When I first heard of Boxing Day, I thought, gee is it like the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day – a game on the holiday? A boxing match?? Who would want to watch?
But no, apparently it's the day all good little English children would put their new Christmas gifts back in their boxes ready for storage throughout the new year. Maybe this is why antique auctions can bring in so much moola for original boxed toys.
I always feel sorry for my American compatriots who have to go back to work the day after Christmas. At least here in England, we have a day to recover. And this year we have two days! Yes, two holidays on Monday and Tuesday to make up for Christmas being on Sunday. Sadly we don't get an extra day off on January 2nd, except for this year again on Monday because New Year's is on Sunday. I see from my filofax, though, that the Scots get an extra day on Tuesday the 3rd, so it looks like Hogmanay is going to last for at least five days this year.
Well, you can imagine what these holidays do to work patterns. Almost everyone who can get away with it takes off the entire time between Christmas Eve and January 2nd. The worst Christmas I ever had, ever, anywhere, was my first in England. Alone, I was in my first house when the boiler went out about December 23rd. Absolutely no tradesperson was available to come fix it until early January. So I suffered in one room with a gas fire in snowy weather for ten days; and I couldn't even go out because zilch was open: no shops, no cinema, no library.
These days I must admit it has gotten better. The shops are open as much as possible to make a quid, and the cinemas are open if you want to see a kids' movie. But we are conversely happy to hibernate throughout the week. How about you?
JUST WISHING EVERYONE A MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL
ReplyDeleteHOPEFULLY see you at BOXING DAY SEW IN
9Somebody's been having you on! 'Boxing Day' has got nothing to do with good kids putting presents back in boxes. I believe it was traditionally the day when apprentices received their annual presents ('Christmas boxes') and certainly in my childhood (1960s and 70s) it was still normal for anyone who called regularly at the house in the way of work (paperboy, milkman, rag-and-bone man, binman) to come and receive a kind of annual tip, again called a 'Christmas Box'. My mother saved money for this purpose and so did all the other housewives. I imagine the people on the receiving end did quite well out of it, especially if they had an extensive round! As far as I know it has now died out, but that might be because I no longer live in the North and no longer see it.
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