December 26th was synonymous with Boxing Day when I lived in Canada. No, it wasn’t a day to put on the gloves and rumble about in a ring. It is a day steeped in tradition although this seems to have changed dramatically over the years.

As a child, I have treasured memories of visiting my Auntie Florence with my parents. She was a friend of my mother’s but I called her Auntie. A large tree adorned her living room resplendent with vintage ornaments including real candles and shiny tinsel. Back then those were not considered a fire hazard. A beautiful pump organ filled a wall. Auntie Florence would patiently sit beside me on a bench and man the pedals while I attacked the keyboard. Afterwards we would have tea and delightful homemade Christmas cookies. Those were magical afternoons.

As an adult, Boxing Day sales became the norm. I recall buying everything from stereo equipment to leather furniture on those days. Of course it was necessary to fight the crowds of other bargain hunters. This day was akin to Black Friday in the USA. And yes, occasionally my kids would come long and add to the chaos.

But I have other memories of my kids on Boxing Day. They were competitive bowlers in the YBC program in Canada. Boxing Day Doubles at Rossmere Lanes became the norm. I enjoyed cheering them on. If the truth be told, I preferred the tournament over department store sales.

As mentioned above, Boxing Day is a day steeped in tradition so I’ll digress to a brief history lesson. Back in 1874, England declared December 26th as a bank holiday. Servants who had to work on this day were given boxes containing gifts, bonuses or food. The church distributed alms boxes to the poor. Tradespeople were also given boxes containing gifts or money.

Boxing Day is mostly limited to the Commonwealth countries and is not well-known in the USA although Canada is a close geographical neighbor. However, there is the tradition of a Christmas bonus which seems to be quite common in companies worldwide.

I’m in Mexico now where the 26th is just an ordinary day. I went to the bank, ate breakfast at a restaurant and then went for a long walk. I spoke to friends from Washington and Winnipeg on the phone. I listened to an audiobook in English and watched a movie in Spanish on TV.

And that’s it for Boxing Day this year.