That might seem like an odd question. It’s a day of shopping madness, but has it always been this?

The answer is no.

Boxing Day is an old English tradition.

Christmas Day was a time for family. Boxing Day was a time for community. Why the name “Boxing Day”? It came, quite literally, from the “box”. It was a day when gifts were boxed up and given to the less fortunate in your community.

Yes of course, in class conscious Victorian England, there was something a bit condescending about it. It was a day when employers gave gifts to their staff, and Lords to their house staff. Sometimes, those gifts were hand me downs and inevitably the boxes used were the leftover boxes from Christmas Day.

With all that said, Boxing Day really was about giving back to your community and maybe, even with the connotations behind it, it was still better than the shopping craze that it has become. Maybe this year, you just might give a thought, and a donation, to a local charity. We can make a difference in our community.