A Short History Of Boxing Day

I clearly grew up on too much British TV because I thought we celebrated Boxing day over here in the US too. I remember coming home from Peace Corps and wishing the person at the post office a happy boxing day and being given a look. LOL So for anyone else who does not know about boxing day here is a little history. 

Boxing Day

Via Encyclopedia Britannica

Boxing Day, in Great Britain and some Commonwealth countries, particularly Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, is a holiday (December 26) on which servants, tradespeople, and the poor traditionally were presented with gifts. By the 21st century it had become a day associated with shopping and sporting events. Boxing Day is celebrated on Monday, December 26, 2022.

Explanations for the origin of the name have varied, with some believing that it derived from the opening of alms boxes that had been placed in churches for the collection of donations to aid the poor. Others, however, have held that it came from the boxes of gifts given to employees on the day after Christmas. According to this theory, because the work of servants was required for the Christmas Day celebrations of their employers, they were allowed the following day for their own observance of the holiday. The practice of giving bonuses to service employees has continued, although it is now often done before rather than after Christmas Day.