Boxing Day

  

   Boxing Day began in England during the Middle Ages. Some historians say 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. 

    Another theory is that the boxes placed in churches where parishioners deposited coins for the poor were opened and the contents distributed on December 26, which is also the Feast of St. Stephen. St. Stephen was one of seven deacons of the Christian Church who were ordained by the Apostles to care for widows and the poor. For the success of his preaching and his devotion to Christ, St. Stephen was stoned to death by a mob. As he died, he begged God not to punish his killers. 

    As time went by, Boxing Day gift giving expanded to include those who had rendered a service during the previous year. This traditions survives today as people give presents to tradesmen, mailcarriers, doormen, porters and others who helped them. 

    Boxing Day is December 26, the day after Christmas, and is celebrated in Great Britain and in most areas settled by the English (the USA is the major exception), including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.