When Boxing Day Meant Something Different
Hi there. Welcome to Canadian Senior Moment.
It’s December 26th—Boxing Day. And if you’re reading this instead of fighting crowds at the mall, good for you.
Today, Boxing Day means sales, shopping chaos, and people lining up before dawn to save 40% on televisions. But that’s not what Boxing Day used to mean. Let’s talk about what we’ve lost—and maybe what we should bring back.
The Real History of Boxing Day
Boxing Day originated in Britain and came to Canada as part of our Commonwealth heritage. The name comes from the tradition of giving “Christmas boxes”—gifts of money, food, or goods—to servants, tradespeople, and the less fortunate.
December 26th was when the wealthy gave back to those who served them throughout the year: delivery people, postal workers, household staff, apprentices. The boxes often contained leftover food from Christmas feasts, hand-me-down clothing, or monetary gifts.
In churches, alms boxes (collection boxes for the poor) were opened on December 26th and distributed to those in need.
Why December 26th? Because servants and workers spent Christmas Day serving wealthy households. December 26th was their day off to celebrate with their own families—and receive their Christmas boxes.
Boxing Day in Canada: How It Used To Be
In Canada, Boxing Day carried forward this tradition of generosity and community connection.
Visiting and hospitality: The day was for visiting friends and neighbours, often bringing small gifts or treats. You’d make the rounds, stopping by for tea and conversation.
Giving to those who served you: The postman, the milkman, garbage collectors, newspaper delivery kids—all received tips or small gifts in recognition of their year-round service.
Community gatherings: Many towns held Boxing Day events—hockey games, curling bonspiels, community dinners. It was social, not commercial.
Leftovers and simplicity: After the big Christmas feast, December 26th meant simple food—turkey sandwiches, cold ham, leftover pie. Nobody cooked. Everyone relaxed.
Family time without pressure: Unlike Christmas Day with its rituals and expectations, Boxing Day was unstructured family time. Playing with new gifts, going for walks, reading, napping. Peaceful.
The Shift to Shopping Madness
Somewhere along the way—probably influenced by American Black Friday culture—Boxing Day transformed into something entirely different.
Now it means:
Retail chaos: Stores opening at 6 AM (or staying open from Christmas Day). Doorbuster deals. Limited quantities. Manufactured urgency.
Aggressive shopping: People lining up for hours, sometimes camping overnight, to be first through the doors.
Online shopping wars: For those who can’t face the crowds, online Boxing Day sales create their own frenzy of deal-hunting and impulse buying.
More consuming, less connecting: The day became about getting more stuff rather than appreciating what you just received yesterday.
The irony is thick: a holiday originally about giving to others became about getting deals for yourself.
What We Lost
When Boxing Day became about shopping, we lost:
Community connection. Instead of visiting friends, we’re battling strangers for parking spaces.
Rest and reflection. The day after Christmas used to be peaceful. Now it’s exhausting.
Gratitude for service. When did we stop acknowledging the people who serve us year-round?
Simplicity. The beauty of a quiet day with family, nothing expected, nothing scheduled.
The tradition of giving rather than getting. The original spirit completely reversed.
A Different Way to Spend Today
If you’re tired of the Boxing Day shopping frenzy, here are ways to reclaim the day:
Skip the sales entirely. You don’t need more stuff. You just received gifts yesterday. Give yourself permission to sit this one out.
Tip or thank those who served you this year. Your mail carrier, building superintendent, favourite server at the local restaurant. A small gift or card acknowledging them honours the original spirit of Boxing Day.
Visit someone. An elderly neighbour, a friend you haven’t seen lately, family you didn’t catch up with yesterday. Bring leftover treats and good conversation.
Do something for someone in need. Donate to a food bank, volunteer at a shelter, drop off warm clothing. Boxing Day was originally about helping the less fortunate.
Enjoy your leftovers. Make turkey sandwiches, reheat pie, embrace the laziness of not cooking. This is part of the holiday tradition too.
Play with your grandkids’ new toys. Or read your new book. Or use your new whatever. Enjoy what you already have.
Rest. Seriously. Christmas is exhausting. You’re allowed to do nothing today.
The WTF Moment
Here’s what gets me: we turned a holiday about generosity and community into a feeding frenzy of consumption. We replaced visiting neighbours with elbowing strangers in checkout lines.
And for what? A discounted TV? Kitchen gadgets we don’t need? More stuff to clutter our lives?
The deals aren’t even that good anymore. Many items are marked up before being “discounted.” The doorbusters are limited to three units per store—just bait to get you through the door to buy other things.
We traded something meaningful for something hollow.
Our Shared Wisdom
How did your family spend Boxing Day when you were young? Do you remember visiting neighbours or giving to service people? Or has it always been about shopping in your experience? How do you spend December 26th now?
**Your turn:** Hit reply and share your thoughts! We read every response and often feature reader stories in future articles.
Looking Ahead
Tomorrow we’re back to regular weekday content, but we hope these three days gave you a moment to reflect on Christmas past and present.
However you spent your Boxing Day—shopping, resting, visiting, working—we hope it brought you something worthwhile.
Warmly,
Bill and Marilyn,
Founders of Canadian Senior Moment
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