Christmas Day 2

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me … two turtledoves.

What exactly is a turtle dove? In this case, it isn’t an animal. It is a thing. Actually, it is two things: the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. As I mentioned yesterday, the Twelve Days of Christmas was written as a “catechism song” to help young Catholics learn the tenets of their faith at a time when Catholicism was outlawed in England. In case I didn’t mention it yesterday, the partridge in the pear tree refers to He who should be our one true love --- God.

Historically, the day after Christmas is known as “Boxing Day.” Some of the theories as to how this term came about, all from Wikipedia:

- It was the day when people would give a present or Christmas “box” to those who have worked for them throughout the year. This is still done in Britain for postmen and paper-boys, though now the “box” is usually given before Christmas, no after.

- In feudal times, Christmas was a reason for gathering of extended families. All the serfs would gather their families in the manor of their lord, which made it easier for the lord of the estate to hand out annual stipends to the serfs. After all the Christmas parties on 26 December, the lord of the estate would give practical goods such as cloth, grains, and tools to the serfs who lived on his land. Each family would get a box full of such goods the day after Christmas. Under this explanation, there was nothing voluntary about this transaction; the lord of the manor was obliged to supply these goods. Because of the boxes being given out, the day was called Boxing Day.

- In England many years ago, it was common practice for the servants to carry boxes to their employers when they arrived for their day’s work on the day after Christmas. Their employers would then put coins in the boxes as special end-of-year gifts. This can be compared with the modern day concept of Christmas bonuses. The servants carried boxes for the coins, hence the name Boxing Day!

- In churches, it was traditional to open the church’s donation box on Christmas Day, and the money in the donation box was to be distributed to the poorer or lower class citizens on the next day. In this case, the “box” in “Boxing Day” comes from that lockbox in which the donations were left.

Wikipedia also gives this information in reference to December 26th being recognized as “St. Stephen’s Day:”

- As in most of the rest of the UK and Ireland, the day after Christmas Day was always most significant in the day-to-day events of Wales. Some activities that took place on this day seem peculiarly Welsh, including that of “holly beating” or “holming.” In this, it was customary for young men and boys to slash the unprotected arms of female domestic servants with holly branches until they bled. In some areas it was the legs that were beaten. In other, it was the custom for the last person to get out of bed in the morning to be beaten with sprigs of holly and made to carry out all the commands of the family. On many farms, horses and other animals were bled in a custom that was thought to be good for the animals’ health, evening increasing their stamina. These customs died out before the end of the 19th century.

So, what did I do on the second day of Christmas? Well, I CERTAINLY didn’t beat my child with a sprig of holly until she bled. Nor did I donate goods to the poor (like I probably should have). No, I shopped. It is a tradition in our family to go out early on the day after Christmas to acquire much needed supplies for next year: gift wrap, bows, ribbon, dinnerware, ornaments, storage boxes, etc. Sometimes I shop for these items online as well. I actually did that a few days ago, picking up some dishes, a new Christmas stocking for my husband, and two sealing wax stamps to use on greeting cards.

More important than all this after-Christmas shopping, though, was the shopping I did at Home Depot. After some discussion, some diagramming, and some measuring, my husband and I ordered a cabinet to install in our master bedroom closet, a step toward household organization that is a long time in coming. The drawer unit is scheduled to arrive at the end of January so, between now and then, I have some serious sorting to accomplish. It is a big job but one that, I know, will contribute positively to the atmosphere of my home. Stay tuned for updates.

Photo of Two Turtle Doves Christmas ornament by artist P. Buckley Moss was taken from the website of the Finn Gallery in St. Petersburg, FL.