Boxing Day

Today is neither Thursday nor Four O'clock ... that was yesterday and as it happens, it was also Christmas. Of course I excused myself from my appointment with self. A table laden with roast goose stuffed with brandy soaked dried fruit, wild rice, asparagus (much more appealing to the taste buds than the traditional Brussels Sprouts) and other dishes too numerous to list here seemed like a much more desirable activity than an appointment with self. And it was.

Today is Boxing Day. Well in Canada it is. It is a national holiday.

Traditionally Boxing Day as I recall it was a day of visiting friends. Everything was closed. Gifts left unopened under the tree were taken to their intended recipients. Of course there was always plenty to eat and toasts to drink to. It was an extension of the goodwill of Christmas Day.

If you go further back, Boxing Day originated in England and it was the day that leftovers from the Christmas Dinner were "boxed" and taken to those less fortunate. Hence the name Boxing Day.

Today Boxing Day has morphed into something completely different ... it has become the equivalent of Black Friday in the United States which follows the day of their celebration of Thanksgiving. Stores open early in the day with promises of high discounts, up to as much as 70%. Eager shoppers line up early in the morning (some even camping overnight)so as to be sure to be able to purchase that which they want. Its a mad dash ... more to the point, its pure madness. Moreover, this one day is now becoming a Boxing Week Sale.

I find it so distasteful. Have we as a society become so consumer driven that we squander a day off with shopping? True, the pricing is attractive, but camping overnight? Where has the value of spending time with family and friends gone. We talk about quality time as being important and something we strive for. Is this our idea of quality time?

I guess that this is the chicken and egg question. Did we start to shop on Boxing Day because stores stayed open and offered big discounts or, did stores decide to open for Boxing Day and offer outstanding discounts on products because there was a demand for it? I think it just morphed. I think it just sort began to happen. Stores noticed that on December 27 which was the first day of business after Christmas, they got a lot of traffic, the reason being that stock unsold prior to Christmas was now reduced. Some vendor had an AHA moment and the rest is history.

More is the shame. Our response akin to that of lemmings and sheep. What would it take for us to shun the Boxing Day specials? If we but adhered to our touted family values and took this day of December 26 as a time to be with those closest to us ... would the goods last to December 27? Revolutionary. I know.