Boxing Day

Tis’ the day after Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature is stirring… except me because I gotto go back to work— so I’ll grouse! OK, awful attempt at poetry. But here we are with Christmas behind us, and it’s back to the old grind (except for teachers and students... in other words, everyone else at my house). One of the benefits of the kids growing up and Christmas ceasing to be such a big deal is that the day after Christmas is not so much of a let down. And besides, I kinda like my old grind.

If you lived in Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand or Australia, you would also get today off because it is Boxing Day. Two guys in the AMC parking lot thought last night was Boxing Day. These two “gentlemen” decided that, being Christmas and all, they needed to get into a fist fight right in front of the theater. We had just seen “The Great Debaters” (BTW, outstanding movie) that stresses using one’s “righteous mind” and words as a weapons of change; these two nitwits were evidently unarmed for a battle of wits, so decided to have a boxing day. Perhaps it was too much Christmas cheer, but then I digress.

Today is Boxing Day. Boxing Day is a traditional time to give gifts to the poor. It dates back to the Middle Ages, but there is some disagreement concerning the specific origin of the name. Some suggest it comes from the practice of the lord of the manor giving boxes of used clothing and food to his serfs. They had to work on Christmas Day; someone had to make the figgy pudding and wassail. So the day after Christmas was their day off, and they received their gifts. Other say the name comes from the practice of workers who carried boxes to their employers on the day after Christmas to be filled with coins or other items, the forerunner of the Christmas bonus. Others suggest that churches opened the donation box (or “poor box”) and the money was distributed to the poor on the day after Christmas. Whatever the exact origin of the name, our British cousins have another day off from work. But then, they likely don’t celebrate July 4, so it all equals out.

So Boxing Day is a time for giving, not to family and friends as on Christmas, but to the poor and less fortunate. It is a time to do what Jesus tells us to do, to give to those who have no opporunity of returning the gift. It is a time to give for no other reason than it is good to give. At least that is the theory, In practice, Boxing Day is a time when "family and friends to gather with lots of food and fun. Outdoor sports such as soccer, horse racing and hunting are popular on this holiday. Retailers offer huge savings on many items on this day, making it the biggest shopping day of the year in Canada."

One problem with our traditional Christmas season is that it is all about families and gifts. We travel to be with our family, and we lug the presents along with us. Christmas morning is often an almost sacred time when families gather around the Christmas tree to open gifts and then giggle and gripe (depending on what you got) with those closest to us. We then gather around a special family dinner that usually consists of enough food to feed several families. It is a very special time for families.

So what is the problem? What about those who have no families? Some people are separated from their family by space and circumstance. Some people simply have no family at all. And then, what about those who do have families around them, but they can’t afford to give gifts or even have a special dinner? Sometimes the very things where we isolate ourselves in families actually serve to exclude and isolate others who have no family. Maybe the church needs to be better at becoming that family. Maybe we need more traditions like “Boxing Day” that point us outside ourselves and focus us on the needs of others.