AND NOW .....

[Coffinmaker]

   AND NOW IT'S BOXING DAY   

[Professor Marvel]

Why Thank You My Good Friend Coffin!

So, I am sure you are asking, Why is it called Boxing Day?

Dec 26 is celebrated as both Boxing Day and St Stephens Day aka "The Feast of St Stephen".

About 800 years ago, in Merry Olde England, Dec 26 was the day when the alms box, (collection boxes for the poor) was opened and the contents distributed to the local poor people. Thus, the "first recorded" references to "boxing day"

Saint Stephen's Day, or the Feast of Saint Stephen, commemorates Saint Stephen (who would have thought?),
the Martyr of Jerusalem and the first Christian martyr.

The Feast of Saint Stephen fell out of favor as time went on and folks forgot about him.

As we fast forward the Wayback Machine to the 1600's and 1700's , we find English Rich People sort of
taking over from actual aristocracy, and since they had a LOT of hired help ( inside work, regular
meals, and a warm room to sleep in was highly desired) eventually The Rich realized that the slaves
servants needed occasional days off. Since The Help had to be on hand to work while the Rich Celebrated
Christmas, The Rich came up with "Boxing Day", the day after Christmas as a day off for the help.

SOoooo Boxing Day became the traditional a day off for servants, as well as distributing the offerings from the churhc's "poor box" and the day when the servants received a "Christmas Box" from "the master". The servants would often go home on Boxing Day to visit
their families and brought what presents they could.

Boxing Day finally got semi-officially "named" during the Victorian era (and has nothing to do with pugilism).
yhs
prof marvel

[Baltimore Ed]

Are you sure that it has nothing to do with the day before Christmas?