Happy Boxing Day!
Whadda ya mean you don't like the Christmas gift I sent ya? Wham! So you think the fruitcake I baked tastes like dog shit? Pow! So you're gonna exchange the size 8 nightie for a size 18W? I didn't tell you to go gain 100 pounds. Bam! That's what Boxing Day is all about, isn't it?
Years ago when I saw calendars for the month of December, I saw Dec. 7 Pearl Harbor Day, Dec. xx for Hanukkah (changes every year), Dec. 20 or 21 Winter Solstice, Dec. 25 Christmas, Dec. 26 Boxing Day (UK), and Dec. 31 New Years Eve. Hmmm? What kind of holiday can Boxing Day be immediately following Christmas? Does it commemorate the officially organized sport? Do British people all go see the fights right after celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace? Do they engage in neighborhood punch outs? There was no explanation on the calendar, and it was eventually joined by a new holiday called Kwanzaa which had a footnote stating it was celebrated by African Americans. There was no Internet in those days to quickly research things. Finally the mystery was cleared up; the British really were civilized as I had originally expected, and made an effort to reward people in various service occupations, so they gave boxed presents to them. It made more sense than having gang fights the day after Christmas or feeling compelled to go watch two guys in a ring duke it out just because it is a holiday.
Why did I stage the photo? On the radio somebody wished the public a Happy Boxing Day. I remembered my puzzlement, and the idea of a photo occurred to me. Within minutes I located my leather Army gloves that I keep for heavy jobs, applied a dab of eye shadow, and assumed a defiant attitude. Yes, I have gotten lots of shiners and given twice as many in my younger days, but nobody has dared to mess with me in many years.
Happy Boxing Day!
Whadda ya mean you don't like the Christmas gift I sent ya? Wham! So you think the fruitcake I baked tastes like dog shit? Pow! So you're gonna exchange the size 8 nightie for a size 18W? I didn't tell you to go gain 100 pounds. Bam! That's what Boxing Day is all about, isn't it?
Years ago when I saw calendars for the month of December, I saw Dec. 7 Pearl Harbor Day, Dec. xx for Hanukkah (changes every year), Dec. 20 or 21 Winter Solstice, Dec. 25 Christmas, Dec. 26 Boxing Day (UK), and Dec. 31 New Years Eve. Hmmm? What kind of holiday can Boxing Day be immediately following Christmas? Does it commemorate the officially organized sport? Do British people all go see the fights right after celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace? Do they engage in neighborhood punch outs? There was no explanation on the calendar, and it was eventually joined by a new holiday called Kwanzaa which had a footnote stating it was celebrated by African Americans. There was no Internet in those days to quickly research things. Finally the mystery was cleared up; the British really were civilized as I had originally expected, and made an effort to reward people in various service occupations, so they gave boxed presents to them. It made more sense than having gang fights the day after Christmas or feeling compelled to go watch two guys in a ring duke it out just because it is a holiday.
Why did I stage the photo? On the radio somebody wished the public a Happy Boxing Day. I remembered my puzzlement, and the idea of a photo occurred to me. Within minutes I located my leather Army gloves that I keep for heavy jobs, applied a dab of eye shadow, and assumed a defiant attitude. Yes, I have gotten lots of shiners and given twice as many in my younger days, but nobody has dared to mess with me in many years.