Lest We Forget The True Meaning Of Boxing Day

Boxing Day, as it turns out, has very little to do with pugilism. This message did not get through, perhaps, to the early bird consumers featured on the news this morning, scrabbling to get bargains in the post-Christmas sales, although it didn’t seem like there was much respect for the ‘Marquess of Queensberry Rules’ amongst that rabble.

The above paragraph would be significantly more satirical had I actually seen footage of people behaving like animals in the Boxing Day sale, but I did not, so it is in fact a notion I made up to add a little wit to my post. On the news report I did see, the journalist alluded to some marginally inappropriate behaviour on the part of early morning bargain hunters but there was no video evidence to  back up his claims and I suspect that the reporter was making it up in much the same why as I did just now. Who in their right mind is up at the crack of dawn on Boxing Day to make the most of the sales? Surely the truly savvy consumers were sitting at their computers yesterday, when, according all the junk mail in my inbox this morning, all of the sales had started online. Indeed some internet bargains were to be found on Christmas Eve as soon as the shops had shut. It is a truly magical time of year is it not?

I for one will eschew the sales this year. I don’t hugely need anything and I did particularly well in terms of gifts received this year. Indeed a little too well, perhaps, for someone of my age. I was especially excited that Mrs Proclaims bought me a Kylo Ren action figure. Kylo Ren is, of course, the antagonist in the latest Star Wars film, and he is now standing proudly next to my other Star Wars action figures, a collection that does not date back to my childhood as you may suspect. My younger cousin was the recipient of all of my childhood Star Wars toys, but I did begin a small collection again in my early twenties. It’s not a collection that dominates my life but it gives me some pleasure. Plus it’s nice to know that I can still receive toys as presents and I hope this trend continues well into my old age.

For this Boxing Day, I intend to continue doing much the same kind of thing as I spent Christmas Day doing. Which is not very much. But it’s ‘not very much’ with my lovely wife, with no particular need to do very much, which is very different to how we spend most of the rest of the year. It’s still over a week until I go back to work, and although I am vaguely aware of an essay I’m supposed to be writing for my MA, that isn’t due until the end of January either, so there is plenty of time before I resort to the usual excess caffeine consumption and blind panic required to see me through that particular endeavour.

Today is all about eating leftovers, watching overly sentimental films and maybe, at some point, actually finding out why Boxing Day is called Boxing Day.

In truth, I do know why Boxing Day is so-named, but it isn’t really all that interesting. Disappointingly it’s actually got something to do with boxes.