what Boxing Day was too and now I know

[PNGwynne]

Boxing Day is the day after Christmas, ...what was known as "Christmas for servants" is more or less a day for Family and friends now.

This is the meaning I'm familiar with, formerly a day for charity to servants and tradesmen. My church (Episcopalian, locally) collects alms/donations after Christmas as a kind of Boxing Day.

[Blue Meanie]

Thanks for all the info. My bad on the day. I thought it was the same day as Thanksgiving for some reason.

[Mikey]

I thought it had something to do with burning a scarecrow which is an effigy of a real historic figure.

[jwyblejr]

There's an episode of M*A*S*H* that covers it.

[PNGwynne]

I thought it had something to do with burning a scarecrow which is an effigy of a real historic figure.

That's "Guy Fawkes Day" the "gunpowder plot" against British parliament, V for Vendetta, etc.).

[daz71]

I thought it had something to do with burning a scarecrow which is an effigy of a real historic figure.

bonfire night.kids make a life size guy fawkes then sit him on top of the fire and burn him.

[skullface]

My Nan, (very English) always told me that the wealthy would get all kinds of fancy new things on Christmas, so after working the crap out of the servants on Christmas they got the next day off and the wealthy would box up their old things that the new items replaced and give them to the servants. So you got the day off and rich people hand me downs. She said the men were far more generous because they didn't take issue with the male servants wearing their old clothes, however the women of the house would rarely give clothing because it bothered them to see a maid in their finery,old or otherwise. When she was younger women still went "in service" even though she from a good family , she had to do it.

[TrekStar]

Boxing day was just about everyday for me at school recess.

[kingdom warrior]

As a Kid i thought it was the night after Christmas when the family would gather around the TV and watch the big prize Boxing match eat leftovers and your Dad and Uncles got drunk drinking beer yelling at the TV. The kids played in the other room and the Moms were in the Kitchen gossiping about the neighbors.......boy was I wrong.....lol