What is Boxing Day? A Guide to the Second Day of Christmas
Boxing Day, celebrated on December 26, is the second day of Christmas and a day of charity and public festivity. The day is named for gift boxes given to those outside the immediate family, especially those who serve us throughout the year. (It might have something to do with boxing, too, but you’ll have to read to the end to find out). Originating in England and now observed worldwide, Boxing Day commemorates the Feast of Saint Stephen and his charitable role as one of the first deacons.
One of the best reasons to celebrate Boxing Day is that it helps us notice all the people who serve us regularly. The quality of our lives, to a large degree, depends upon the everyday kindness and grace of those around us. Moreover, Boxing Day, sometimes called Offering Day, allows us to share the gospel by praying for those who serve us and by giving gifts that point to Christ. Finally, Boxing Day is a fantastic way to continue the feast of Christmas, as a transition from the high point of Christmas Day into the longer 12 days of Christmastide.
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Boxing Day: On the Feast of Stephen
Consult the church calendar on December 26th, and you will see not “Boxing Day,” but rather the Feast of Saint Stephen. Yet Boxing Day is not in competition with the commemoration of Stephen; it is actually a great way to celebrate him in his charitable work as a deacon.
Stephen first appears in Acts chapter 6, when the Jerusalem church faces a crisis in its charitable ministry. Though the church was theoretically committed to giving food to widows in need, in practice, the food was only getting to the Hebrew-speaking widows, and the Greek-speaking widows were being neglected.
To address this problem, the apostles call for seven men to serve as deacons. Stephen is the first one on the list:
They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
Acts 6:5-6
Acts does not describe in detail the charitable work of the new deacons, but the subsequent growth of the church suggests that their ministry was effective. Thus, the Feast of Stephen has always been connected to acts of charity and gift-giving. We see this theme, for example, in the classic carol Good King Wenceslas, which tells the story of a king’s charity to a poor man, all “on the feast of Stephen.”
Boxing Day: Noticing Those Who Serve
Boxing Day is sometimes mistaken for an elitist holiday, as if only English aristocrats receive dedicated service. But this reveals a failure of imagination. While few families have live-in employees, all families are served by a host of dedicated helpers: doctors and clergy, school teachers and coaches, sitters and tutors, clerks and baristas, the mail carrier, and the garbage collector.
Making a List
Consider making a list of everyone who serves you. This is an excellent activity to do with family; you will be sure to notice more people when you brainstorm together. Be prepared: it can be eye-opening, even a bit overwhelming, to consider all the people who serve and contribute to your everyday life.
Ways to Give
The good news is that there are many ways to give. The first, and most potent of all, is to pray. Pray over each person who serves you by name, giving thanks and asking God to bless them in the coming year. You may be aware of some on your list who do not yet know the Lord Jesus. This is the time to pray that God reveals Himself, and that each person would repent and believe.
A second way to give is to write a thank-you note, with extra points for packaging that note in a small box. This practice extends your thanks, already offered in prayer, by sharing it with the people who serve you. Though this is a small gesture, it can be surprisingly meaningful, especially when repeated every year.
Finally, consider including a gift in the box. Generally, a baked good or a homemade craft is especially meaningful. For those who serve most frequently, a monetary gift is both appropriate and appreciated. As we read in Hebrews:
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Hebrews 13:16
For Employers
If you are an employer, you may already practice Boxing Day in the form of giving a Christmas or year-end bonus. Another way to practice the day is to give your employees a paid day off on December 26th. If December 26th falls on a weekend, give your employees the following Monday off. The birth of Christ is undoubtedly a good occasion for an extended holiday.
Remember the teaching of Paul to Timothy:
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
1 Timothy 6:17-19
Boxing Day: Public Festivity
Boxing Day is also a perfect day for public festivity. While Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are typically celebrated in church and family settings, Boxing Day often features public events at sporting fields, theaters, and public markets. It is thus a fitting way in which the joy of Christmas extends even to the civil sphere.
Keeping the 12 Days of Christmas
The public celebration of Boxing Day also reminds us that Christmas is not just one day, but an extended season of celebration. Moreover, Boxing Day helps us to put the joy of Christmas into practice. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are focused on the gift of God to us, the incarnation of his Son, Jesus Christ. We did not deserve this gift, so we received it with wonder, like children before a heap of presents.
On Boxing Day, we respond to the gift of God by giving gifts to each other:
“We love because he first loved us.”
1 John 4:19
Such thankful giving should characterize the remainder of Christmastide, and indeed the whole of our lives.
Coal for Arius: A Boxing Day Legend
Some say that Boxing Day commemorates Santa punching Arius, but you and I know better. This is actually the day that Santa gave Arius a gift box. For a moment, Arius thought Saint Nick was joining him in his heresy, denying Jesus’s divinity. But when Arius opened his box, all he found was a lump of coal!
To this day, boys and girls around the world know that we must not deny the gift of God. That would be like refusing to open our Christmas presents! If we do that, we might end up like Arius, the grump of Christmas with a lump of coal. As for Santa, we know he is a genial and gracious fellow. Like God, he knows we are naughty but gives us lots of presents anyway. That’s the real meaning of Christmas.
Image: Photo by Vestrestudio, courtesy of Canva. Digital collage by Peter Johnston.
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