Family and Friends - articles about children, parents, grandchildren and friends

Happy Boxing Day

How many times have you glanced at your calendar at this time of year and wondered why December 26 is listed as Boxing Day?

Our Canadian and British friends have no such predicament. Boxing Day is a holiday in the United Kingdom, Canada and many other Commonwealth nations. It is a time for family and friends to gather with lots of food and fun and enjoy outdoor sports like soccer, horse racing and hunting. Shoppers can find huge savings on retail, making this the biggest shopping day of the year in Canada.

If Boxing Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the working day before or after is given as a legal holiday. Also known as the Feast of St. Stephen, Boxing Day originated in England in the 19^th century. Members of the wealthier classes “boxed” up gifts of food and fruit, clothing and sometimes money to give to trades people and servants. In those days, the alms boxes in churches were also opened on Boxing Day and the money given to the poor on the day after Christmas.

By Teresa K. Flatley


	Nothing is more important to Baby Boomers than family and friends, and spending time with them. Here's a resource for everyone you care about: children, parents, grandchildren, friends and other interesting people.