Happy Boxing Day!

Today is a very special day for most English speaking countries except for America. It's Boxing Day. I just found out the origin of this holiday. The holiday was originally a day when churches and wealthy people would give money to the poor or their servants that they collected in a box. The purpose of this day was to be aware of those less fortunate than you and to help them. When I read this I thought, "Wow! America really needs a holiday like this. Especially after all the commercialism that we celebrate at Christmas." I was really feeling good about Boxing Day. That is until I did some online research to see how it was being celebrated today.

Boxing Day today in countries like England, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, & Australia looks kind of like this:

How to Celebrate Boxing Day
1) Attend a sporting event. In England, Boxing Day fox hunting is pretty popular. Or if that's not gruesome enough for you, you can go to Ireland and celebrate the age old tradition of Wren stoning. Kill a Wren bird, put it on a poll, and then go door to door singing and collecting money for charity. (Actually, they usually don't kill Wrens today, but they will put a fake bird on a poll to represent the dead Wrens of the past.)
2) Go Shopping. Yup. Boxing day is one of the biggest days in retail sales for places like Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. In fact, people sometimes line up as early as midnight outside stores to take advantage of the after Christmas sales.
3) Celebrate with friends. This is like a more relaxed Christmas. Sometimes people bring more gifts to share and open or they might just have a potluck get together.
4) Remember those who have provided service to you during the year or those in need. Larger tips, gift baskets, or bonuses should be given to people who serve you or work for you. Canned goods, clothing, or money should be given to charities or those in need.

While I like the fact that giving is still included in the holiday today. I'm sorely disappointed that commercialism is now also a big part of the holiday. I guess most Western countries are pretty much the same around the Christmas season. Bah Humbug!