Boxing Day Boxing Day - December 26th - is a tradition from WAY back, when many working people were "in service" or apprenticed or otherwise worked away from home and had very little time off. If they were household servants, they certainly couldn't have Christmas day off as they were needed to look after the family and guests. Boxing Day was the day they DID always have off and were allowed to go home to visit their families, taking with them "Christmas Boxes" of gifts. Nowadays Boxing Day is usually the day when families travel to meet together if they spent Christmas Day at their own home - my brother and his wife always come over and we - that is, my extended family and my mother - join them for a meal. It is also customary for householders to give small gifts or monetary tips to regular visiting tradespeople (the milkman, dustman, coalman, paper boy etc.) and for employers to give a Christmas bonus to employees, and these gifts are still called "Christmas Boxes." HOME & WEBRINGS | CALENDAR | SITE MAP | MORE CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS CHRISTMAS GRAPHICS | CHRISTMAS CRAFT IDEAS | OTHER CRAFT IDEAS