Boxing Day, the anti-climactic day following the Christmas adrenaline high, is my favorite day of year. 

The origin of Boxing Day is not definitively known, but it may come from the traditional opening on that day of Anglican Church poor boxes that had been filled during Advent. Another possibility is that it arose from the custom of the aristocracy giving gifts to servants, employees and trades people the day after Christmas. Modern Boxing Day has largely moved far away from the traditions of giving alms and has become a day for shopping for deals, eating leftovers and lounging.

It’s not the post-Christmas shopping that is typical for Boxing Day that gets me excited. To the contrary, I am a little vexed when I am alerted throughout the day by my phone of emails announcing bargains that can’t be missed.  I don’t begrudge the retail industry at all – It’s tough times for retail and I know that Boxing Day or Boxing Week sales are important to reduce the red ink.  However, I contributed to the retail industry before Christmas.

Boxing Day is not yet another turkey dinner or holiday get-together, but it is about leftovers.  The fine china used for Christmas dinner has been ‘refiled’ in the china cabinet, the kitchen has been straightened up, bits of wrapping paper have been picked up from the carpet, and the dinner leftovers are sitting in the fridge.  Everything tastes even better on day 2! No cooking required on Boxing Day.

On Boxing Day there are no schedules and no deadlines.  With lounging being the primary activity for the day, there no need to remove the pajamas and get dressed. Boxing Day can be “pajama day”, the one day of the year when the pajamas and robe can be worn all day without guilt. Boxing Day is my favorite day of the year for lounging and reading the books that I’ve half started or cracking the new ones I’ve received for Christmas.  This is my ‘brain candy – pure self-indulgence where I can embrace my attention deficiencies and move back and forth from a couple of chapters of non-fiction like “How not to Diet” by Dr. Michael Greger to a chapter of two of Margaret Atwood’s “The Testaments.” Taking the gift of some time for yourself over the holiday season to feed your brain or refresh your spirit is a worthwhile and healthy self-indulgence.

Here’s my holiday reading list: How not to Diet by Dr. Michael Greger; The Testaments by Margaret Atwood, Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward; The Guardian by John Grisham, and A Warning by Anonymous.  Happy reading over the holidays!