No, by Golly, it’s not a Holly Jolly Christmas. It’s the day after Christmas, glorious December 26, known in Canada by the curious name of Boxing Day. To appreciate this, you must understand that I grew up in the you-es-of-eh where this Best Day of the Year did not exist. Of course, there was a day after Christmas, December 26, but I never heard of Boxing Day until I arrived as a twenty-year-old in Vancouver. It was a great discovery, though too late in life to make those magical childhood memories.
That’s not really a problem though, because Boxing Day is a thoroughly adult Best Day. Before I explain why, let’s examine the name. I quickly learned it had nothing to do with the so-called sport of Boxing. That’s Good! Although I admired Muhammed Ali’s political stance as well as his fancy footwork, I could not abide intentionally injuring another person or watching someone get beaten up. And I don’t watch sports on TV. If Boxing Day refers to boxing up gifts, aren’t they all opened before the 26th? Boxing Day seems to pre-date the concern for recycling all the boxes. Despite my curiosity, the Canadians I met neither cared what the name meant, nor felt the need to explain it.
For some of those Canadians, the day itself meant a second family gathering, this time at the in-laws or grandparents. Some liked the second go round of time-honoured foods but many squirmed at the awkwardness of time with relatives-seldom-seen or with those who abused substances or people. And some of the bingers were nursing nasty hangovers in classic day-after fashion. As an immigrant, I didn’t have relatives, let alone distant relatives, to visit or to avoid. So, Boxing Day held no obligations, no expectations.
The TV loudly told me that Boxing Day meant Big Sales and waiting around for hours outside in bad weather to get a “Once in a Year Deal”. I never actually met anyone who celebrated this TV Boxing Day. I think all who do have become colonized by American corporations and kidnapped to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. At least the TV seems to have created these new Buy! Buy! Buy! Holidays.
So, if it’s not sports or boxes or relatives or deals, why, you are waiting to hear, is Boxing Day the Best Day of the Year? I guess you need to know that I am a person who always has a ‘program.’ I greet each day with a mental To Do list. My current program is abbreviated as 1-2-3-4-5. There are five things I plan to do each day that involve both self care and connection. At night I review them and the various add-on’s and feel I have created some value with my day. I would rather be over committed than bored, so sometimes the To Do’s get out of hand.
The entire Holiday Season can definitely pile on the To-Do’s, especially because I like creating handmade presents and cards. Despite the fun and satisfaction, it can get a bit exhausting. Like the Christmas Eve my sweetheart and I didn’t get a minute of sleep before heading out on the 25th to her gigantic family gathering with 20 adults and 20 kids. We spent the entire night sanding and finishing the display cabinets she built to hold her nieces’ medals and trophies. She’d made them from oak with sliding glass doors, etched with their names. I attached thick forest green velvet to the backs to show off the silver and gold. We dissolved into sleepy hysterics as we struggled through the night, but we finished them just in time to make the long drive out through the Fraser Valley. And the cabinets were magnificent! However, with only half a glass of wine, I snoozed through dinner and the 40-person gathering, too tired to talk to anyone. The weeks long build up to December 25th’s crescendo quickly devolved into mountains of ripped paper, leftovers and dirty dishes. Fortunately, I wasn’t called on to help with the clean up. Everyone could tell I was too pooped.
So now you come to see how Boxing Day is the Best Day of the Year because it is literally the one and only day that I do absolutely nothing. And when I was working, I even got paid for doing nothing. Wow! Do I need a day like that! Doesn’t everyone?
photo by Cyndia Cole
