Boxing Day: what the hell is it?
Since this time last year, I’ve had a really difficult time answering this question. And since Christmas is over, the guests are gone, and now my parents want to know too, I naturally jumped up and did a websearch for the definition of Boxing Day, only to discover that nobody else really knows what the hell it is either. Here’s my favo(u)rite part of the Wikipedia definition:
In Canada, Boxing Day is also observed as a public holiday, and is a day when stores sell their excess Christmas inventory at significantly reduced prices. Boxing Day has become so important for retailers that they often extend it into a “Boxing Week”. This occurs similarly in Australia and New Zealand.
Ergo, Boxing Day is the holiday with no external referent. Boxing Day is the day you celebrate Boxing Day. It’s as simple as that.
Thank you and good night.