THE BOYS' BRIGADE

Boxing Day is the day that falls directly after Christmas Day. The term originates from the days when rich families would use the day to give their servants boxed gifts (it has nothing to do with the sport). Because its origins lie in Victorian England, the holiday is also celebrated in some of the Commonwealth nations.
Much like the UK, Boxing Day for Canada usually means one thing. Boxing Day sales!

Every year what seems like every store hosts a Boxing Day sale. Much like the American “Black Friday”, this can be the most hectic shopping day of the year as customers swarm in to towns and cities to get a good deal.

The day is usually well documented in News reports as some shoppers will go so far as to camp out over night to be the first in when the shops open. In some cases shops will open early to really get the most out of the day.
In recent years this manic sale has been extended to a Boxing Week so as to spread out the event and most likely to get in even more profits. So successful is Boxing Day for some, that struggling companies can come out the other end far better off than before.
Boxing Day is a bank and public holiday so most workplaces will remain closed. If the day happens to fall on the weekend then offices must give the first weekday after it as a holiday in compensation. In some parts of Canada retailers aren’t allowed to open. This may be because of a municipal bylaw, a provincial law or because of an agreement between the bigger stores to allow their workers a day of rest after Christmas Day. In this case, the big sales are moved to the 27th.
The sales aren’t just stuck to the physical stores anymore. Retailers like Best Buy begin their “Boxing Day” sale on the evening of Christmas Eve. Their websites might even close beforehand to prepare. When they re-open there are a few hours of browsing time before the customers are allowed to purchase anything.
Not everyone will be tempted by the idea of spending the day in a crowded shop. Boxing Day can be an important day to re-charge after Christmas Day, especially for anyone in charge of the dinner. It’s common for people on Boxing Day to use up their leftovers from the day before rather than cooking from scratch.
Others may wish to use the holiday to do something charitable. It can be a good day to spend time and money on charitable donations for those less fortunate. After all, that was the real heart of the first Victorian Boxing Day.