The Second Day of Christmas - One Day Only!

This is the second day of Christmastide.  We know that the boxes of Boxing Day originated in the United Kingdom and were given to tradespeople and servants as a monetary acknowledgement at Christmas - they were mentioned as "Christmas boxes" in Samuel Pepys' diary in 1663. References to the "Christmas box" for the poor and needy date back to the Middle Ages.   And even earlier, in the late Roman and early Christian era, metal boxes were placed outside churches at the Feast of Saint Stephen. Today it is as though there is a north pole and a south pole for Boxing Day - the shopping and sports frenzy of the greedy and hedonistic opposing the charities raising money for their causes. So it is no surprise that our charitable organizations have Boxing Day events: Today and every year, you can run for the YMCA in Hamilton.  Race day pickup and registration opens at noon.  Or one can go on a Charity Boxing Day Dip - and then again on New Year's Day for that one.  In Scarborough Harbour there's a raft race. That's Scarborough, U.K. On the hedonistic side, the British press reports record line-ups showing pictures of people leaving shopping malls with their arms full - at 6:00am.  The U.K. article said 90% reductions were the attraction. And for the sports-minded, in Grimsby, U.K.  there's an important announcement that supporters in the Main Stand will be asked to exit the stadium via the Pontoon Stand exit von Boxing Day.  A big sports day there. We didn't ask the question "What do the Chinese do at Christmas?" There are 1.379 billion people in China.  First of all to say "Merry Christmas" the translation turns out to be "Holy-birth happy."  The top three Chinese Christmas songs: We Wish You a Merry Christmas Silent Night Jingle Bells Read the translations at chinahighlights.com - they stray from the originals making them very entertaining.  How they sing them to the melodies with know is a mystery. We see the Niagara Escarpment forest at Campbellville on Christmas Day.  It really was that dark and blue-black.

The Day the Music Stops

"Boxing Day is observed only in is observed in the United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and some other Commonwealth nations. In America December 26 is known as the Day after Christmas Day, and is observed as a holiday in only a few states."   Its origins are considered to be in Britain with the  "Christmas-box" to servants and tradespeople for good service in the previous year. The New York Times, in a witty satirical December 2013 article, says that: "Americans observe the day by staying home with their families and staring glassy-eyed at their empty Christmas-present boxes. This is an American form of meditation and, if possible, should not be interrupted. Families do not get dressed or answer the phone, and some put trash bags over their windows and doors so that light cannot enter their homes." "One person you will surely run into is the pizza deliverer. Today, it is a tradition to eat things that are, of course, boxed. Pizza, candy, and some types of wine are popular, as is boxed food called “takeout,” which, in America, only sometimes refers to food that is “taken out” of a restaurant—in other words, fetched by the purchaser. More often, “takeout” means “delivery.” Listen for the American idiomatic phrase “Let’s get takeout for Boxing Day,” followed by “Someone call for pizza.”  All banks and government offices are open, but the workers are grumpy. Expect short queues (or “lines”) but bad service, as most employees would rather be home staring at their boxes. To break the ice with an angry American—who, we should note, is probably not carrying a concealed weapon, no matter what you hear on the news—make small talk, and do not ask why he has worn his pajamas to work." For me, this is the "Unofficial end to Christmas music" day.  We've been listening to versions and variations since October in our retail environments, and since the beginning of December on our various airwaves.  And now it goes silent for another year.  Only a few songs endure between Christmas and New Year's.  "What are you doing New Years Eve" a jazz standard written in 1947 by Frank Loesser.

Countdown Starts Again

Christmas Day The Day After.  Now we start another countdown and this one is more like a countdown rather than a countup. As an aside, the Christmas Day clock is now at 364 and ticking away.  So if you loaded it on your smart phone, it can keep you company for another year. We know that today's the day to get our gifts (boxes) from the 'boss".  Too bad the tradition didn't carry through to modern day and there would be a bonus from our corporate employers. Perhaps South Africa understood that this tradition was better left behind.  It renamed Boxing Day to Day of Goodwill in 1994. Other countries call this Second Christmas Day: In some European countries, most notably Germany, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands and those in Scandinavia, 26 December is celebrated as the Second Christmas Day. What should we do on the Second Christmas Day? "Many people spend the second day of Christmas in much the same way as Christmas Day."  So we'd be having a second or third turkey dinner today. Here are two views of Jordan Harbour from last year.

Our Christmas Traditions - Boxing Day

This has become a secular holiday but  Boxing Day is a tradition that started in the UK about 800 years ago. It was the day when the alms box for the poor was opened so that the contents could be distributed to the poor.

In the 1600's we would be servants and tradespeople and would receive gifts today, known as a "Christmas box".  Our Christmas Day would have been busy, waiting on our masters.  This is the day that Good King Wenceslas looked upon the Feast of Stephen.  St. Stephen's Day is celebrated as the 2nd day of Christmas.  The Germans had an original tradition - horses would be ridden around the inside of the church during the St. Stephen's Day service. 

We are into the Twelve Days of Christmas.  This is the twelve day period that starts with Christmas day and ends on Epiphaby (Jan 6th).The 'true love' who gave the gifts was meant to represent God, the true love of the world.  On the "first day", the partridge in a pear tree is Jesus who died on the cross.  The two turtle doves of the "second day", are the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.  The three French hens are faith, hope and love - the three gifts of the Holy Spirit.

We'll explore more on the 12 Days tomorrow.  


Our image today is a little bit of urban grunge from Toronto.  It is peeling paint on a wall mural with manipulation to create the wave and repeating pattern.  It has a carnival sense for me with the curves, waves, and bright colours.