HAPPY BOXING DAY, EH?

Today is Boxing Day. And because I live in the U.S., that basically means diddly squat. I went to work today, the bank is open today (which means all those checks I wrote last week are about to bounce right now!), and everyone is pretty much conducting their regular business, relieved that Christmas is finally over.

But I grew up in Canada, so I do know how incredibly awesome Boxing Day CAN be. So I would like to share my knowledge of Boxing Day with all of my American readers, in the hope that I will start a revolution to also bring Boxing Day here - in the country with the fewest National holidays possible.

Boxing Day, according to Wikipedia, is: "a traditional celebration, dating back to the Middle Ages, and consists of the practice of giving out gifts to employees, the poor, or to people in a lower social class. The name is attributed to the Christmas box, the verb box meaning: "To give a Christmas-box; whence boxing-day."

I love that they use the word "whence" in that definition. Where else would you see the word "whence" anymore except in old English poetry and the dictionary? But I digress ... whence I should get on with it.

What the definition fails to point out is that Boxing Day also gives you an automatic two days off at Christmas, unless, of course, Christmas and Boxing Day fall on a weekend, which is just fucking wrong. In the very best-case scenerio, Christmas and Boxing Day fall on a Thursday and Friday, or Monday and Tuesday - which is what it would do every year if the world was run by me, and not stupid people.

But outside of the beauty of not going to work, Boxing Day is still pretty cool. It's the day you do something nice for someone not as well-off as you are, or say thanks to your employees or others who may do things for you all year (like your nail lady or your paper boy or your housekeeper).

Where I grew up, it was also the time that friends came together. Christmas was the day for family, but the day after was the day for friends that were LIKE family - people you CHOSE to be in your life and weren't forced on you because of DNA.

We'd put out leftovers, which included pretty much 90 percent of what we made on Christmas Day, and people would come to our house and chat and eat and possibly exchange gifts (or regift the crap they got the day before). Then we'd make the rounds and go to other people's houses and do the same. Overall, a great tradition. Oh, and being this was Canada, there was also lots of drinking involved. So towards the end of the day, you may want to get a taxi or walk home. If it was a hard winter, you could also ski home, but that usually meant sleeping it off in a pile of snow half way there and waking up with your head completely numb.

Of course, I'm not in Canada any more. But I still like to celebrate this tradition by e-mailing or calling people that are like family to me, but who I haven't talked to in awhile. I tell them what they mean to me. Or I just share a shot of tequila over the phone. Either way, it's all good.

So happy Boxing Day. I hope you take some time to connect with the people in your life who are like family to you - but who you like better. Unlike other traditions, it doesn't cost a lot. And what you get back is a gift that's actually worth keeping!

XXX

The Bitch will be visiting family out of town for the next few days and will be unable to share with you all her post-Christmas joy. But stay tuned for fresh new rants starting Dec. 31.

Comments

[Val Cox]

so that's what boxing day is all about, thanks! Hope you had a nice Christmas! Val

[witchypoo]

Boxing Day is for us hosers, eh? We always think up the cool stuff.

[HeyJoe]

So much for celebrating the day by administering a haymaker to a loved one. I guess I should have read this before today. How embarrassing. Oh well, I suppose there are 364 remaining days on which to celebrate in such a manner.

[Rebecca]

i always thought boxing day was when every idiot decided to line up at 2am in the morning to get one thing on sale at stores and go shopping after waiting two hours for a parking spot... i guess it's really changed from your tradition! i like your version better

[Daisy]

You are so fucking Canadian and so fucking cheery lately...I just don't know if I can stand it! Have a good trip with the fambam...see ya in 2008!