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Every December 26th is a holiday known as Boxing Day in British Commonwealth nations, such as Canada. This holiday is considered the second day of Christmastide, otherwise known as the traditional second day (out of twelve days) of Christmas.

Depending on the province in Canada, Boxing Day is considered a statutory holiday, meaning one does not have to work on this day. Regardless of its statutory status, students of all ages and levels of education do not attend classes on this day. In fact, many government services do not run on December 26th. That being said, however, retails stores are definitely still open, as Boxing Day is essentially Canada’s version of the United States’ Black Friday.

You can be sure to see high traffic in cities across the nation the day after Christmas, as many Canadians are rushing out to stores to take advantage of the Boxing Day, or Boxing Week, sales. While Black Friday in Canada is certainly observed these days, its sales do not seem to be as beneficial for residents in Canada as they are for those living in the States. If you want discounts up to 90% off, Boxing Day is the time to shop in Canada. Whether it is on electronics, furniture, clothing, or books, the sales are near everywhere.

Now, you might be wondering, “why is it called “Boxing Day?” If it is similar to Black Friday in America, do we box each other to the till? Do we watch boxing on TV? Such would make for quite the sight, I’m sure, but fortunately that is not reality. It’s much more peaceful. While, currently, Boxing Day serves as another day to spend (typically) with family, celebrating the Christmas season, eating leftovers from the night before, watching Christmas movies and drinking hot chocolate under a cozy blanket while you munch on some rich Christmas baking, all, of course, after an afternoon of shopping sweet deals (though I tend to opt out of this portion of the holiday, myself), it wasn’t always about this. Yes, while the origin of Boxing Day’s name is up for debate, it is theorized that the holiday is called this due to the original traditions of the celebration: giving Christmas gifts in boxes to the underprivileged. I wish I could say that this was still a tradition, but unfortunately such has evolved to shopping in malls and box stores for oneself, though I have heard that some Maritimers (see blog post “37 Words Related to Common Canadian Geography”) still uphold this tradition somewhat by giving gifts to their neighbours–you go, East Coast!

Personally, it is my family’s tradition to celebrate Christmas on Boxing Day. My mother, brothers, niblings, their significant others, (and in the past, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins), as well as my wife and I gather together for a Christmas meal, good conversation, gift opening, and board games, all while Christmas music plays in the background alongside a burning fireplace. It has been this way in my family since my oldest brother got married nearly 30 years ago. So, naturally, when I got married, my wife and I chose to celebrate Christmas with her family on December 25th. When you include Christmas Eve, as well as the remaining days of Christmastide, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, it is a busy season of family time and relaxation.

Do you celebrate Christmas? What are your family’s traditions? Maybe you don’t celebrate Christmas. What do you typically do during this time? Let me know in the comments below.

To learn about more Canadian holidays, including vocabulary related to these holidays, check out the Holidays link in the Tags section of our blog.