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Tag: Boxing Day sales

  • Boxing Day Has Nothing to Do With Boxing

    Boxing Day Has Nothing to Do With Boxing

    December 26 is Boxing Day, and some people believe it celebrates the sport of boxing. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Countries in the U.K. do watch a lot of soccer games on Boxing Day. In fact, the day is revered by sports fans the way Americans revere the Super Bowl.

    So if Boxing Day isn’t about boxing–what is it all about? And how long have countries like England, Australia, and Canada been celebrating it?

    According to the Associated Press, the name comes from a time when wealthy members of society not only gave their paid servants the day after Christmas off (most of them worked on Christmas Day), they also gave them money and a box packed with food and gifts for themselves and their families. Yet other people believe it comes from a time when churches placed boxes outside their doors to collect money to give the poor at Christmas time.

    Most believe the tradition of celebrating Boxing Day is centuries old.

    These days Boxing Day is a day of leisure and lots of food. Most people who celebrate spend the day watching soccer games and feasting on ham or turkey.

    Boxing Day in many places rivals Black Friday on the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. Retail bargains galore are available to shoppers, and a wealth of them take part in what is fast becoming a tradition.

    It seems no one can say for sure when Boxing Day officially began or provide a set of rules for how it is to be celebrated. If you live in the U.K., you likely celebrated Boxing Day today.

    Hopefully it was a wonderful day filled with food and family–and maybe a few bargains, too.

  • Boxing Day: From the U.K. to L.A., “Party Like A Brit”

    Today is Boxing Day. December 26 marks the day Anglophiles celebrate–well, no one really knows what they celebrate, as it varies from place to place. The origin of Boxing Day is somewhat uncertain. Some believe it started in medieval times, when churches handed out the contents of their charitable alms boxes to those in need. Some believe the tradition of handing out gifts to servants on Boxing Day began in the 19th century. Servants–most of whom worked on Christmas Day–were given the day after Christmas off, along with money and food.

    Many non-Anglophiles in Southern California now “party like a Brit,” according to the L.A. Times. They describe Boxing Day–in England, anyway–as “a mash-up of Black Friday, Thanksgiving and Labor Day with a twist of Super Bowl Sunday.” For others it’s a chance to score big bargains on after-Christmas retail sales.

    Harry Campion is 16 years old and lives in England. He told the L.A. Times that Boxing Day is bigger than Christmas Day in his household.

    “We like to have Christmas Day to ourselves, so we don’t get dressed and spend the whole day relaxing,” he said.

    On Boxing Day, Campion said, “We have all our family and friends ’round to ours for a big party. My dad cooks gammon and does a roast dinner, then later mum makes more food for the new waves of guests. This goes on until 1 a.m. when everyone starts going home. It’s the highlight of our holiday.”

    These days soccer matches are a big thing on Boxing Day in the U.K. That means the holiday for many translates into something akin to Super Bowl Sunday, with eating, drinking, and watching the games.

    If you’re invited to someone’s Boxing Day celebration, do bring a gift. Champagne is always welcome. Christmas crackers are traditional, too.

    In the U.K., poise and polish are expected. In other words, use exemplary manners when attending someone’s Boxing Day bash. In Southern California, that likely isn’t as important.

    Do you have Boxing Day plans? Might you consider implementing the celebration in the future, perhaps as a way to extend the Christmas holiday?

  • Boxing Day Sales Chaotic in New Zealand

    Boxing Day Sales Chaotic in New Zealand

    Boxing Day is December 26, and the Boxing Day sales shopping has already gotten crazy in New Zealand.

    The New Zealand Herald reports that those braving Boxing Day to grab a bargain or two are shopping in the midst of chaos. It’s already December 26 in New Zealand, and it sounds like the shoppers there are out in hoards.

    The shoppers were enticed for Boxing Day shopping when many stores put up ads in their store windows on Christmas Eve, with some places advertising 70 percent off, others boasting 50 percents off, and still others claiming “massive reductions” and “knockout sales.”

    Several New Zealand retailers were offering Boxing Day bargains online as well, for those who wanted to avoid the chaos.

    Traditionally, Boxing Day was when employers distributed money, food, and other goods to their employees–many of whom worked on Christmas Day. It is only celebrated in a handful of countries–many of which are in the U.K. These days it tends to represent the onslaught of the after-Christmas sales.