Also 63, and fully agree with Merry Christmas being the only expression used in England, never Happy Christmas. Still not entirely sure what Black Friday is all about though,!
This year because Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on the weekend we get Monday and Tuesday as bank holidays. So the return to work post Christmas for many is Wednesday. And many of our shops this year have opted not to open on Boxing Day. Which is how it should be in my opinion
When i was younger the shops all had to close on Boxing Day just like Christmas, then commercialism crept in and some shops began to open. Then more. As there were always January sales it became the focus of the day for many people. I think its a shame.
I can't really remember anything special about Boxing Day's growing up, other than it was a continuation of Christmas Day. We also would use up the leftovers and guzzle on sweets. If we hadn't got together with family members on Christmas Day, we would see them on the 26th. Only having 3 tv channels to choose from, every family member would go through the tv schedules and put a mark around the shows they'd like to watch, occasionally causing arguments when programmes clashed, but it usually worked out ok. x
Another Boxing Day bit of trivia: On Boxing Day the local lord would give his tenants a gift of money contained in a clay pot. The clay pots were called “ Piggies” due to their shape. It is where we get the term “ Piggy Bank” from.
Personally, I’ve never used the term Happy Christmas (I’m in my mid 40’s and Scottish) and as far as I can recall my family and myself have always said “Merry Christmas” and “Happy New Year”. Being Scottish Hogmanay (New Years Eve) and New Years Day were just as important as Christmas when I was young and carried many traditions of its own, that are sadly disappearing but this does mean that in Scotland both the 1st and 2nd of January are bank holidays. Here is a link to a video that tells of some of those traditions ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Z88jF2mZhzs.html
I'm from the Midlands and always say Merry Christmas, especially when you say Happy New Year, 2 happies wouldn't sound right and Merry New Year wouldn't sound right 🙂 personally find New Years eve so depressing, normally sleep through it
I’m in my 40s from Yorkshire and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year is standard and the greeting I put in the Christmas Cards I make, I was surprised because I thought Happy Christmas had come from America, I guess not. I’ve never been shopping on Boxing Day.
In many situations, like this year, with Christmas being on Saturday and Boxing Day on Sunday ( I think I am right in saying it is always the day after Christmas Day now no matter what day it falls) Monday and Tuesday are given off work in lieu. So many workers get Saturday and Sunday off then Monday and Tuesday too.
Merry Christmas 😘 Boxing day when I was younger was more magical for me than Christmas day as my grandparents came over for a few hours. We'd have a buffet with all the leftovers, plus all the party food like mini sausage rolls, pickles, biscuits/cookies and cake etc. There were also board games and card games, and honestly, it was my favourite day of the year xxx
Before Covid my family would go and see extended family or they would come to us in a family reunion. Boxing day is also when you eat the ham that you had boiled a few days before. It goes with any leftovers, the special cheese you get and other things.
Boxing Day is always the 26th December. Just like Christmas Day, if that falls on a weekend, we get the Monday (and / or Tuesday) off as public holiday in lieu - as is the case this year. Shops didn’t used to open on Boxing Day but in the late 90s onwards, more and more started to do so. However, within the past few years, an increasing number of major retailers have said they’re *not* opening on Boxing Day in order to give their staff a day off to spend with family, which is a lovely thing. As an example, two major retailers - Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer’s - were both closed yesterday (though they are open today).
Joel - in England at least this is the best year because Christmas fell on Saturday. So Boxing Day is popularly the next day, Sunday. But Saturday and Sunday can't be public holidays, and you can't lose the holidays either. So today, Monday, is the substitute public holiday ("Bank Holiday") for Christmas Day. And tomorrow, Tuesday, is the substitute Bank Holiday for Boxing Day. So, the working week doesn't begin again till Wednesday 29th. And the same goes for New Year's Day, which is a public holiday. As New Year's Day is Saturday, the following Monday, 3rd January, is kept as a Bank Holiday too.
It's not the best year if you work for the NHS or in the service industries because there is no extra payment for working the 25th and 26th but there is for the bank holidays.
HELLO JULIAN 👋 👋 ~ IT WAS SO NICE TO READ YOUR COMMENT 😃, IT WAS SO EASY TO UNDERSTAND TOO 👍. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, IT'S ONLY FAIR THAT US WORKERS (WHO GET SATURDAY & SUNDAY OFF AS STANDARD), SHOULD THEN GET MONDAY & TUESDAY OFF TOO 😃 !!! HOPE YOU HAD A LOVELY CHRISTMAS 🎄 JULIAN 🌲 & ALL THE VERY BEST FOR 2022 FROM ❄ JOE SNOW ❄.
