It's one of those things that have always been there, you know, and it's just Boxing Day !
It's the day that comes after Christmas.
I HAVE wondered about it from time to time but never bothered to find out what it means.
So .....
I've looked it up on the internet and here's the drill .....
( No, it has nothing to do with boxing ! Ha ! )
"Boxing Day, December 26th, is a public holiday celebrated in Australia, New Zealand, Britain and Canada.
The holiday's roots can be traced to Britain. The exact origin of the holiday isn't known for sure. There are many theories, but all agree that the holiday began with the practice of giving cash or durable goods to those of the lower classes. Gifts among equals were exchanged on or before Christmas Day, but those less fortunate received theirs the day after ( in a box and often including left-overs from the day before ). This included gifts from employers to their workers.
Only in the last century has Boxing Day become a holiday. Combining Christmas Day and Boxing Day as holidays encouraged the tradition of families getting together at Christmas time. (It's also the start of the post-Christmas bargain shopping season and the start of the famous Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. )"
http://alldownunder.com/oz-k/date/boxing-day.htm
So there you are! You learn something every day!
Cheers
Thanks for that information! Even I hadn't got a clue and I live in the UK! I have happy memories of Boxing Day when I lived at home with my family. My Grandmother and Uncle would come every Boxing Day, to share the afternoon with us. When I worked as a Telephonist, I was often given massive boxes of chocolates from the bosses at work. I have photos upstairs in my photo albums of my Grandmother and Uncle holding these huge boxes and gaming about with them! Taking silly photos. I loved my Christmas' at home. I do hope you have had a nice holiday with your family. It'll be nice to get back to normal though I think.Hubby back at work tomorrow, but I shant post properly (with photos) until the new year. I can't with family around.
ReplyDeleteBut I'll be checking my blogs, just going through all my Followers now for a quick read.
Love SUex
That is interesting...I didn't know what boxing day was until I read your blog. Enjoy your quiet New Years Eve and New Years brunch with loved ones...I hope 2010 is a good year to all of us!
ReplyDeleteHello there! Thanks for stopping by to visit me. It's great to find new 'good' places to visit. I teach year 3 at the moment and I love it, even though I complain frequently about not having enough knitting time. You have a lovely blog and I'll be popping back to see you. Have a great New Year. Ros
ReplyDeleteI was asking the same thing. We over here in the States, have no clue what this was and kept reading about it everywhere. It makes total sense to me know. What a great informative post. Thanks for educating us yanks....
ReplyDeleteHi Helsie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for enlightening us YANKS! It sounds like a lovely holiday to add to Christmas. There is nothing wrong with having two family holidays together. I'm enjoying the blogs from our sister countries - UK and Assie Land. We had a quiet day at home just catching up on a few things. I told my hubby this week was to be a down week. After New Years we can start getting Christmas stuff put away and packing for our Walt Disney World FL RV trip at the end of January. This summer we plan to do our long RV trip to Alaska and back. That will be the longest we will be in the RV at one time. This is the nice thing about retirement. After all those years of working now our time is ours.
Teacup Lane (Sandy)
I wasn't aware that you celebrated Boxing Day in Australia as well...but with British roots...of course.
ReplyDeleteIt looks strange to see everyone dressed in shorts and sundresses for Christmas dinner. Strange...but nice!
Thanks for your visit.
Good luck on your pantry challenge! Blog about your experiences so you can inspire your readers!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment on my blog - I have just come over to find you! I will be back blogging soon so don't go away will you?! Every time I hear that phrase about learning something new every day I am reminded that my French friends say I'll go to bed less stupid tonight! Same but different eh?!
ReplyDeleteJane
Hi Helen
ReplyDeleteJust wishin you a very Happy New Year! and I didn't know about Boxing Day either so I have learnt something new thank you!! Take care Kim x