Yep, it's that time of the year again. The food, the family, the shopping ... the boxing! Today's December 26th, and that means Boxing Day is upon us. But, seriously, have you tried searching American Google for anything about Boxing Day, or St. Stephen's Day, or Day of Good Will, or Day of the Wren (whatever that means)? Most of us U.S. of A'ers haven't even heard of this glorious holiday! So, I'm giving you the inside scoop on what to do today if you want to show some respect to St. Stephen, or the Wren. The Wren would appreciate being though of, I think.
Boxing Day (like most other holidays) has two major aspects: tradition and commercialism. The tradition part has nothing to do with what we call boxing! Boxing Day "boxing" is the traditional wrapping of gifts by slave masters to give to their slaves. American boxing is two men punching each other over something shiny, also known as Black Friday. While the slave part of the holiday is (thankfully) gone, people still give gifts on December 26th in Great Britain and all of the former commonwealth countries.
There's also the Boxing Day hunt meet, where people in tight red leggings ride horses and shoot foxes for fun. As entertaining as that sounds, I think we'll leave this part of the holiday overseas.
And as for the commercial part, I've created this equation: take Black Friday, expand it to seven days, and multiply by five. Viola, Happy Boxing Day!
So, to all my foreign readers, have a great holiday! To all my American followers, give this holiday a chance. It can get rid of some of the gloom of the day after Christmas. Plus, if you add on the hunt meet, you got dinner for the next night too.
