Yesterday was Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, where (in my part of the world) crowds once used to flock to the beaches for some recreation and relaxation. Now they flood to the shops.
We were not exempt, although in our little town there were no long queues or hordes of people fighting over sales. But since car parking was free (and there were a lot of out-of-town visitors), it was harder than usual to find a car park!
Boxing Day falls on St. Stephen's Day which was named in honour of the first Christian martyr stoned to death in Jerusalem around A.D. 34-35. Apparently the name 'Boxing Day' comes from the long-ago practice of the well-to-do giving boxes of gifts and bonuses to the poor.
In Australia, Boxing Day has become a significant sporting day with the Boxing Day Test Match (Cricket) in Melbourne and the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race beginning in Sydney. In New Zealand, there's the Ellerslie Boxing Day Races in Auckland and the Cemetery Circuit Motorbike Races further south. And in our family, Boxing Day has traditionally been a day of activity with trips to the beach giving way to day-long tramps (hikes) as the kids grew older.
But not this year. This year all I wanted to do was recover from the previous day (I'm getting old!). However, since today looks like another gorgeous sunny day, it's possible that DH might suggest some activity that requires a greater output of energy than I have at the moment, unless I think of something else to do first!
We were not exempt, although in our little town there were no long queues or hordes of people fighting over sales. But since car parking was free (and there were a lot of out-of-town visitors), it was harder than usual to find a car park!
Boxing Day falls on St. Stephen's Day which was named in honour of the first Christian martyr stoned to death in Jerusalem around A.D. 34-35. Apparently the name 'Boxing Day' comes from the long-ago practice of the well-to-do giving boxes of gifts and bonuses to the poor.
In Australia, Boxing Day has become a significant sporting day with the Boxing Day Test Match (Cricket) in Melbourne and the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race beginning in Sydney. In New Zealand, there's the Ellerslie Boxing Day Races in Auckland and the Cemetery Circuit Motorbike Races further south. And in our family, Boxing Day has traditionally been a day of activity with trips to the beach giving way to day-long tramps (hikes) as the kids grew older.
But not this year. This year all I wanted to do was recover from the previous day (I'm getting old!). However, since today looks like another gorgeous sunny day, it's possible that DH might suggest some activity that requires a greater output of energy than I have at the moment, unless I think of something else to do first!
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