Most people look foward to the holiday season to visit family and friends, especially if they live abroad. In the Caribbean this is a very common practise. People who live in the cold countries like the U.S., Canada or the United Kingdom eagerly return to soak up the much needed sun of the  tropics. Usually they come with new families that their loved ones have not yet met. It’s a wonderful time that many anticipate. It’s a tradition that will not die.

Not in His Most Awful Nightmare

This tradition was kept recently by a young man who returned home from Canada with his wife. The young man had been living abroad for many years and perhaps enjoyed the Christmas holiday with his family. The next day Boxing Day, being a holiday in most Commowealth countries, brought an opportunity for the young man to take his wife to another part of the island to continue the Christmas festivities. On his way to his destination, he met a young lady that he thought he recognized. However, it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. He embraced her, and it’s alleged that she cried rape. Upon hearing her cries police officers came out of the police station and proceeded to waylay the young man mercilessly with blows to the head and body. He became unconscious, and had to be rushed to the hospital by the said police.

No more Christmases

The young man was admitted to the hospital in a severely beaten condition. Unfortunately he died the next day as a result of the beating that he received at the hands of the officers. This gentleman has no more Christimases to celebrate, his family has no more good times to look forward to sharing with him. His life has been snuffed out by some over zealous policemen who chose to act first and ask questions later. Unfortunately any questions put to this young man will go unanswered. His wife and other family members have to leave this island without their loved one, with the awful memory of what transpired and many questions.

Will Justice be Served?

The question now remains to be answered, will justice be served? The police is a part of the protective services, and their duty is to protect citizens from being potential victims or serve in the dispensing of justice in the event that a crime has been committed. Never the less, in this case it’s members of the police force, who are the perpetrators of a senseless act that could have been avoided, had they stopped to investigate the matter properly. It’s commendable that they would seek to avert a potential crime, however, they caused another by using brute force instead of intelligence. To whom are the family members of this young man to go to find much deserved justice. It’s the same police force that have to investigate their own. No doubt in the coming days further information will be forthcoming, however that does not negate the fact that a young man has died tragically and unnecessarily at the hands of the police.

Heartfelt Sympathy

This incident has not only affected a family, but it has affected a community and the nation. An all night vigil has been held in support of the vicitim’s family, and no doubt the members of the policemen’s families are dealing with their impending fate. The leaders of the nation have come out in support of the family and are doing their best to ensure that a fair investigation is done. At the end of  the day a family has lost a loved one and many are hurt by this incident. It is hoped that the wounds will be mended and the broken hearts will be healed with much prayers and support that they will receive.

We’ve all been there. Christmas comes and every one of the anticipation and excitement materialises into tantrums and fallouts. once a year you think that you’ll jingle all the thanks to the large day however Christmas dramas perpetually realize how of surfacing once you least wish them to (queue argument throughout the Queen’s speech). however to make sure your Christmas goes while not a glitch this year, we tend to wedged with family counsellor Marilyn Lowther to require a glance at common festive fake pas and the way to avoid them in the slightest degree prices. 

Happy families

Or not, because the case is also. whether or not you’re staying at home together with your immediate family or accommodating relatives over Christmas, changes in dynamics will build for a few clashes and quarrels. Being confined like Christmas dates for the most effective a part of per week may get things heated and end in short-tempered relatives. once we asked Marilyn concerning Christmas tension she suggested taking personal area in these things. ‘The tendency is for families to feel they need to be along in excellent harmony’, she advises, ‘when truly this isn’t the norm’. For a chilled escape, going for a brisk walk to clear your head or taking day out and have a soothing herbal tea can build all the distinction.

Host with the foremost

Pressures to be the proper host at Christmas will assemble once the family arrives. a standard festive frustration is guests taking advantage of your ‘make yourself at home’ supply by treating your abode as a hotel. Not serving to to arrange food and hogging the lavatory are commonplace within the Christmas family home. In these circumstances it may be arduous to stay your cool and you’ll find yourself resenting your guests. Marilyn recommends delegating tasks, whether or not it’s peeling spuds or just laundry the dishes, as ‘the ability to request for others’ delegation prevents resentment’. 

