Boxing Day 2014

Boxing Day was traditionally the day when servants and tradespeople would receive gifts, known as a “Christmas box”, from their bosses or employers, as thanks for good service throughout the year. Its origins may be related to the Alms Box that many churches used to collect donations for the poor, as it is thought that this was opened and funds distributed to the poor on the day following Christmas.

In Canberra, Boxing Day is a public holiday although many Canberrans working in retail or hospitality are expected at work bright and early! It’s a day when many people continue their Christmas celebrations with friends and family, others hit the shops early to snap up some bargains, and still others settle in to watch the Boxing Day Test or the start of the Sydney-Hobart Yacht race.

However you are spending your Boxing Day, we hope it’s a wonderful day for you and your loved ones!