You saved me writing a comment as you have 100% wrote your information out correctly but also easily to understand. This year my Christmas morning present was a positive covid lateral flow test. So instead of seeing my children and grandchildren it's been a little lonely.. thank god for the internet. Take care and stay safe 🤗
Boxing day is always the day after on the 26th. Here in New Zealand as with the UK, Christmas day and Boxing Day are always public holidays, but because Christmas fell on a Saturday and boxing day was on a Sunday this year, we get the Monday and Tuesday off in lieu.
Some time in the 80s/90s Boxing Day morphed into the day of shopping & sales - when it used to be a day everything was closed (apart from the pub) This year, for the first time in decades, the majority of retailers/supermarkets opted to stay closed boxing day, so staff could have time off (probably sensed a revolt lol) and early news reports indicate we all survived lol I hope they do it every year.
You are correct, it has turned into a day of sales. From when we were both kids in the 70s, used to be a second day of feasting and merriment. Nothing used to be open apart from the pub for a couple of hours.
As a busy Mum and Grandmum, Boxing Day to me is a replay of Christmas Day ( minus the Christmas lunch) but with less stress. Family comes round, we pick at fruit, nuts, chocolates and sweets and play games with the Grandkids. We have a buffet lunch and it’s all quiet by tea time when everyone has gone home. I pour a large Baileys and watch the programs I’ve recorded. I actually love Boxing Day!
Boxing Day shopping is comparatively new. When I was a kid, Boxing Day was still a Christmas Holiday, shops were shut and in the day, if you didn't want to stuff your face, you went for long country walks or played sport. We always had a party on Boxing Day with neighbours coming round to drink and eat buffet party food. We always left a box (gift) for our dustmen, postmen and milkmen and it was really great.
Boxing Day for most people in the uk is the chance to visit other members of your extended family that probably spent Christmas Day with their own immediate family plus their is alway a large amount of food that wasn’t eaten so most of the time we all bring something to the table also a chance to receive and give presents to the family or friends you didn’t see on Christmas Day Love the channel love what you do Happy you going into chemistry it’s my field too Merry Christmas
I'm a Yorkshire lass. We all left our homes on Boxing Day to watch the start of the Boxing Day hunt. All the red uniforms, horses and loose hunting dogs. Never really agreed with the premise of fox hunting, but as a child the Boxing Day hunt was quite a spectacular event.
Good afternoon Jole, I trust that you and your family had a very merry Christmas Day. The chap neglected to mention the glazed ham, traditionally cooked on Christmas Eve to be served cold on Boxing Day with chutneys, pickles and bubble & squeak.
As a child, the sales were known as "January Sales" as they started in January - now they start on 26th (Boxing Day) at the latest - although the last couple of years, some retailers have been standing by the Bank Holiday and staying shut till the 27th, but the rush to spend your Xmas money presents and bag yourself a bargain is stronger than ever - normally when I start shopping for the next Xmas - get your wrapping paper and cards in!! LOL
No, they still have the January sales as well. The Boxing Day sales are mainly for those who have had money for Christmas. Although I think the shops also benefit from people taking unwanted presents back that may be a lower price after Christmas.
I think it depends on where you lived . I used to take Christmas Tokens to Department Stores Book shops. No body gave money to children for Christmas but book tokens were quite usual . Used to go on Boxing Day to choose new things . I hate the idea that an Amazon voucher eats into Christmas Day itself as people sit staring into screens . Not interacting with their families .
As a Brit-American, my understanding is that in the days of old, money for the poor was collected over the Christmas period ... and on Boxing Day, the collection boxes were opened and the money, distributed.
As a child 35 years ago, we were always told it's called boxing day because it's a time to sort your gifts out, throwing away all the boxes the gifts came in
I come from a family of 8 kids on Christmas day mum and dad did everything then boxing day we kids did it all so mum and dad actually had a day off . We played games and had left over Turkey with new potatoes and pickles etc lovely . On the tv all the adverts were for the coming summer holidays
In New Zealand where I live, Christmas Day was Saturday this year and Boxing Day was Sunday. This is Mondayised so Monday and a Tuesday we’re also public holidays. So we always have 4 days off at Christmas and the same for New Year. We have New Year’s Day off and The day after New Year’s Day. This is also mondayised so we don’t work Monday or Tuesday. We can take 6 days annual leave and have a 2 week holiday. I get 5 weeks annual leave per year.
