Boxing Day Archives

The Cozy Exhale After the Holiday Rush

While Christmas often steals the spotlight with its twinkling lights and joyful chaos, Boxing Day quietly slips in on December 26th like a deep, contented sigh. It’s the day when the wrapping paper has settled, the cookies have dwindled, and the house finally feels still again. For many, it’s a chance to reset, recharge, and savor the simple comforts that get lost in the holiday whirlwind.

Where Boxing Day Comes From

Boxing Day began in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries, traditionally as a day when employers gave “Christmas boxes” to workers and tradespeople — small gifts or tokens of appreciation. Over time, it evolved into a day of rest, generosity, and gathering with loved ones. Today, it’s celebrated in many different ways: shopping, visiting family, enjoying leftovers, or simply staying in pajamas until noon.

Here in New England, we may not have grown up with Boxing Day as an official holiday, but the spirit of it fits us perfectly. After all, who appreciates a quiet winter morning more than those of us who’ve weathered a few Nor’easters?

A Day for Slow Living

If Christmas is about celebration, Boxing Day is about restoration. Think:

A second cup of coffee enjoyed without rushing
A long winter walk through crisp air and quiet streets
A cozy blanket, a good book, and zero guilt
Leftovers transformed into something delicious
A moment to reflect on the year and the people who made it meaningful

It’s a day that invites us to breathe — to let the magic of the season settle in rather than speed past.

Making Boxing Day Your Own

Whether you spend it decluttering, journaling, visiting friends, or indulging in a well-earned nap, Boxing Day is a gentle reminder that rest is part of the celebration too. It’s the perfect bridge between the festive sparkle of Christmas and the fresh start of the New Year.

So here’s to December 26th — the quiet hero of the holiday season. A day for comfort, gratitude, and a little extra coziness along the dusty roads we call home.

Christmas is behind us but the Christmas Season doesn’t have to end there. I remember as a kid we always kept our tree up after the New year. I think it was about a week. I always thought it was to get plenty of enjoyment out of the tree. It goes up the day after Thanksgiving and comes down the week after New Year. But it turns out there is a reason for leaving the tree up until January 6th. The 12 days of Christmas aren’t the 12 days leading up to Christmas Day, but the 12 days between December 25 and January 6!

This period is also known as Christmastide and Twelvetide. The Twelfth Day of Christmas is always on Epiphany Eve (5 January), but the Twelfth Night can either precede or follow the Twelfth Day according to which Christian tradition is followed.

England’s Boxing Day falls in this period as does Childermas or the Feast of the Innocents.

Currently, the twelve days and nights are celebrated in widely varying ways around the world. Some give gifts only on Christmas Day, some only on Twelfth Night, and some each of the twelve nights.

The custom of the 12 days is largely forgotten or ignored in the United States which is probably why I was unaware until I looked it up! After all the Saints and Feasts that are celebrated in the various branches of Christianity are done, what I got out of my research is that the 12 days are the time between the birth of Jesus and his baptism.

So if you plan to give your sweetheart the gifts from the Song, The 12 Days of Christmas, it’s not too late. But you’ll have to hurry … On the first day of Christmas my truelove gave to me a Partridge in a pear tree…