Today, the day after Christmas is commonly known as Boxing Day, or St Stephens day. Unlike in England, Germany, Australia and new Zealand, Boxing Day is not an official holiday in Belgium.
I used to think they named it Boxing Day because it was the day Christmas gifts were exchanged and opened, but a little bit of research told me there is more than one meaning to “ Boxing Day”.
The name Boxing Day derives from the tradition of giving seasonal gifts, on the day after Christmas, to less wealthy people and social inferiors, which was later extended to various workpeople such as laborers and servants.
The first is that centuries ago, on the day after Christmas, members of the merchant class would give boxes containing food and fruit, clothing, and/or money to trades people and servants. The gifts were an expression of gratitude much like when people receive bonuses, from their employer, for a job well done, today. These gifts, given in boxes, gave the holiday it's name, "Boxing Day".
The second thought is that Boxing Day comes from the tradition of opening the alms boxes placed in churches over the Christmas season. The contents thereof which were distributed amongst the poor, by the clergy, the day after Christmas. ( Source: Wikipedia)
Gifts and presents are part of the Christmas fun I suppose. My fun began a couple of days before Christmas gift wrapping everybody’s presents. I always try to put some creativity into that, and this year I cut up old Christmas cards and used them to make labels for my gifts.
We had loads of presents this year…
I mean … LOADS!!
Some of them, were HUGE!
Each person gets to pick a present for somebody else.
( That’s when the labels come in handy)
and opens it …
The rules are that everybody gets to see what he/she got before we move on to the next gift.
Some of the gifts even had a poem to be read before opening …
Some had to be fitted.
Sometimes instruction manuals had to be read.
Some even needed to be tested!
Ummm … NO we DO NOT DO DRUGS if that’s what you’re thinking!!
Everything had to either be looked at …
… or sniffed at …
and thanked for.
All the while the paparazzi sisters kept their fingers on the trigger shutter.
It took us over four hours to get through them this year! ROFL!!