That’s simply what I wanted!

Sometimes you simply ought to grin and bear it, however a knitted jumper, again? It’s nearly as if your nice aunt deliberately desires to embarrass and annoy you (surely not?). When you’re showered with tragic gifts attempt to remind yourself that it’s the thought that counts so as to spare someone’s feelings. a crucial issue to recollect, according Marilyn, is to require responsibility for your own behaviour and not different people’s; ‘Often, it’s your response to others that makes tension and not their actions within the 1st place.’ thus assume twice before you shun their gestures. 

Mistletoe and wine

When the wine’s flowing it may be all too straightforward to lose your temper or slip into a foul mood over one thing petty. however choosing a fight with the gobbler of the last Purple One won’t get you anywhere. Marilyn points out, ‘Drinking alcohol at Christmas will generally relate to nervousness around new individuals and social anxiety as a result of a clash of dynamics and pressures to possess a ‘perfect day’.’ however this idealised excellent Christmas, she explains, doesn’t exist and thus we should always instead simply be realistic and ourselves –and you don’t want a tipple to try to to this. Drink carefully over the festive season by about to stick with your daily limits (2-3 units for girls and 3-4 units for men). nobody desires to get up on Boxing Day with a headache and a guilty conscience thus avoid paying tribute to the Pogues by going straightforward on the sherry.

‘Tis the season to be jolly

The pressures to feed, entertain and accommodate your family over Christmas, still as any spontaneous guests, adds its pressures to an already stressful time. Burnt turkey and wilted sprouts (as if they weren’t dangerous enough), to not mention the distinct lack of emergency chairs and also the threat of the dog eating the gifts. however attempt to bear in mind the very fact that it’s Christmas; the time for peace, joy and sharing. recommendation from Marilyn is: ‘Don’t expect others to alter –your family is very important thus you must cherish the time you pay along and forget your variations.’ And within the words of Noddy Holder, remember: it’s Christmaaas!

• Don’t buy everything in one place. It may take more time, but by shopping around at different stores, local stores, and second hand stores, you will find item’s on your list for cheaper! Local stores tend to sell things cheaper, and big stores tend to have tons of sales and bundle deals. Don’t be afraid to hold on a good offer to check if the shop next door has it for less. Remember, even a couple pennies/pence saved adds up.
• Not everyone needs a new TV. Slightly pricier gifts are fine for close family and really good friends, but extended family, other friends and acquaintances don’t need a huge gift. Sometimes a card with a personalized message is enough to show you care. 
• Do not shun gift cards. Some people think gift cards are a bad gift and doesn’t show a lot of thought, but I think it is the best gift to get! The cards are usually very pretty in themselves, and you get to get exactly what you want. This can avoid a lot of disappointment, and you can make it into a fun afternoon of shopping with the family after Christmas. Just be sure to get them a card for a store they will enjoy.
•  Plan a Holiday budget. I start saving as soon as Christmas is over for the next year, and get the kids to write a list as early as August. This way it gives me time to sit down and go through and make a list of gift’s to look out for. I always put some money aside for each person in case something comes up just before Christmas like a new video game. Buying the gift’s slowly through months is a lot easier on the wallet, and you can set a spending limit for each person you are buying for.
•  Start saving early and put the credit card away! If you plan how much you will spend on each person and tuck a little extra away earlier on in the year, there should be no reason to take out that credit card! No matter how tempted I get, I try never to touch that card. A letter telling you how much money you owe on your credit card is NOT a good Christmas gift to yourself.
• Homemade is NOT overrated. In fact, it puts a lot more care, time and thought than any gift you can go out and pick up in five minutes. There are a ton of creative idea’s on-line and endless ways to personalize the gift for the person you plan on giving it to. Mixes in jars (dry cake mix, hot chocolate mix, etc) are wonderful, and if you have a talent in sewing, art, baking, writing, or anything else you can think of, you can turn your idea’s into the perfect gift.
• Enjoy. Plan out Christmas dinners and family visits before hand and take every moment you are allowed to rest and relax. After all, this is a holiday! Get the family down together and play some games or watch a film. The quality time with friends and family is always my favorite part of Christmas. Don’t let stress and money get in the way of enjoying it.