The term refers to the boxes handed out to the poor by the gentry after Christmas day, the boxes usually contained left over food from Christmas day and worn unwanted clothing.
I took my kids Boxing Day shopping to spend their Christmas money. In New Zealand we use Merry Christmas. Not Happy Christmas and we don’t use Happy Holidays. Thanks for your video. I had no idea you didn’t do Boxing Day. Crazy.
Christmas Day and Boxing Day are public/bank holidays. When a bank holiday falls on the weekend, a substitute bank holiday is given on the next weekday (so you don't lose the day off or extra pay). This year Christmas and Boxing day were Saturday and Sunday, so Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th are substitute bank holidays. In Scotland January 2nd is a bank holiday too as well as New Year's Day (which is a bank holiday across all the UK), so they get substitute bank holidays on Monday 3rd and Tuesday 4th too.
When I was a kid Xmas day was dinner with mum with selection boxes from Dad and Boxing day was going to the pub with Dad and getting pop and crisps while he supped pints and watched sports on the telly.
Here in Ontario Canada both Christmas Day and Boxing Day are statutory holidays. A lot of offices were closed Friday and today Monday in observance, but the banks were open Friday but are closed Monday and Tuesday. While almost everything was closed on Christmas Day, yesterday most retail stores were open for their Boxing Day ("boxing week") sales. For those not working retail, it makes a very nice 4-day long weekend. That picture he showed of a crowded mall is Eaton Centre here in Toronto (largest mall downtown).
Boxing day was always for us and still is, reserved for the extended family to come over to ours for a buffet and we would play with our toys and the adults would be drinking and there would be Christmas music and so on. This has carried on to this year only we are the ones now who host it and our extended family come and play with our kids and we all just talk and drink and eat and spend the day and evening together. It's just an extended Christmas day really these days. Happy Christmas :)
We use Happy Christmas or Merry Christmas. On Boxing Day we make a massive buffet and this year we had a full bar and cocktail bar. We invited the family, played cards against humanity and ‘bullshit’ and other card games, ate a lot of the buffet, did shots, fell off the chair, fell on the stairs, my husband couldn’t remember the end of the night and had gone told at breakfast, we all then went to our various guest beds, sleeping bags and blowup beds and slept it off. That’s our Boxing Day.
Not only is Boxing Day a bank holiday (public holiday), because Christmas and Boxing Day fell on Saturday and Sunday this year, Monday and Tuesday are bank holidays to make up for it. So we still get our two extra days off work.
As Lost in the Pond stated, Boxing Day is the first weekday after Christmas Day. When Christmas day falls on a Saturday, the next day is Christmas Sunday and not Boxing day. Something I only found out a few days ago myself
The comparison with Black Friday doesn't really stand up, as that's a late 20th Century invention of the retail industry. Boxing Day long predates any retail activity on it, Boxing Week is a 21st century idea, that no one really uses. Traditionally the Sales were known as the January Sales and started after New year, but have got earlier and earlier, but still many shops don't actually trade at all on Boxing Day, and start their Sales on the 27th. Its really just an extra day of holiday after Chtistmax Day, and everyone has their own traditions for what they do on it. I relaxed, watched films, ate left overs and hotplate and went for a walk with the dog, when it stopped raining. 😁
B;ack Friday was only made up so that the shops can sell off all the goods they haven't been able to sell during the year at a lower price to get rid of it. This only happened in recent years though. .
He was right in the video about Boxing day being the next working day after Christmas, so strictly speaking Boxing day cannot fall on a Sunday, although recently the 26th seems to be called Boxing Day regardless As a Child, when Christmas Day fell on a Saturday, the Sunday was Christmas Sunday, and Boxing Day on Monday the 27th. But those were the days when most shops were prohibited from opening, and many sporting activities did not take place on a Sunday Traditionally, there were the Boxing Day Races (horse racing for some i.e US readers) on Boxing Day, and it was the day that the 'Boxing Day Sales' started - similar to Black Friday in the US, except that they invariably continued until most if not all of the stock on sale had been cleared. Although there were items reduced for the sales which reverted to their normal price, traditionally it was a time for the retailers to clear out old stock and was a great time to buy Christmas Cards and some presents for the following year! It was also the time for the often of dubious quality 'Special Purchase' items - but that is another story altogether!
