How many of you have heard of Boxing Day? It began in Britain during the Victorian era. The original purpose of the day was to give to the less fortunate. Servants had to work on Christmas Day, so they were given time off to visit their families the next day, December 26.
So why is it called Boxing Day?
There’s no definitive answer, but there are two theories. One says the name came from the Christmas boxes filled with money, little gifts, and Christmas dinner leftovers distributed to servants and employees who’d worked on Christmas Day. The other theory is that it comes from the churches’ alms boxes used during Advent Season to collect money for the poor. The clergy distributed this money to those in need on December 26.
Regardless of where its name came from, helping the less fortunate on the day after Christmas grew so common, that in 1871 it became a national holiday in the United Kingdom and other British Commonwealth countries, like New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.
While we should help others every day, having a specifically designated holiday for it seems like a wonderful idea. Do you think we should add “Boxing Day” to our list of U.S. holidays?