Who wouldn’t think of Christmas, Hanukkah, or New Year’s Eve as the holidays to look forward to in December, right? Well, the Brits might add another to that list. That holiday is Boxing Day, celebrated on December 26 mainly in the UK and some former British colonies like Australia, according to USA Today (usatoday.com). Although mostly unknown in America, there are plenty of reasons not to forget Boxing Day this winter break.

   Historians can’t seem to agree on the origin of Boxing Day, but there are two main theories. Neither of them, strangely, have anything to do with the sport of boxing. According to the History Channel, one theory is that December 26 was the day “Christmas boxes” were distributed by employers to their workers. These boxes usually contained money, small gifts, or leftover food (history.com). 

   The second theory is that it originated from the alms boxes placed in churches during the Advent season to collect donations. The contents of the boxes were then distributed to the poor on December 26, hence the name (history.com). Regardless of which theory is true, Boxing Day has come a long way since it first originated. Today, the holiday could be considered the British equivalent of Black Friday. Many people get the day off in places that celebrate it, so thousands of people line up to take advantage of big sales (usatoday.com). 

   If one isn’t planning on getting great deals, there’s plenty more to do during Boxing Day. According to a business magazine, many sports matches are scheduled on Boxing Day, as another tradition is to spend the holiday watching TV and lounging around (thestreet.com). 

   However, according to Senior Amadu Tadesse, that’s not the point of Boxing Day. “It’s not about partying or presents but about spending time with family during the holidays,” he said. “Before Christmas, you’re stressed out about buying presents and getting everything ready. But on Boxing Day, all of that is over,” continued Tadesse. If Christmas Day is too busy and hard to plan a visit on, the day after can still be a good time to check in with a loved one. 

   Tadesse looks forward to eating Christmas leftovers and watching the many soccer games scheduled on Boxing Day. He appreciates that he gets to relax and not have to think about anything.

   So why has a large majority of the world missed out on Boxing Day? Its proximity to Christmas definitely downplays the holiday’s importance, as well as its similarities to American winter holidays like Thanksgiving and Black Friday. As a result, this day hasn’t managed to stand out enough, especially in the sea of holidays celebrated on this side of the world.

   In short, Boxing Day provides great flexibility and an excuse to take it easy after Christmas. With its ambiguous yet breezy premise, consider the possibility of trying it out this December 26.