Good morning, welcome to the series sharing Unique Holidays: December 26th, 2021. Today is Boxing Day. I don’t know about you, but I have enough boxes left over from Christmas to start my own box company. Are you the same way?
The date for this Holiday can vary but Boxing Day is said to be celebrated on December 26th. However, some people will celebrate Boxing Day on the first weekday after Christmas. If Christmas falls on a Friday or a Saturday, did you know Boxing Day is the following Monday?
Boxing Day is celebrated in England, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and other former British commonwealth Countries. Boxing Day is a legal Holiday in these Countries. This is also St. Stephans Day, where Boxing Day gets some of its roots. On St. Stephans’ Day, Churches opened their collection boxes to the poor.
Boxing Day was an expression of appreciation and thanks, much like Christmas tips are today.
The roots of the Boxing Day Holiday go back to the Middle Ages. On this day, members of the merchant class would take boxes, fill them with food and Fruits, and give them to servants, tradespeople and the less fortunate. In the case of servants, they would work on Christmas Day, so it was only fitting that immediately after Christmas, they would be given a day off to celebrate.
Usually celebrated the day after Christmas, some would celebrate the following Monday when Christmas fell on a Friday or Saturday.
Today, the giving of boxes includes filling these boxes with food and clothing for the needy and performing volunteer work. Monetary gifts to Charity Organizations are also common.
What happened on this Day? This Day in History
Today is the day after Christmas. Millions of people are on the move, returning Christmas gifts at stores and nowadays by mail. People are also rushing to grab Christmas sales on just about everything, including Holiday closeouts. Yes, it is truly a hectic day for many. Somehow, you need to take a deep breath and enjoy today, as it is National Candy Cane Day. Candy Canes are a big symbol of the Christmas Season. They show up almost everywhere, as indoor and outdoor decorations, alongside ribbons and bows on Christmas gifts, on the Christmas tree, in Stockings, and just about anywhere you can envision Candy Canes to be.
One may wonder why make the 26th of December National Candy Cane Day!? Celebrating this Holiday today makes perfect sense. On the days and weeks leading up to the Holidays, we are gleefully decorating with them and giving them out to nearly everyone we meet. With Christmas over, there is just one thing left to do with all of those Candy Canes. We should eat them! The goal of today, is to enjoy the millions of Candy Canes given out during the Christmas Season. You can simply take the wrapper off a Candy Cane and suck on the candy until it’s gone. Or you can slip a Candy Cane into your Hot Chocolate. Candy Canes can be added to recipes.
Candy Cane History
Candy Canes are a hard candy confection. The majority of Candy Canes are made with Peppermint. But, look around and you will find other flavors. The original Candy Canes were a straight stick, created by a French Priest. In 1674 a choirmaster in Germany bent one end of a Candy Cane, making it look like a Shepherd’s pole. This is the traditional Candy Cane shape we recognize today. When turned upside down, the candy is a “J” shape, for Jesus. In the 1800s, Candy Canes migrated to America, and became immediately popular. In the late 1800’s Candy Canes were first hung on trees as a decoration and Candy Canes decorate Christmas trees to this day. Popular around the world, 1.76 billion Candy Canes are made each year.
The longest Candy Cane ever made was 97 inches, and over 8 feet long. The most Candy Canes hung on a single tree is 6,425. That must have been one huge Christmas Tree.
After you’ve taken care of all of your Holiday returns and bought all of the closeout items your budget will allow, enjoy Candy Canes.
History and Origin of National Candy Cane Day:
While much is known about the History and origin of Candy Canes, we know little about who created this Holiday, and why the Holiday was created. More intriguing” why is National Candy Cane Day celebrated on December 26th, the day after Christmas?
We tracked the creation of this Holiday back to 2010. We have not yet identified who created this Holiday. But the National Confectioner’s Association is a sponsor of this day and could be the creator. As to why National Candy Cane Day is celebrated the day after Christmas, our guess is to encourage using the millions of Candy Canes given out over the Holidays. There certainly is no shortage of Holiday recipes that use leftover Candy Canes.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
