(OT) Boxing Day

[Rita Winston]

No: HPFGUIDX 7096

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, "Simon Biber" <simon at b...> wrote:

> No-one actually celebrates Boxing Day. It's just a second public 
> holiday where you spend time with the family. Very little gets done.

As an American, the main thing I know about Boxing Day is that the 
British Consulate throws a Boxing Day party (to which I am not 
invited). 

However, according to my trove of obscure and not neccesarily 
accurate lore, in England the servants had to work on Christmas. 
(They must have had to work extra hard, to provide the party and 
all its traditions for all the extended family members who gathered 
at the biggest house.) Since the servants were working instead of 
celebrating Christmas, their employers gave them their Christmas 
presents (called 'Christmas boxes' in those days, whence the name 
Boxing Day) and a day off, on the day AFTER Christmas. Presumably 
the family members found it rather adventurous to feed themselves on 
the leftovers from the Xmas party instead of summoning a servant to 
bring them food. 

The wizard folk may never have done Boxing Day, as House Elves don't 
want a day off.