Photography

Boxing Day 2025

31 Comments

This was first posted on Boxing Day, 2024 and has since been updated. The sentiment remains the same, however.

In Canada, today is Boxing Day. It has nothing to do with sport but rather with the idea of “boxing up” the leftovers from Christmas feasting (including unwanted presents) to give to those less fortunate. I was raised with the notion that Boxing Day is for providing volunteer service (I was allowed to choose – and I always chose the SPCA – but I wasn’t allowed to skip it); however, I think that that philosophy has long since disappeared.

Perhaps we ought to try to bring back Boxing Day volunteerism or other forms of giving. I am tired of the Boxing Day sales that have now morphed into “boxing week” sales – whatever those are, I’m sure you’re really not going to save anything – that are bringing into disrepute a day that used to be about selflessness and giving.

Considering the narcissistic spending focus at this time of year – something that is industriously promoted by all businesses – a little required volunteerism might go a long way to helping a great many people, including those that do the volunteering.

Food for thought.

31 thoughts on “Boxing Day 2025”

  1. A good post Lynette. I am all about finding ways to give back whether it is volunteerism, donations, shoveling somebody else’s sidewalk or giving the gift of time or means to someone less fortunate. That latter one can be difficult as the old saying that “It is easier to give, than receive” applies. Thanks for writing this timely post. Allan

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    1. Thank you, Allan. Your comments are very much appreciated. We do as well and I think many people make room for food bank donations or clearing a neighbour’s sidewalk, for instance. But those acts of selflessness become needlessly lost in the “buy” cacophony. I know that’s healthy for our economy, but it wouldn’t hurt us to have one day set aside to actually build this country in other ways. In Atlantic Canada, Boxing Day has been protected by legislation from store openings (I think small convenience stores can open). Maybe the rest of the country should be considering that, too.

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  2. Thank you for this post, Lynette.
    Here, in the UK, Boxing Day has a slightly disputed history, though it’s not an important argument. The main belief is that the day after Christmas, when servants had to spend their time waiting on their masters, the landowners and wealthy folk would give these servants a day off, along with ‘gifts’ of money and boxes of food so they could visit their relatives. The other possibility is that on Boxing Day, the alms boxes in the various churches would be opened and the contents given to the poor.
    These days, in common with the priorities of the era, it has become a day, stretching into a week, when yet more consumerism s driven by so-called sales.

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    1. Thank you for your comments, Stuart. Yes, I’m familiar with all these background explanations, especially with the first one you mention. My mother started working at Arundel Castle as a 13-year-old and described how she was given a gift box to take home to her family on Boxing Day (an interesting aside is that her pay was given to her father). The eastern part of this country has legislation in place preventing Boxing Day shopping and there is some pushback in other parts as well but people are otherwise swallowed by the myth of “savings.”

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      1. The idea that males should be ‘in charge’ has a long history (mostly initiated and encouraged by religions). It’s long been proven false, of course, but that doesn’t seem to make much difference to the attitudes of certain men and institutions!
        As for the ‘bargains’ to be had in the various sales, just another load of twaddle, eh?

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        1. Oh yes, thanks to religion the patriarchy was very alive and well at that time and certainly still lives extremely ably in many parts of the world. Agreed; it doesn’t make much difference to the attitudes of certain men. All I have to do is look to the south of us for confirmation of that.

          Sales? Definitely twaddle!

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  3. I have to admit I don’t know much about Boxing Day but it sounds like a really nice tradition that should not be overun by consumerism. In my native country Sweden December 26 is also a holiday called Annandag Jul, or roughly second day Christmas. It is called second day Christmas despite the fact that Jul / Christmas is celebrated on December 24th, which comes from a Viking tradition (Jul or Yule is really a pagan midwinter solstice tradition). However, I think Boxing Day sounds like a more serious celebration with volunteering and good deeds.

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    1. It’s a day that’s usually only observed by countries who are or were a part of the former British Empire (which morphed into the British Commonwealth of Nations). It used to be a more serious celebration and still is in the eastern part of this country but in about the other two-thirds it has become nothing but a loud, ad-driven buy-fest that now screams for an entire week instead of just a day. Ugh. Thanks for the information about Jul. I didn’t know that Sweden celebrates on the 24th.

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      1. It sounds like a very nice celebration. Too bad that the western 2/3 of the country is turning into a commercial buy fest. The December 24th date for Christmas has to do with how the vikings designated holidays time wise.

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  4. It’s sad that Boxing Day has become so commercialised!

    Christmas is wonderful but its just the same thing and the real reason for CHRISTmas seems to have been lost to so many people.

    I don’t see why the US isn’t included in these holidays as so many Americans like myself have family roots going back to England… 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇺🇸

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    1. It definitely has in about two-thirds of the country while eastern Canada has legislation against store openings on Boxing Day (small convenience stores are allowed to open though). A day off from the constant pressure to buy might be a good thing for all of us.

      I think your country outlawed all those connections to the UK at independence. I believe your founders were pretty upset at them at the time. 😉

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      1. I’m sure they were and one aspect of that is our very improper spelling of many English words. So stupid. I wish someone would introduce a bill in Washington to restore the correct spellings!

        How can a province order a private business to stay closed? That seems like a dictatorship to me…

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        1. Language is really a living thing and changes so rapidly and in concert with culture, inventions and current events. For instance, Canadian French is different from France’s French and Canadian English is different from UK, Australian, NZ and US English. Just think of all the new words from the last 20 years that didn’t exist when we were born! Selfie and doomscrolling are two I can think of.

          Store hours are a provincial responsibility but they can’t “order” store opening or closing times. Some provinces have regulated store hours through a proper democratic process whereby the proposed legislation went through the various legislatures and was voted on by elected representatives after appropriate debate and public input.

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          1. I see, thanks for the education on provincial laws. Doom scrolling, how awful. And, even with the different dialects of English we can all usually understand each other which I find wonderful! English in our southeast is different from Michigan’s English…

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    1. It sure does, but I haven’t heard of a push for volunteerism on Boxing Day for many years now. Our family made an agreement a few years ago not to buy presents anymore (the exception is children) so there’s no wrapping paper around here, sale or otherwise. 😉

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  6. Excellent thoughts, Lynette. When my daughter was in high school, all the students were required to do a certain number of volunteer hours. Since she was an equestrian, she chose to volunteer at a therapeutic equestrian center, and I volunteered there as well. It was a fulfilling activity for us, and one that we did for many years. So many non-profits rely on volunteers, and it’s a wonderful way to get involved in one’s community. Thanks for sharing this!

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    1. Thank you very much, Tricia and you’re very welcome. Our high schools used to require volunteer hours for graduation as well but that requirement has definitely been dropping off depending on the province. It’s competing with so many other requirements like financial literacy and sexual health. It sounds like you and your daughter had a wonderfully bonding volunteer experience – how fantastic, Tricia. I agree that so many valuable non-profits need volunteers. It’s so good for them and so good for the volunteers, too. Cheers.

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  10. Beautiful captures. Agreed, it is a bit ridiculous how Boxing Day has now become Boxing Week. I did end up buying a few things for Christmas presents for next year though (my mom loves snowmen and now is the best time to get them when they’re on sale).

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    1. Thanks, Linda. I find the whole Boxing “week” thing so annoying. We have the relentless ads up until Christmas Day and then we’re walloped by more of them afterwards. I find it concerning that much of our society is never really given a chance to rest or just be.

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