Mom, is it OK if I punch James?" I asked.
She gave me one of those surprised looks. You'd have thought that I'd asked her if I could live on the moon.
"No, you may not punch James," Mom scolded. She carried the laundry basket into the kitchen. "Besides, I thought you and James were friends."
"So did I. But James told me we're going to fight after Christmas," I explained. "He said that boxing day is coming and that he has something for me." I hoped it wouldn't be a black eye or a bloody nose. I liked my face the way it was.
"Well, I'll just have to call Mrs. Simons and find out what's going on," Mom said. She picked up the kitchen phone and dialed. …
Boxing Day is not about punching people’s lights out . . . even if they gave you a really rotten gift for Christmas . . .
Boxing Day is a bank and public holiday celebrated on December 26th in many countries throughout the world. It has been a long-standing tradition to use this day to give money, food and gifts to the needy and less fortunate. It’s thought that the holiday developed because servants were required to work on Christmas Day, but took the following day off. As servants prepared to leave to visit their families, their employers would present them with gift boxes.
How to celebrate Boxing Day . . .
- Attend a sporting event – i.e. have fun!
- Remember those who have provided a service to you during the year – your mailman, employee, etc.
- Remember those in need – there is always someone worse off than you.
- Go shopping – take advantage of those after Christmas sales
- Celebrate with friends – take time to relax after all the hustle and bustle
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Oddly enough, Boxing Day is not celebrated in the United States
National Whiners Day is the day after Christmas. Why? To whine about the stuff you didn’t get and the stuff you DID get. Us growed up folks are plenty good about disguising how we feel about the wretched loot we received from well-meaning morons.
Now the kiddies . . . oh, they know how to express themselves just fine and dandy . . . you can look at your tot’s face and know exactly how pleased (or displeased) they are with their holiday haul. But, we more mature individuals have learned the diplomacy of political correctness.
Unless you’re as lucky as me to have a thoughtful, loving and conscientious gift giving spouse who gets me the most awesomest presents EVER . . . seriously, I don’t think he actually HAS disappointed me yet
. . . the day after Christmas is your day to whine, complain and otherwise commiserate about the awful offerings bestowed upon you. Pssst . . . just not to the person who handed over the calamitous contribution. And, since it’s a nationally sanctioned day for bellyaching, why not take the opportunity to complain about all the time you spent shopping, moan about the time you spent decorating and groan about how long it will take you to get your decorations packed away and the house back in its proper order. While you’re at it, why don’t you go on about EVERY little ol’ thing that is annoying you . . .
I’m thinking that if Boxing Day was instituted in the good old US of A it would probably be a day of re-gifting.
#1 Is the gift regiftable?... Never regift handmade or one-of-a-kind items.
#2 How is the condition?... If you have to dust it off, it is not regiftable.
#3 Is this going to work?... Only regift items to people who are not likely to see the original giver.
#4 Do you have good intentions?... Be sure that the recipient will appreciate the item.
#5 How does it look?... Always spring for a new card or gift tag.
#6 Can you handle it?... Never feel guilty about regifting once you've done it.
#7 Have you considered your options?... An unwanted gift could be a welcome donation to a charitable organization.
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