Happy Boxing Day!

Did you grow up celebrating Boxing Day? I did. It was our second day of Christmas in Canada and a public holiday (as it traditionally was in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, at least). Some say Boxing Day began in the middle-ages when, by custom, servants would bring wooden boxes to work and their employers would (or at least had the opportunity to) fill those boxes with food and money in recognition of reliable and faithful service throughout the year. Some also say that Boxing Day is related to St. Stephen’s Day. Many sports events take place on Boxing Day¾often horse races and hunting events, as St. Stephen was thought of as a patron of horses. I’m told that two popular sports events take place in Australia: the Boxing Day Cricket Match and the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race. In our home, we always selected at least one “something” to wrap and take to a homeless shelter or to a family who was deemed to be less fortunate than we believed ourselves to be. And it had to be something that we valued. I can remember agonizing over what that “something” would be. It would have been unthinkable to give away junk or something I didn’t like. Celebrating Boxing Day became a habit for me. If you’ve never celebrated it, try it. I bet you’ll like it!