Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated in England and other Commonwealths, traditionally the day after Christmas. It was a day to show appreciation for service providers and provide for the less fortunate. The origin of the name may come from gifts given in boxes or clay banks broken to reveal bonuses. Gifts included clothing, food, and money, possibly including regifted items. This tradition may have helped create the modern-day practice of tipping service personnel.
Also called Boxing Day, Boxing Day is a holiday that began in England but is also celebrated in other Commonwealths. It was typically celebrated the day after Christmas or the weekday following the holiday. Some argue that the event was intended as a way to get rid of gift boxes and other Christmas ornaments cluttering the house after Christmas. While most of Boxing Day’s story hinges on speculation, this claim doesn’t appear to be supported. A popular urban legend website claims that it is actually fake.
The general consensus is that Boxing Day was a day to show appreciation for those who provided services to more affluent individuals, as well as a time to provide for those less fortunate. While those sharing the same class status gave each other gifts on Christmas Day, the underclass received gifts on Boxing Day. These gifts were often packaged in boxes, perhaps Christmas gift boxes, so they could be transported easily. This may be the origin of the name Boxing Day.
However, there are other explanations, including the possible use of clay “banks” or boxes that were broken on Boxing Day to reveal some kind of holiday bonus, from employer to employee or master to servant. Another possibility is that the collection boxes, where donations were made for the poor, were opened on Boxing Day and the donations were distributed to the needy. This may be where the modern day drop boxes to collect donations for charity began.
The types of gifts given to service personnel often included clothing, food, or other necessities. Could it be that the wealthier classes waited until the day after Christmas to engage in an early form of what is now known as “regifting”? It is possible that upper-class people rearranged their Christmas presents and gave items they didn’t want or need to service personnel. Perhaps they have given away items that have been replaced by new Christmas presents.
Money was also given as gifts on Boxing Day in some cases, especially to those who had families of their own to care for. This may have helped create the tradition of tipping service personnel in modern times. Many people give advice during the holiday season to hairdressers, postal carriers, cleaners and others who provide a service, even in countries where Boxing Day is not celebrated.
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