Another Christmas Day has come and gone. In my social media feed are all sorts of people talking about spending today cleaning up from the festivities. Some are taking down their trees and packing away the decorations. Not my family. We prefer to linger in the holiday season.
Earlier today, my daughter breathed out a big sigh – not one of frustration, but one of pure calm and relaxation. “I just love Boxing Day,” she declared. “No expectations. No demands on your time. Nothing but pure enjoyment.” I had to agree. Sure, we love the whole holiday season but there’s something almost magical about December 26th. It’s like all the clocks disappear that day and all that’s left behind is a lazy, leisurely day filled with…well…nothingness.
After the hustle and bustle leading up to Christmas and the often loud, often hectic energy of family celebrations on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Boxing Day is an introvert’s delight. While some are “over it”, we are embracing the joy of Christmas in a hearty hug. This is the day we forget about all the baking and elaborate meal preparation in favor of grazing. It’s a day of sweets for breakfast and nibbling on savory little bites all throughout the day. (I may have even eaten some chips with classic 1970s onion dip – that awful but amazing kind made with onion soup mix).
This is our day for cocooning. It’s a day for hanging out in our pajamas all day. We snuggle up in chairs and couches. Our feet are toasty warm in the new cozy socks we got as a gift. We hunker down into couch potato mode and watch our favorite Christmas movies. We pull out the board games – new ones received as gifts and old favorites like Scrabble and Monopoly – and start a marathon of friendly competition. Boxing Day is a time for long chats and random silliness.
I think Boxing Day might just be my favorite day of the year.
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