American Pie: Where Oh Where Did My Boxing Day Go - Or Come From?
"Normally speaking, lexicographers are able to trace the origins of an expression or word and come up with a reasoned and credible explanation, but not in this case. Boxing Day defies rational explanation...'' writes columnist John Merchant.
In the 37 years I have lived in the USA, I have probably been asked at least 37 times to explain Boxing Day in England. Not once could I offer a plausible explanation, though there are a number of implausible claims – e.g. It was the day that sports events were allowed by the Church to take place, thus fisticuffs.
Yet another explanation is that, supposedly, it was when wealthy people in the UK would give a box containing a gift to their servants, a custom that dates from the 1600’s. What I know of wealthy people in England, past and present, is that generosity was not one of their finest qualities. In any case, on the day after Christmas, they were more likely to be riding to hounds or sleeping off the feasting and bibulous day before.
Normally speaking, lexicographers are able to trace the origins of an expression or word and come up with a reasoned and credible explanation, but not in this case. Boxing Day defies rational explanation, even if one considers that it might be the corruption of say an Anglo Saxon or Norman expression, which is the root of many arcane words and names in the English language.
Aside from the sport, and packing something into a container, the only other definition of the word “Boxing” that I’m aware of is when ship’s compasses are adjusted for true north depending on where the ship is located in the world. In that case, the use of “Box” relates to the square course that is followed during the procedure.
I always considered Boxing Day to be an essential holiday, after the stressful build-up to Christmas, the anxiety of finding appropriate gifts for family and friends, and the customary excesses of Christmas Day. It was a day for sleeping in front of the TV, going for long brisk walks, attending a sports event if you had a mind, and just generally chilling out.
The pleasure of my first Christmas in the US in 1974 was tempered by the fact that there would be no Boxing Day, and since the twenty-fifth was a Wednesday that year, I would immediately return to work the following day. It seemed an outrage, but as they say, when in Rome… During my working life here I have never become adjusted to the loss, so except when Christmas fell on a Friday, I always saved a day of my annual vacation allowance to use for that purpose.
One of the many pleasures of freelancing at home is that I can work when I choose, day or night, Monday through Sunday; Christmas, non-Boxing Day or washday, as long as I meet my deadlines.
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