The Day After the Day Before

The day after Christmas Day is upon us. I find it a slightly strange day; after the anticipation of the coming of Christmas and all that it entails the day always feels a little flat to me. It's still a holiday in the commonwealth but for many the day is about shopping. For people to shop others have to work, therefore many people across the country are manning tills and restocking shelves etc. and therefore for them far from being a holiday it may actually turn out to be the busiest day of the year.

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Many others will spend a large proportion of the day in the car travelling between friends and family. With so many out and about on the nations roads the chances of traffic jams are high; not the most pleasant way to spend the day.

Of course the 26th December is called Boxing Day. It appears that this name originates from the presents that the upper class gave their servants. The upper class required their servants to work on Christmas Day so on the following day they were allowed the day free to spend with their families. The staff were provided with gifts, including a bonus in a box called a Christmas box, hence the name given to the day. Additionally the church used to leave a box for donations that was opened on the Feast of Stephen, 26th December, and the contents distributed amongst the poor.

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Nowadays Boxing Day is a time when the consumption of the leftovers starts and the kids get to spend all day playing with all the toys that they received the day before.

For me it's the time to change batteries, drink a little more alcohol, ingest mince pies and maybe (with a bit of luck) snooze.


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