Here in Canada we celebrate Boxing Day today, but what the hell does it mean? I asked Taryn to explain the origins of this holiday and she told me it was because the day after Christmas you traditionally return all the boxes your gifts came in. She meant well, but Taryn was wrong.
Consulting my favourite source for such matters, I learned the holiday's roots can be traced to Britain, where Boxing Day is also known as St. Stephen's Day. "Its origins are found in a long-ago practice of giving cash or durable goods to those of the lower classes. Gifts among equals were exchanged on or before Christmas Day, but beneficences to those less fortunate were bestowed the day after."
Today we remember those occupying an even lower rung on the class ladder. This shouldn't take me very long.
