Boxing Day. We seem to be on the topic of Christmas so...

Mikey52- I don't have the foggiest notion of the meaning and/or customs of Boxing day. Could you please explain it to me?

I don't have any staff to give gifts to, and I don't like egg-nog. That pretty much leaves me out.

Mikey<

I once knew -- but have long forgotten -- what Boxing Day is. Please tell all

Well, it seems that I have learned something new tonight. Very interesting.

Link To Boxing Day Histories

Remember the Liston/ Ali fight?

http://www.britain-info.org/faq/xq/asp/SID.260/qx/showfaq.htm

and

This holiday, which is observed on December 26, the feast of St. Stephen, is a unique part of the Christmas season in Great Britain, as well as other Commonwealth nations. Boxing Day stems from a tradition that began in the Middle Ages more than 800 years ago. On this day, English churches would open their "alms box," in which people had placed gifts of money throughout the year, and distribute its contents to needy members of the community. It was also a day for servants to celebrate the holidays with their families, having usually worked the day before. Today, Boxing Day is one of the twenty-two paid holidays received by most working Brits. It is equivalent to a legal holiday or a three-day weekend in America and is often observed on a Monday. Most people now spend Christmas Day with their family and reserve Boxing Day for exchanging gifts with friends.

and someone else says ...

December 26th - is a tradition from WAY back, when many working people were "in service" or apprenticed or otherwise worked away from home and had very little time off. If they were household servants, they certainly couldn't have Christmas day off as they were needed to look after the family and guests. Boxing Day was the day they DID always have off and were allowed to go home to visit their families, taking with them "Christmas Boxes" of gifts.

Nowadays Boxing Day is usually the day when families travel to meet together if they spent Christmas Day at their own home - my brother and his wife always come over and we - that is, my extended family and my mother - join them for a meal.

It is also customary for householders to give small gifts or monetary tips to regular visiting tradespeople (the milkman, dustman, coalman, paper boy etc.) and for employers to give a Christmas bonus to employees, and these gifts are still called "Christmas Boxes."

You know, thinking about it, it SOUNDS very British. I can just see the lord of the manor handing out the gifts to the gardener, the parlor maid and the butler.

as i mentioned earlier, i have no staff. luckily, i am considered staff by others, and am cautiously optimistic about the results of boxing day this year (there is definitely a difference between working for an american company and a canajun or brit company when it comes to boxing day and other similar traditions).

Where was St. Stephen from? Good King Wenceslaus? That doesn't sound too Brit - something else to look up!

Link to St. Stephen

Definite Connection!

that was st stephAn...different clown.

I can see the connection - alms to the poor was part of St. Stephen's story, and then we come to King Wenceslaus (who is/was also a saint, which i didn't know) -

link to Wenceslaus story
...
Wenceslaus succeeded his father as Duke of Bohemia when he was only 15. Because he was so young, his mother served as regent. One of her first acts was to prohibit Christianity. She even murdered Wenceslaus' grandmother, because she was the one who taught her son to follow Christianity. After a couple of years, the people could no longer stand Drahomira's cruelty and asked Wenceslaus to take the throne. He did, making Christianity the official state religion, building churches, inviting German missionaries to the region, and helping the poor.
...
But what about that song? Where did it come from? Anglican minister John Mason Neale wrote the carol in 1853 as part of a collection of songs for children. Although he had never visited Bohemia, Neale heard the story of Good King Wenceslaus from British soldiers who had returned from Eastern Europe. He set the tale to music to teach children about the virtue of generosity.

ehBeth<

Thanks for refreshing my memory about Boxing Day.

Maybe a new puppy for Boxing Day, williamhenry? Isn't it time yet?

edited to try and fix image

dang! lost my puppy!

Interesting! I've never taken the time to find out much about Boxing Day ... until now.

ehBeth<

How'd you know I've been giving serious thoughts to a new puppy?

A puppy would make the perfect gift to me, from me, for Christmas.

williamhenry, you know i've been thinking about you and a puppy for quite a while. I've been hoping you'd feel ready soon. Christmas can be a good time, if you can wangle a couple of days off work, to help with the settling in, within the first couple of weeks.

ehBeth<

Thanks for your encouragement.

You are correct: it is not good to leave a new family member alone on his/her first few days.