Merry Christmas Joel. Boxing Day is great a day for sports, racing and for some Hunting. A day to get over any excess of Christmas Day and a barrier to going back to work. When I was at work in an office up to the 1980s we had a compulsory paid week off work (which counted towards the 28 days) plus any Bank Holidays which stretched until the first few days in January. When I first started in 1972 we did not have that compulsory extended week off but Boxing Day was still a paid day off work.
26th of December is St Stephen's Day and it was advertised as such by our local church, however the Mass I attended yesterday was dedicated the The Holy Family. It was also my late parents' wedding anniversary.
I have a large extended family, too large to celebrate Christmas day together.. So we get together on boxing day. Its loud and great fun.. I've never heard any one in my part of the UK say 'Happy Christmas' we would say 'Merry Christmas and a happy new year.. 😊
I am in my 50’s & have always said ‘Merry Christmas’. The word ‘Happy’ goes before New Year. ‘Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year’ has always been a greeting I have used. I don’t understand why you think we say ‘Happy Christmas’.
When I was out and about over Christmas, there was a lot of 'Merry Christmas' calls from everyone, but I found myself signing Christmas cards 'Happy Christmas' and I think that stems from way back in my youth (60's), when 'Happy Christmas' seemed more prevalent in my neck of the English woods...?
I'm Northern and we all said Merry Christmas. My birthday is just after Christmas. One year a friend got carried away and sent a card wishing me a Merry Birthday!
A lot of shops are starting to close on boxing day to give staff time off. In our family boxing day is a continuation of Christmas day were family we didn't see Christmas day come round to give pressies and we do a spread which includes homemade leftover turkey soup. As a kid we used to say it was called boxing day because we throw out all the boxes lol.
Everyone calls the 26th 'boxing day' in the UK, but because this year Xmas falls on a weekend the bank holidays are Monday and Tuesday, so Xmas day was Saturday but the Xmas holiday is Monday.
boxing day is basically our black friday, people go out to buy cheap crap u dont need, mainly DIY products ,paints timber tiling etc ,eat leftover cold cut meats from the turkey and ham beef etc and watch movies u already seen every year on the same day
In our family it is almost a second Christmas day. We have another family party day. Especially for the ones who went to other family on Christmases day. We still do.
My understanding of Boxing Day, was the day the servants (in service) received a gift from the Master/Mistress of the house, it was also the day the servants did their partying.
Boxing day is the day after Christmas Day, the 26th Dec! I think it was traditionally called boxing day because we used to give tradesmen and servants etc a box to take home with gifts, money or food for their good service throughout the year. We still do it for our postman, a cake and a £5 just to cheer them up as they're traipsing round the streets in the cold weather to get our cards and presents delivered! We also used to do it for our newspaper boys and girls, and the milk man, but there aren't so many of them now. 😉🎁
Hmm... I don't really view Boxing Day in terms of shopping, though clearly a lot of people do. To me, it's always been a less-stressed, more intimate version of Christmas Day - less-stressed as there isn't the hassle of cooking anything; it's always been left overs and cold meats and pickles as a sort buffet - and more intimate as it's just immediate family ; no dealing with visiting relatives and other guests, so we would watch movies together or have the wireless on. Oh, and as an Englishman, I've always used Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year...
Boxing Day in my day (I'm ancient) was always the day, after a huge family lunch on the 25th, when friends came to eat and drink - in fact it was another feast but without any family !!
Boxing Day is a Statutory Holiday in Canada. (Our Black Friday, huge time for sales.) That image at 4:32 is taken at The Eaton Centre, a huge mall here in downtown Toronto, where I live. Interesting that he would use that image, but cool nonetheless. Anyhow: Merry Christmas Joel. I'm sure Santa was good to you! Peace.
The day after Christmas day is boxing day, it is another public holiday. If Christmas day or boxing day falls at the weekend, you get the following number of week days off to make up for it. This year we have Monday and Tuesday as public holidays added to the Christmas weekend. In other words, you don't lose days off when public holidays fall on a non working day.
