Happy Boxing Day! Or St. Stephen's Day! Or Kwanzaa!

Today is traditionally known as "Boxing Day" in English tradition.   It's also the Feast of St. Stephen, as in the Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslaus looked out, on the feast of Stephen... When the snow lay round a bout, deep and crisp and even..."

I read somewhere that Boxing Day used to be about opening the poor box to distribute the gifts to the poor.  Now, though, it seems that it's more about shopping, and about bringing back boxes to the stores to exchange for the gifts that you REALLY wanted.

 

  
According to Wikipedia,
Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration held in the United States honoring universal African-American heritage and culture, observed from December 26 to January 1 each year. It features activities such as lighting a candle holder with seven candles^[1] and culminates in a feast and gift-giving. It was created by Maulana Karenga and was first celebrated in 1966–1967.

I've never really celebrated Boxing day, or the Feast of St. Stephen, or Kwanzaa.  If you do, though, well then HAPPY HOLIDAYS!