Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess

treehugger.com 26 Dec '11, 2pm

Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess

Boxing Day is a statutory holiday in most of the English speaking world outside of the United States, but this year most Americans get the day off too because Christmas fell on a Sunday. In Canada and the UK, it has become a version of Black Friday, where everyone lines up at the stores in search of bargains. But it used to have real meaning. I described it in 2009: The original idea made some sense; the Victorian gentry couldn't do anything without servants, certainly not cook up a Christmas dinner, so all their staff worked Christmas Day and got the next day off to spend with their families. They took away their annual bonuses, gifts and leftovers, while gentry ate cold cuts prepared the day before. The churches opened up their alms boxes and distributed the contents to the poor; there was also a tradition of keeping one unopened gift and donating it to charity. Many peo...

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@ecabbageroses » 31 Dec '11, 6pm
A great tradition we could follow from the example of our neighbors to the north. Yea, Canada... HAPPY BOXING DAY! [link]
@gojunebug » 26 Dec '11, 9pm
Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess: [link] "A huge thanks to Junie2marie for the story"
@autumnspirit » 26 Dec '11, 8pm
Boxing Day used to be the original Buy Nothing Day: [link]
@eifp » 26 Dec '11, 8pm
Finally, I know what it means: "Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess" [link] via @TreeHugger #fb
@RGtweets510 » 26 Dec '11, 7pm
RT@treehugger /Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@naderNakib » 26 Dec '11, 7pm
RT @TreeHugger: Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link] #ggreenliving
@PatriciaKiteke » 26 Dec '11, 7pm
@TreeHugger I agree Boxing Day used to be a day of equity. Who wants to spend a day in line ups at the mall. [link]
@Cat_Cecchini » 26 Dec '11, 7pm
Today is #Boxingday [link]
@digitaltim » 26 Dec '11, 7pm
Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess... [link] #in
@ok_paulo_ok » 26 Dec '11, 5pm
Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess : TreeHugger [link] #consumerism #equity
@wildlifeworks » 26 Dec '11, 5pm
Happy Boxing Day! [link] #reuse #recycle and #reduce How are you spending your day?
@caralynnem » 26 Dec '11, 5pm
RT @TorontoEco: Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@HairyTheHobbit » 26 Dec '11, 4pm
TREEHUGGER: Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess: Celebrated outside of the Unite... [link]
@Manuela_de_Rios » 26 Dec '11, 3pm
[link] Boxing Day...
@zipplog100 » 26 Dec '11, 3pm
Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess - [link] - from @Taptu
@belhabib » 26 Dec '11, 3pm
Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess: Celebrated outside of the Un... [link] via #Autotweets
@nan_fischer » 26 Dec '11, 3pm
The consumption never ends ~> Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@GroenWerkt » 26 Dec '11, 3pm
#trhug Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess #mlfeeds: Celebrated outside of the U... [link]
@TheInterPETer » 31 Dec '11, 10am
Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess : TreeHugger [link] via @TreeHugger
@amgsmith » 30 Dec '11, 8pm
Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess : [link]
@JanieceStaton » 28 Dec '11, 9am
RT @TreeHugger: Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@BeingOrg101 » 27 Dec '11, 11pm
RT @TreeHugger: Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@PawnsOfDeceit » 27 Dec '11, 4pm
Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@beingstray » 27 Dec '11, 2am
Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess ~~ [link]
@jbreezerwtf » 27 Dec '11, 1am
RT @TreeHugger: Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@Anisa_Hajimumin » 26 Dec '11, 11pm
RT: @TreeHugger: Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@ItBodes » 26 Dec '11, 10pm
[link]
@heidi_e » 26 Dec '11, 10pm
Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess : TreeHugger [link] via @TreeHugger
@Rocksylee » 26 Dec '11, 10pm
Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess : TreeHugger [link] via @TreeHugger
@ecourte » 26 Dec '11, 9pm
RT @TreeHugger: Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@boxinggb » 26 Dec '11, 8pm
Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched ... [link]
@ChangemakerNet » 26 Dec '11, 8pm
RT @TreeHugger: Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@kaeleighjoy » 26 Dec '11, 7pm
RT @TreeHugger: Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@iPeggy » 26 Dec '11, 7pm
RT @TreeHugger: Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@TishTashful » 26 Dec '11, 7pm
Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess : TreeHugger [link] via @TreeHugger
@katycasafestiva » 26 Dec '11, 7pm
RT @TreeHugger: Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@armanflint » 26 Dec '11, 7pm
Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess : TreeHugger [link] via @TreeHugger
@katwunn » 26 Dec '11, 7pm
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@DeVito33 » 26 Dec '11, 7pm
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@The_BRowe » 26 Dec '11, 7pm
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@AntonChupilko » 26 Dec '11, 7pm
RT @TreeHugger: Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@anderscorenews » 26 Dec '11, 7pm
RT @TreeHugger: Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@SustEarth » 26 Dec '11, 7pm
RT @TreeHugger: Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@TreeHugger » 26 Dec '11, 7pm
Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@riverwalkrest » 26 Dec '11, 6pm
RT @TorontoEco: Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@YachtBar » 26 Dec '11, 6pm
Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess : TreeHugger [link]
@alschill » 26 Dec '11, 6pm
RT @torontoeco: Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@fibergeneration » 26 Dec '11, 4pm
Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@KMT_Technical » 26 Dec '11, 4pm
Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]
@SiennaSigil » 26 Dec '11, 3pm
Today Is Boxing Day, A Great Idea That Turned into Wretched Excess [link]