Boxing Day is something you have run across in this holiday season. Not to fall over it exactly, though that is possible, but rather something seems logical and fairly prim in execution.

We talked about it after the brief stuff we can put back up near that Elf. He is the one who gets mostly covered up the rest of the year, and was purchased with a certain amount of irony. That was the way Mom ran her house, “Boxing Day” was said with a hint of smile as she started putting “things back in boxes” for next year. The packing always fairly neat and done with the idea it would be cleared away by the time Dad got back from work and we could relax until we had to find the boxes again.

And that was about the best celebration a holiday could have, and Boxing Day celebrated directly after Christmas Day, 26 December. Here is where we learned something just today. Boxing Day is not named for a ritual of putting all the holiday other decorations in the aging cardboard boxes the day after the 25th. We were surprised by the depth of it all, and the origins were never expressed when we yanking down tinsel and bobbeling the shiny decorations back into darkness.

DeMille tries to keep us focused, and tends to bring a bit of higher Church tradition to things. There is even a Unitarian in the circle, and find them useful to drag the Universalist perspective into a holiday tinged with awe and humility.
Due to the immediacy of Christmas’s passage, he thought we could settle in with a reminder that some boxes are not for storage, but for more giving. The Writer’s Section has a wide spectrum of views, and some think today may now be devoted to clean up, but we would be happy to enjoy another morning of handing things around.

Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to people in need, we have transformed Boxing Day into an impressive string of Christmas celebrations. It has joined Black Friday, Cyber Monday and now the post seasonal jewel. And the days are actually getting a little longer each day!

So there is a new version of Boxing Day out with some folks choosing to take advantage of Boxing Day sales. This version from the UK and is celebrated across the Commonwealth nations. Those countries have attached bank or other public holidays, which can continue as late as 28 December to get everything properly boxed, either for neat storage or more giving.

But Boxing Day is also concurrent with the Christian festival. He was the first Christian Martyr, stoned to death for his belief and faith in Jesus. That is worth a remembrance on a day of Feast. But of course there is more. The European tradition is about giving money and other gifts to those in need or in service positions, many of whom had worked Christmas day), has been dated to the Middle Ages. It may reference the placement of the Alms box to be opened for the poor.

The Oxford English Dictionary handles it nicely. They define the phrase as “The Day after Christmas Day.” We agree.
We noted Rocket had a tall rectangular box in wrapped in brown paper. It was not labeled. though could have accommodated a tall bottle of Belmont Farms distillery’s Moonshine Whiskey. and Chuck Miller and Tim Smith are partners in that endeavor. The Virginia Lightning line includes the Virginia Lightning Corn Whiskey at 100 proof, the Virginia Lightning Original Moonshine, a more refined moonshine at 90 proof, several flavored moonshines including peach. At the Socotra staff, we do not have a Designated Spiritual Service member, since that void can also lead to anguished discussion. Some of us have applied for more formal internet certification although we are running out of matchbooks that offer the appropriate application information.

Copyright 2023 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com