Boxing Day

Boxing Day

What exactly is "Boxing Day"?  - Yes, it's the day after Christmas but WHY - what does it mean?

My first thought was: "We are returning those boxes that we received on Christmas Day for something that we really wanted."

My second thought was: "We are fighting (or boxing) the crowds in the Mall for the day-after-Christmas sales."

Both are wrong - "Boxing Day" actually originated in Jolly Olde England.  It was the Christmas holiday for tradesmen and women in the "servanthood."  They had to work on December 25th and spent Christmas day making and serving Christmas dinner to their "Lords and Ladies."  On December 26th these tradespeople would celebrate Christmas and receive gifts from the upper class that they had served the day before.  In modern day England - December 26th has become a bank holiday - "Boxing Day" is also observed in other commonwealth nations like  Canada and Australia.