My experience with aliens was just like anybody elses. I saw flashing lights and a shape (known as a UFO). It happened on Boxing day at 2 am in the morning. I went onto my front porch with a mug of coffee in my hand. I looked into the sky and there it was, flying about 70ft in the air. It moved really quick then just disappeared.

When people think of aliens, they think of weird shaped, green skinned, big-black eyed beast. Remember, it could be anything. Sci-fi films has lead us on to think of that, but truly, they could just be exactly like us.

Take care

Boxing day is a bank holiday. It is also considered as a public holiday.  Many people like this bank holiday because they can do lots of shopping.  It is also the end of the year and people are moving a lot to find new homes.  There are many items which students need for the school year.  It is the winter term which begins and the hardest one therefore, the students need some good wool.

Boxing day is on December 26.  It is the following day of Christmas day.  This means there is an extension to go shopping.  The whole week of the end of the month is a shopping day.  Some employees can pay you more money at that occasion.  Therefore, it is the best time to buy some clothing like coats to keep you warm.  If you have a vacation you can also go to hot destinations like Jamaica.

Boxing day is also a bank holiday in the following countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.  It is also a bank holiday in some Commonwealth countries like: South Africa and Ireland.  In South Africa it is called Goodwill.  In Ireland it is Saint Stephen’s Day.

Boxing day should be an interesting day for all the English countries which are part of the Commonwealth organization.  There are tourists from all over the world who can come to Canada for example and appreciate what the country has to offer to the world for example the Maple sirop. 

Thus, Boxing day is essentially a shopping day.  This is when you have to show your skills of shopper.  That is how you have an occasion to buy something you want to buy you could not afford before.  The deal has not come to an end yet so keep on shopping, fill your bags and enjoy a worthful holiday season.

Boxing Day is nothing to do with two men putting gloves and fighting in a ring as the name implies. The 26th of December a day after Christmas, is called Boxing Day . In most of the countries it is a public holiday.”Alms box” are placed in all churches. People who come for worship make donation in this earthenware box ,which is opened after Christmas day and distributed to have-nots.Some Christians also save like this way in their homes. This is what is called as “Boxing Day”.

Boxing Day history and origin of dates back to 17th century during “Age of Exploration”. This Christmas box which is believed to bring luck is placed in the ship by the priest in the ship that goes for voyage. Crew members pray for their safe return and drop their contribution in the box. As soon as the ship reaches the shore the box is handed over to the priest who opens it on 26th of December and distributes the content to the poor.During 17th century servants of the rich were required to work on the Christmas Day and the following they are let off with a gift box that contains leftover foods. This tradition still continues today.

Boxing Day is the day when families get together for playing board games and watching sports in their home. Boxing Day offers are many. Shopping malls offer Boxing Day sales now with big discount on Boxing Day and this day is considered as a start to New Year Sale. A sale on Boxing Day is a great attraction stoppers around the world. Boxing Day activitie’s includes Boxing Day racing.

The 26th of December is also called as St. Stephen’s Day. Stephan lived In Rome was follower of teaching of Jesus. He was the first man to be stoned to death by Jews who didn’t believe in Jesus. Similarly in Sweden a Missionary by the name Stephen was killed by pagans. He was an animal lover particularly horses. As a mark of respect to this missionary in Germany horses are taken around the inside of the church during the St. Stephen’s Day.

A clue to Boxing Day’s origins appears in the Christmas Carol, “Good King Wenceslas.” Wenceslas, who was Duke of Bohemia in the early 10th century, was surveying his land on St. Stephen’s Day — Dec. 26 — when he saw a poor man gathering wood in the middle of a snowstorm. Moved, the King gathered up surplus food and wine and carried them through the blizzard to the peasant’s door. The alms-giving tradition has always been closely associated with the Christmas season, but King Wenceslas’ good deed came the day after Christmas, when the English poor received most of their charity.

