December 26 is called “Boxing Day” in England, Wales, Ireland and Canada. There are several different theories about how “Boxing Day” developed, some you may believe, others you will find a little bit of a stretch but really nobody knows for sure.

According to the Christmas carol “Good King Wenceslas”, Wenceslas who was the Duke of Bohemia in the early 10th century, was surveying his land on St. Stephen’s Day when he saw a poor man gathering wood in the middle of a snowstorm. The King gathered up surplus food and wine and carried the treats in boxes, through the blizzard to the peasant’s door.  The giving tradition has always been closely associated with the Christmas season when the English poor receive most of their charity.

It’s also been suggested that “Boxing Day” began during Advent when Anglican parishes displayed a box into which churchgoers put their monetary donations. On the day after Christmas, the boxes were broken open and their contents distributed among the poor.
But there is another possible story about the holiday’s origin. The day after Christmas was also the traditional day on which the aristocracy distributed presents (boxes) to servants and employees and gave them the day off.

Today, “Boxing Day” activities revolve less around charity work and more around food, football (soccer), visits from friends, shopping and drinking at the pub. It’s a way to stretch out the Christmas celebration one more day!

Mulch perennials with chopped leaves or other organic material after the plants become dormant.

Keep your live Christmas tree watered! A tree can absorb a gallon of water in the first 24 hours it’s up and several quarts after that.

If snipping evergreens for indoor use, do so gently. Heavy pruning at this time of year can damage conifers.

Try not to walk on frozen or frosted grass. Foot traffic breaks the grass blades and damages the lawn.

Researchers found that people who ate quickly were two times more prone to being overweight than those who ate leisurely. Chew food thoroughly, drink between bites, and eat at a table.

In 1605, a writer in the Alsace region of France was the first to document a decorated Christmas tree.

The word “curtain” comes from the Latin word for a court, or enclosed space, because the first curtains did not cover windows but surrounded beds. By the eighteenth century, they were being used as window coverings.

A study found that 72% of people are right-handed while only 5.3% are left-handed. In contrast, 46% of people are right-footed but only 3.9% are left-footed.

A sign of vitamin A deficiency is bad night vision.

Extend the life of holiday blooming plants by keeping them in cool, brightly lit areas, free from warm or cold drafts and out of direct sun.
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Holly, according to the language of flowers, means domestic happiness.