What's Up, Doc? Sorting Out Boxing Day Traditions

By Randall Freeman, PhD

Friday, Dec. 26 is Boxing Day! Hurrah!

Uh, what’s Boxing Day? How come there’s no Baseball Day? How about Football Day? Basketball Day? What the heck is Boxing Day?

Check your calendar. Every one I've seen says it right there on Dec. 26 – Boxing Day. So, what is it anyway?

Arguments are plentiful on the origins of the name Boxing Day. Here are a few of them:



• A ‘Christmas Box’ in Britain is a name for a Christmas present.

• Boxing Day was a day off for servants. When they received a ‘Christmas Box’ from the master, the servants would go home to give ‘Christmas Boxes’ to their families.

• A box to collect money for the poor was placed in Churches on Christmas day, then opened the next day.

• Great sailing ships when setting sail would have a sealed box containing money on board for good luck. If the voyage were a success, the box was given to a priest, opened at Christmas and the contents given to the poor.

Boxing Day began in England during the Middle Ages. Some historians say the holiday developed because servants were required to work on Christmas, but took the following day off. As servants prepared to leave to visit their families, their employers would present them with gift boxes.

Boxing Day is a secular holiday that is traditionally celebrated on Dec. 26, which is also St. Stephen's Day, a religious holiday. Boxing Day is celebrated in Great Britain and most areas settled by the English. The United States is a notable exception.

St. Stephen was one of the seven original deacons of the Christian Church who were ordained by the Apostles to care for widows and the poor. For the success of his preaching and his devotion to Christ, St. Stephen was stoned to death by a mob. As he died, he begged God not to punish his killers. In honor of St. Stephen, boxes are placed in churches where parishioners deposit coins for the poor. The coins are then distributed on Dec. 26 each year.

Boxing Day is a time to spend with family or friends, usually those not seen on Christmas Day itself. The menu on Boxing Day is more casual than on Christmas Day. Lunch will usually be a buffet or leftovers from Christmas lunch. Baked ham is a popular Boxing Day meat and of course, mince pies with brandy butter or a slice of Christmas cake are almost obligatory.


The Boxing Day Dip is a charity event where people in fancy dress swim in the sea on Boxing Day. There are several such dips held around Europe, but the largest is organized by the Lions Club of Sunderland, England.

The dip takes place at Seaburn Beach in Sunderland. This very popular event regularly attracts over 1,000 brave souls and over 5,000 spectators. They raised around £70,000 in 2013. Participants are expected to wear fancy dress and jump into the North Sea.

The oldest dip is the Tenby Boxing Day Swim in Pembrokeshire, Wales, which started in 1970. A roaring bonfire meets the swimmers coming out of the sea and all participants receive a medal for bravery.

Anybody for a dip in Menifee Lake? I didn't think so.

Randall Freeman and his family have lived in Menifee since 1993. Randy teaches kindergarten in Perris and his wife Karen teaches first grade here in Menifee at Freedom Crest Elementary School. They are the parents of four daughters: Daniela, 17, and 13-year-old triplets Sarah, Holly, and Megan. Randy earned his PhD in early childhood education in 2011 and has served on the Menifee Union School Board since 2008. As he explains it, this makes him Karen's boss for the first and only time in the marriage. His column will appear here every other Tuesday.