Monday, December 26, 2005

Boxing Day

I hope, trust everybody had a good holiday... :)

But you see, in Canada (and other common wealth countries), the holiday isn't over yet. Today is Boxing Day.
What, pray tell, is boxing day? you, my American friends, ask.

Well, you see grasshopper, it is not enough that in the days leading to Christmas we spend our time shopping, we must also do so the day after Christmas. Therefore, December 26 is a national holiday in which stores open their doors for the day after sale.

And each year I vow not to leave the house on that day and not to listen to all the commercials and read all the ads. 'This year,' I always say, 'I'm staying in. Nothing, but nothing at all will make me go out and be part of the madness.'

As quiet is Christmas Day is, Boxing Day is the opposite:
  • If yesterday there were hardly any cars on the street, today the cars will be piling into traffic jams.
  • If yesterday stores and malls were closed, today all retail commercial venues are open.
  • If yesterday was a day of giving and quiet reflection, today, oh how quickly we forget, is a day of taking, fighting over merchandise and being loud and obnoxious.
  • If yesterday people got up early, sat under the tree, and opened presents, today those same people got up early and lined up for the door crasher sales and for the privilege of buying in some store or another.


  • So... you get my point.

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    10 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    Well said, Melly. I never go shopping the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas. Days like this bring out the nasty in people.

    David Amulet said...

    I always suspected it was called Boxing Day because the maniacal after-Christmas shoppers punched one another in order to grab the best bargains ...

    Happy Holidays!

    -- david

    Anonymous said...

    *ugh* We have boxing day sales over here too.

    It a sort of reverse-holiday; once upon a time, Boxing Day was all about charity; now it's all about greed.

    Says a lot about our society, don't you think?

    Trée said...

    Wow, sounds dangerous Melly. Be careful dear. You've too valuable to lose to a boxer day. :-)

    Melly said...

    Hey Deborah, yes, I've heard about the day after thanksgiving in the US - quite a thing. I don't know what's wrong with people sometimes, fighting for the privilige of spending money - beats me!

    LOL David, yup, in some years, if you looked closely, you could have seen me boxing too :)

    Indeed Annem, it says quite a bit about our society and the direction it's taking.

    Trée, usually I would tell you not to worry and that I can hold my own, but with these crazed-boxer-shoppers I don't know - they scare me :)

    Bernita said...

    You're Canadian?
    ~shriek~
    Hi, dear.
    Used to live in To.

    Melly said...

    Hi Bernita,
    How was Boxing Day 'somewhere in Ontario?'
    Alas, I still live in TO. I mean, it's great, but it's just really big... :)

    Pat Kirby said...

    People down here get pretty crazed over After Christmas sales. Some get up extra early to capitalize on the huge markdowns on Christmas items and clearance inventory. We Yanks are just too lazy to bother calling it anything special...

    rdl said...

    We have that holiday too, it's just a no name holiday, unlike the Black Friday shopping holiday, day after Thanksgiving.

    Melly said...

    Ahh, Pat, but by calling it Boxing Day and making it a national holiday, we get one more day off on Christmas. So today (Tuesday) we were off as well :) :)

    Gosh, rdl, would you believe it if I told you that I only heard the term Black Friday this year? Amazing! I mean, I always knew of the shopping crazed day after the American Thanksgiving, but not the term.