In the United Kingdom, it became a custom of the nineteenth-century Victorians for tradesmen to collect “Christmas boxes” or gifts on the day after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year. Another possibility is that the name derives from an old English tradition: in exchange for ensuring that wealthy landowners’ Christmases ran smoothly, servants were allowed to take the 26th off to visit their families. The employers gave each servant a box containing gifts and bonuses (and sometimes leftover food). In addition, around the 1800s, churches opened their alms boxes (boxes where people place monetary donations) and distributed the contents to the poor.

So as you can see, it is very hard to determine where Boxing Day comes from. Some also believe it may go back to pagan times of Yule, where they would box up foods and offer them to the gods as gifts, and thanks for the good harvest, and the winter festival.

Boxing day is very similar to black Friday in the united states. many people from every state or province all go to shopping centres just to buy a few things. My question is, is it worth it going somewhere far on boxing day? What if you live in say Kitchener , Ontario, Canada and you want to go to Boston. You would have to spend lots of gas money or flying money, maybe about 100$. Then you go there and there aren’t even that good of deals that you want. To me boxing day is a very good day for the government as people spend their money like crazy. It boosts our economy and helps us in the future.

My own memories of Boxing Day, down here in summertime New Zealand, are of packing up our tent and everything needed for a long camping holiday in the sun at a nearby beach. We’d set off early in the morning and have the tent erected and everything unpacked and its place by midday. Then the summer could really begin. Some shops and essential services were open on Boxing Day back then in the 1950s, but I’m pretty sure the majority of the shops were closed.

Somewhere along the way the whole commercialism of Christmas began. Shops saw an opportunity to entice people to part with even more money the day after Christmas. The idea of Boxing Day sales crept into existence and, here in New Zealand anyway, is now very much a part of the holiday season. For some it’s a time to be avoided, but for many it is looked forward to.

Boxing Day sales draw people out in their thousands. It has become a festive occasion, with street entertainment and other attractions. People who have wanted an expensive item for a long time, wait until the Boxing Day sales to buy it if they can. Because, shops are keen to clear any unsold goods, the discounts are sizable on Boxing Day. It is also a chance for people to exchange unwanted gifts and spend gift vouchers they’ve received for Christmas. For those prepared to battle the crowds there can be real bargains.

As well as the advantages to Boxing Day shoppers of reduced prices for those who have been prepared to wait, there are disadvantages. Shops have to pay staff increased pay for working on a public holiday. The staff that have to work may receive more, but it is hard working the day after Christmas while others are out making the most of a holiday.

This year Boxing Day sales started on 23 December for many big shopping chains, and will continue until 31 December. This makes a complete mockery of both Christmas and the term Boxing Day sales. Boxing Day has become a commercialized occasion, focused on money.

However, not everyone sees this as bad. Many people now wait to exchange gifts until after the Boxing Day sales, knowing they can buy things cheaper. And having once braved the crowds in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city, I can say we enjoyed the experience. There was certainly festivity in the air, and plenty to do and see, even if you were only window shopping.

So, it certainly seems that Boxing Day sales are here to stay for as long as shops see the need to increase their holiday season sales and for as long as shoppers take the opportunity to buy goods at a decreased price. Boxing Day sales have become part of the New Zealand summer holiday. Right now my husband and I are off to buy the new sun umbrella we so desperately need to shade our barbecue table.

You may also like to read:

The Origins of Boxing Day

Children of One Hundred Years Ago on Christmas Postcards

Summer time Christmas Dinner in New Zealand

The First Christmas on New Zealand Shores

Soup or Stew

Image via Wikipedia

Just place your meat and veg leftovers in the pan with any veg water or gravy you may have left. Fill with water if needed Let it simmer on a low heat for a few hours. I’d leave it and eat it on boxing day. I actually do this all year round usually with chicken. It is great as a soup or can be served as a stew with chips or what ever you like.

Curry

If you like curry then why not make one for boxing day with your leftover meat. This is a great way to use it up.

Pie

Do you have any pastry or are you any good at making it? If the answer is yes then make a pie from your leftovers. I just do the same as I would for a soup or stew then place it in a pie dish and cover it with puff pastry. Cook in the oven until golden and risen