Boxing Day for me was always a day for eating stuff up from Christmas Day and a big sporting day, usually football local derbies are traditionally played on that day as well as other sporting derbies eg Wigan v St Helens in rugby league.
boxing day is actually a bank holiday so it would be on a work day. if it falls at the weekend we get an additional holiday so saturday and sunday xmas day and boxing day and Monday and Tuesday are the bank holidays. its a long weekend this year.
Boxing Day which is officially known as St Stephen's Day. The carol "Good King Wenceslas" recalls events that happened on "the feast of Stephen", in other words - Boxing Day.
My family used to have Christmas Day at home then Boxing Day would be spent at my grandparents to celebrate Christmas with them and extended family. Boxing Day is always 26th
Boxing Day is always the day after Christmas Day, regardless of what day it falls on. I also stay well away from shopping malls over TG, Christmas, etc. Aside from Covid, it's just easier to shop online ... unless you enjoy the rush of people!
We celebrated Boxing Day on Sunday but we also have the Monday and Tuesday off work as these cover Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Bank Holidays as they don’t count if they are over the weekend We do say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Boxing day is always immediately after Christmas Day. You don’t wait until a workday or a weekend or anything. It’s really just a continuation of Christmas Day. It gives more people time to see their families. If you have a boyfriend or wife you can see one family Christmas Day and the other family on Boxing Day. Both days are official “bank holidays”.
Christmas day and boxing day are celebrated on the actual day (25th & 26th) but if they fall on the weekend the holiday transfers to the next working days, so you get those days off work. So for this year (2021) Christmas day is a Saturday & boxing day is Sunday, so Monday & Tuesday are public holidays. The same goes for New Years day and the 2nd.
Boxing Dayalso used to be when local Rugby League teams from the late 1800's onwards was when their nearest rivals played a special match which still goes ahead these days. and the men went to the pub to meet their friends and rivals. they played in alternate years at alternate home grounds.
Christmas Day and Boxing Day are bank holidays in the UK, so we get them off work. If they fall on a weekend the we get them off Monday Tuesday, like this year.
If Christmas Day or Noxing Day fall on the weekend in the UK we get an ‘extra’ bank holiday so this year we get 2 extras, 27th is the Christmas bank holiday and 28th is the Boxing Day bank holiday. It’s so that people who don’t normally work weekends still get extra days off for Christmas and Boxing Day
in the UK boxing day is a day full of activity and getting out of the house and blowing the cobwebs away, after stuffing overeating and drinking ourselves stupid and lounging around indoors by getting some fresh air in our system, boxing and cleaning every thing up after the feasting and excesses, recharging the batteries with fresh clean air by shopping walking or running it all of playing various sports so we can repeat it all again without the giving of presents on new years eve and new years day, up until the eighties and the final death of the manufacturing and industrial age in the UK every thing before then just came to a full stop on Christmas eve for about ten days so we had a lot of spare time to cope with, by the way we do say merry Christmas, but a happy new year, we combine the two by saying the two in one sentence
Black Friday in UK was actually the last monthly salary day before Christmas,people generally went out ,got hammered and got home worse for wear,it’s now an online sales day which gets earlier and earlier each year
I think the whole boxing thing was a part of boxing day back in Tudor times when the oldest son would fight their dad to become the head of the household or something like that.
JP you are right it is Merry Christmas, not happy Christmas. although happy and merry are both used here in the UK. But for me The saying is Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year. People in the Uk that say Happy Christmas need to be put in Room 101.
Australia and South Africa traditionally start a Boxing Day Test match in Cricket too. I Hope JPS and the rest of you didn't drink too much and had a class time.
Up until 1871, Boxing Day was the first working day following Christmas. So if Christmas was on a Saturday, Boxing Day was on the Monday. That changed with the 1871 Bank Holiday Act which formalised Bank Holidays and set the 26th of December as a bank holiday if it fell on a weekday. As a result of this, when Christmas was on a Saturday, there was one less bank holiday in the year as there would be no Boxing Day bank holiday, as it fell on the Sunday. This was later amended, I think in the 1960s so there was a bank holiday in lieu of Boxing Day if Boxing Day fell on either a Saturday or a Sunday.
There is a long tradition particularly within the north west of England that Boxing Day is and was the day that gifts where left for the poor usually at the door or entrance porch ( Narthex ) of the church and given as alms for the poor , it was also the day that any trades people including refuge collectors and postal workers , servants etc would receive gifts from people
