If Boxing Day sounds to you like one of the more interesting events down at the local club, then you're probably from the United States. To most of us Americans, December 26 is just a day to sleep in, eat leftovers, and play with our new toys. Any boxing involves hiding our unwanted gifts in the back of the closet.   But to our fellow English-speakers in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and other Commonwealth nations, the day after Christmas is a holiday of its own, with centuries of tradition behind it. Join us, and we’ll take a quick look at what all the fuss is about.  

Christmas Traditions 

 They say Good King Wenceslas looked out on the Feast of Stephen, but you probably didn't know he was also looking out on Boxing Day, too. Both holidays fall on December 26 -- officially. (For mercantile and religious reasons, Boxing Day is often observed on the following Monday if it falls on a weekend.)   Traditionally, the day after Christmas was when aristocrats, merchants, and others belonging to the English upper-crust gave people belonging to lower social classes -- usually their servants or employees -- gifts of cash or durable goods. Gifts between equals were exchanged on Christmas.  

Put Up Your Dukes!

 How Boxing Day acquired its name is matter of some debate, though most agree it has nothing to do with drunken relatives fighting it out on the lawn. Nor does it refer to the practice of shoveling all the gift packaging out of the house, even if that can be a monumental day-long task.  It seems likely the name derives from the old English Christmas box tradition. In the old days, a clay "Christmas box" could be found in most artisan shops, where it was used to collect tips and bonuses all year long. It was broken open the day after Christmas, and the funds shared among the employees.   The venerable Oxford English Dictionary claims this one as the most likely story. The term "Christmas box" now refers to any bonus or gift given to employees, and the OED contends that one meaning of the verb "to box" is to give someone a Christmas box. In that light, the name "Boxing Day" seems logical enough.   

A New Official Holiday?

 These days, the holiday is celebrated in a variety of ways. In Canada, it's mostly a shopping holiday; in fact, it's the biggest sales day of the year, the Canuck version of Black Friday. People line up at stores hours before they open. It's so popular, in fact, that some retailers actually expand it into "Boxing Week."  In Britain, Canada, and a few other nations, it's an official, statutory holiday -- which means you get paid time off from work. Hey, that's not a bad idea! It's worth a try, right? If enough of us start celebrating it in the U.S., maybe we could convince the government to make Boxing Day a mandatory holiday!