BOXING DAY!

Historians say the holiday
developed because servants
were required to work on
Christmas Day, but took the
following day off. As servants
prepared to leave to visit their
families, their employers would
present them with gift boxes.

Despite its name, Boxing Day,
which is celebrated on December
26 in Great Britain, has nothing
to do with pugilistic competition.

Nor is it a day for people to
return unwanted Christmas
presents. While the exact origins
of the holiday are obscure, it is
likely that Boxing Day began in
England during the Middle Ages.

Some historians say the holiday
developed because servants
were required to work on
Christmas Day, but took the
following day off. As servants
prepared to leave to visit their
families, their employers would
present them with gift boxes.

Church Alms Boxes
Another theory is that the boxes
placed in churches where
parishioners deposited coins for
the poor were opened and the
contents distributed on
December 26, which is also the
Feast of St. Stephen.

As time went by, Boxing Day gift
giving expanded to include those
who had rendered a service
during the previous year. This
tradition survives today as
people give presents to
tradesmen, mail carriers,
doormen, porters, and others
who have helped them.

The Day after Christmas
Boxing Day is December 26, the
day after Christmas, and is
celebrated in Great Britain and in
most areas settled by the English
(the U.S. is the major exception),
including Canada, Australia, and
New Zealand.
Bank Holidays
Boxing Day is just one of the
British bank holidays recognized
since 1871 that are observed by
banks, government offices, and
the post office. The others
include Christmas, Good Friday,
Easter, Whitmonday (the day
after Pentecost), and the banking
holiday on the last Monday in
August.

St. Stephen's Martyrdom
The Feast of St. Stephen also
takes place on December 26. St.
Stephen was one of the seven
original deacons of the Christian
Church who were ordained by
the Apostles to care for widows
and the poor. For the success of
his preaching and his devotion
to Christ, St. Stephen was stoned
to death by a mob. As he died, he
begged God not to punish his
killers.