Happy Boxing Day!

Now, as you all know, I'm something of an Anglophile. My first encounter of "Boxing Day" was in an episode of M*A*S*H. Now that I have the world's media at my fingertips, Boxing Day for me means a day spent watching the Premier League. (I don't expect my Chelsea to do much this week, considering its shambolic performance on Christmas Eve.) Also, cricket is a big sport on Boxing Day, and of course I shall be watching the various test matches being played in Australia and New Zealand.

This holiday is celebrated in the UK and much of the Commonwealth countries. Why is it called "Boxing Day"? Well, here you go!

Believe it or not, it has nothing to do with the boxing sport.

Instead, it’s thought the name came from when Queen Victoria was on the throne.

“In Victorian times, the wealthy would box up items they no longer needed to give to the poor, explains House Beautiful.

“It was a day where servants would be given time off and thanked for their hard work with a 'special box' of treats.

“The servants would then head home and use the 26th to spend with their own families — and share the presents they had just received.”

So, yes, it's a leftover of the British class system.

But that's no reason to take another day and stretch out the Christmas holiday, even though it was at first seen as noblesse oblige in the 19th century. So have another turkey sandwich! Use up the last of the stuffing! And relax and watch all manner of sport and frippery!

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