To Our UK, Commonwealth and Netherlands Friends: Happy Boxing Day!

[danemodsandy]

...From the snowy States!

To those here who don't know about Boxing Day, it's the day after Christmas, when alms for the poor used to be collected in boxes. Also, servants got the day off, which they sorely needed after helping Madam entertain at Christmas. Today, as a holiday in its own right, it's a day to attend Boxing Day sales or to just plotz after the rigours of the Christmas holiday. A very sensible custom!

 

[petek]

I'm well past the years for going to Boxing Day sales. I went to the gym instead. Besides what was once Boxing Day has now evolved into Boxing Week, Boxing Day in July, Boxing day in September, anything to sell some tv's, mattresses and furniture LOl

The other thing,,here anyways, I don't seem to see the really really really fantastic Boxing Day deals anymore. Where a store takes some of its most select expensive items and almost gives one or two away. Say like a $5000 stereo system for something like $250 to the first one or two people in the store. So naturally you get even longer lines all night waiting for them to open

 

[mielabor]

Well, thank you for your your good wishes, but here in the Netherlands we don't have a Boxing Day. Instead we have two Christmas Days: the First Christmas Day and the Second Christmas Day. Until a few years ago both days were holidays and all shops were closed. Now some shops are open on Second Christmas Day. The same goes for Second Easter Day and Second Pentecost Day.

The most important day for giving presents is St. Nicolas Eve (5th December). Christmas is in second place. In my family the giving of presents for Christmas is completely unknown.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Thank-you

and Glad Tidings of the Season to you too. (Apologies for the rather late response).

There was a strange Christmas Day/Boxing Day setup during the early Nineties: one particular Christmas Day fell on a Saturday; and for some unknown reason, Boxing Day was postponed to Monday the 27th. The Sunday sandwiched between was classed as "Christmas Sunday" (according to that year's Christmas 'Radio Times' programme listings magazine).

My parents had never heard of that one before, and dismissed it as nonsense: Boxing Day has always followed Christmas Day.