“Boxing Day” originated in the United Kingdom, and it began with the noblest of intentions. Though there are varied ideas as to what the first Boxing Day looked like, we know it had something to do with benevolence being “boxed,” and given as an outreach to the poor, every year on the day after Christmas.
As in so many other areas of modern life, consumerism has managed to overwhelm the original purpose of Boxing Day, and it is hard to imagine how something with such philanthropic beginnings could have evolved into an event that is now polar opposite to the spirit of giving. Today’s Boxing Day is similar in nature to Black Friday: the day after Thanksgiving, known for door crasher deals and extreme spending. The stark contrast between what Boxing Day was created to be, and what it is today, is blatant testimony to the harms that excess has brought into our modern way of life.
