Nooo...not boxing as in the sport my children are trying so hard to imitate in my tiny living room right now. There is no jaw jabbing or punch throwing here. (Clearly I don't know a thing about that type of boxing.) It's also not about the boxing I practiced all day--shoving all your belongings into boxes as your prepare for a big move. And maybe I sound crazy here, but neither of those things are something I would wish on anyone--not happily anyway.
The tradition of "boxing day" is thought to have started around the 1830's in England when various types of servants would get the day after Christmas off to spend with their families--after having to work Christmas Day for their wealthy bosses. The servants would be sent home with boxes full of things like gifts, special bonuses, and sometimes even a bit of left over food--all to thank them for the hard work they did all year long.
Today, boxing day is still about celebrating family and taking the day to recover from all the craziness of Christmas Day. There seems to be a great deal of sports involved too. Some places even still practice giving gifts to postal carriers and newspaper deliverers thanking them for their hard work all year long.
Today, boxing day is still about celebrating family and taking the day to recover from all the craziness of Christmas Day. There seems to be a great deal of sports involved too. Some places even still practice giving gifts to postal carriers and newspaper deliverers thanking them for their hard work all year long.
Boxing day is not a popular tradition in the United States. However, being someone who works in the "service industry," I know first hand that many of us still have to work on special holidays--not excluding Christmas. In fact, there are many lines of businesses that can't stop operating on holidays, which means many people work on these special days when they would much rather spend with their loved ones.
So how do you show appreciation for these hardworking people? Do any of you practice the "boxing day" tradition? Do you do something nice for people working on Christmas day or any other special holidays? Or were you the hard worker who had to leave their friends and family on Christmas day to work? If so, did someone do something kind for you to show their appreciation for your hard work on Christmas?
I think boxing day sounds like a wonderful tradition, and it is something I hope to incorporate in to our family's Holiday Season in the future. We can celebrate the people who have to work on Christmas Day. I hope maybe some of you do too.
Thanks always for reading!
Be Kind,
Kelly Airhart
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