Today, the day after Christmas, is celebrated as Boxing Day everywhere in the English-speaking world--except here in the United States. With our so-called War of Independence, we threw off every vestige of Britain (as George Bernard Shaw quipped, the US and England are two countries separated by a common language) except, of course, the class system.
The first time I heard of the holiday, I wondered whether people went to go and see fights--or, perhaps, they fought each other. Actually, plenty of Americans fight on this day, especially their family members and intimate partners, especially after the various mishaps and and aftermaths of Christmas Day.
South Africa, like most other former British colonies, observed Boxing Day until 1994. This day is still a holiday there, but twenty years ago it was renamed the Day of Goodwill.
Hmm...I always thought Christmas was supposed to be a day of goodwill. Still, I like what the South Africans did. We should emulate that example--every day!
The first time I heard of the holiday, I wondered whether people went to go and see fights--or, perhaps, they fought each other. Actually, plenty of Americans fight on this day, especially their family members and intimate partners, especially after the various mishaps and and aftermaths of Christmas Day.
South Africa, like most other former British colonies, observed Boxing Day until 1994. This day is still a holiday there, but twenty years ago it was renamed the Day of Goodwill.
Hmm...I always thought Christmas was supposed to be a day of goodwill. Still, I like what the South Africans did. We should emulate that example--every day!
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