In Pure Spirit

For open minds

The Meaning of Boxing Day

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boxing_dayMany people want to stay in countries that are celebrating the Boxing Day right after the celebration of Christmas Day. But most of them are not aware of its importance in the tradition of those people who belong in American and European nations. Boxing Day is one of the most special traditions that can be found in the United Kingdom, United States and other countries in the different parts of the globe. History shows that this event has been created to promote the season of giving in the duration of the Christmas season. Its name has been invented  to describe Christmas gifts in boxes. It’s a season of giving and it was designed to give real happiness and joy to the Christmas celebration of servants who deserve to be happy in the celebration of Christmas season.

This tradition is already well known in the different parts of the globe in the duration of 18th century. Until now, it remains as one of the most important traditions in English-speaking nations that can be found in Europe and America. This celebration has nothing to do with the popular sport in this world that is well known as boxing. It’s a great time for enjoyment and relaxation for those people who want to stay on the side of their family members in one of the most special days in the whole celebration of the Christmas season.

The exact date for Boxing Day this event is December 26. It’s an annual event that was designed to serve as a day off for all servants who want to provide their family members with gifts right after the celebration of Christmas day. On the exact date of this celebration, all servants will be provided with Christmas boxes by their masters as a sign of thanksgiving and humbleness while celebrating the birth of the Jesus Christ. Servants can use all things that can be found in their Christmas boxes as gifts for their family members when needed.

The main purpose of Boxing Day is to make sure that all people in this world will be happy and aware of the true spirit of Christmas celebration for the rest of their lives. In other countries, new terms and words were used to introduce this event. In South Africa, the term that was used since 1994 to describe this tradition is Day of Goodwill since it encourages people to be humble and aware of the real meaning of love while celebrating the second day of Christmas season. In Europe, the most common term for this special tradition is Second Christmas Day.

At the present time, the new term that has been introduced to describe this celebration is bank holiday. This is because Christmas boxes are no longer popular in the whole celebration of Christmas day in this modern world. There are times that the celebration of this event will be moved to December 27 if December 26 falls on a Sunday. This tradition is something that all servants or workers should never miss in the whole celebration of Christmas season.

In Pure Spirit

What does Boxing Day mean for you? Is it about hitting online stores like Amazon and eBay in search of sales? Is it about recovering from a busy Christmas Day?

What tips do you have for getting the most out of Boxing Day? Let us know in the comments below.

Image Credit: Patheos.

Are women monsters at Christmas?

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shouldn__t_fight_on_christmas_by_imandark-d4jksqzHoliday Autos is a site that helps people compare car hire providers. It works with brands like Europcar, Avis and Hertz. This year Holiday Autos has done some research into driving home for Christmas. You know the sort of stats; 23% of couples have had at least some for disagreement over who to visit for Christmas and that sort of thing.

I noticed some interesting little stats right at the bottom of the survey. Are you looking forward to seeing your mum this holiday? 14% of people in Holiday Auto’s survey said it was their own mother they least looked forward to seeing. The stat was the same for males and females and was double any other family members. Do mothers worry so much over Christmas that they let the stress get to them?

The figure was even worse among 18-24 year olds. A whopping 26% of young people weren’t keen on spending time with their own mum this Christmas.

It goes on; for people in the 55-64 age range it was the sister-in-law who was the most dreaded family member for the Christmas get together. Some 10% of females found the impending meeting with their mother-in-laws shuddersome and 7% of males didn’t even want to socialise with their own sisters. In Northern Ireland a huge 28% of people in the survey put their sister-in-law at the bottom of the meet and greet pile.

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You can see Holiday Auto’s write up of the survey over on their blog. They talk about things like the item you’re most likely to forget on a Christmas trip (your toothbrush) and favourite Christmas driving tunes. I’m afraid it took this blogger to notice and worry about this sinister festival transformation of women.

It’s worth noting that this “women are monsters at Christmas” is not a claim being made exclusively by men. Women aren’t looking forward to meeting their female family members either.

Do you think this is because women worry so much about Christmas that they get stressed? What are your theories?

Image credit: Jim Hiro at Deviant Art.

Science explains Santa Claus in the most surprising way

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It’s a song. Yes, it might be from the newsmongers at Fox via FoxADHD.com but credit where credit is due. This is catchy and full of fun science facts. Given who’s made the video it’s a bit surprisingly to see pagans accurately been credited as the creators of the original holiday we now call Christmas, too.

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What has Santa done for you this Christmas?

27 festive holiday traditions that may surprise you

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Do you know where the mistletoe Christmas kiss tradition comes from? Is it Christian? What about Santa? Does he wear that red suit because he was coloured that way by a Coke-a-Cola advertising campaign? What secret Hanukkah practises are still going on today?

This video from the every entertaining Mental Floss is a fun and informative few minutes.

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Are you surprised at all the pagan origins to the Christmas holiday that we know today? Or do you disagree with this video and suggest they’ve got their facts wrong?

5 hi-tech Christmas sweaters that’ll amaze you

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That’s right; these are Christmas sweaters that let you use your iPhone or Android phone to display moving pictures and special effects like flickering fires and festive scenes.

The apps are free and you can grab the iPhone app and the Android app without spending a penny.

The sweaters are a little more expensive. You can buy them for the US market here or check out the UK store.

Knitted Crackling Fireplace Christmas Jumper

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Crackling Fireplace Christmas Jumper

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Caroling Kitty Christmas Jumper

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Creeping Santa Christmas Jumper

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Snowing Snow globe Christmas Jumper

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What do you think? Fashion meets technology meets original Christmas fashion?

Fancy one of these sweaters for yourself?

Sponsored Video: Macmillan Cancer Support’s Tree of Light

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The cancer support charity Macmillan have allowed energy supplier Npower to hook up with them this Christmas.

The goal is to raise awareness of Macmillan’s work. The Tree of Light itself is in Covent Garden London and the idea is that people cover the tree with baubles and that those baubles are notes of remembrance for those lost to cancer. If you can’t make it to London then you can visit this special page on Npower, leave a message and it may be shown on a screen in the Tree of Light itself.

In Pure Spirit

Have you been to see the Tree of Light in London? Why not upload or link to any pictures of the towering tree you took while you visited the gardens.

Disclaimer: The video is distributed and sponsored by Macmillan, the text and opinions are my own.

Boots sell Santa lube and elf bite cream

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This isn’t something you see every day. High street chemist Boots has an interesting range of Christmas products. They’re very funny!

Includes in the list are replacement dignity, brussel sprout gas masks, elf bite lotion, Santa Clause Chimney Grease and others.

For the Santa Clause Chimney Grease the site says;

Fancy pulling on Santa’s legs, or pushing his bum back up the chimney on Christmas Eve if he gets stuck? No, not really. Avoid the hassle and awkwardness with Santa’s Chimney Grease.

A favourite of mine is the elf bite lotion which says;

It’s not that Elf’s are known to be dangerous, but if startled or shocked by unexpected human presence, they may bite out of fright and run. Best to be prepared.

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Have you ever seen anything like this? Which is your favourite?

The meaning of Santa Claus

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Does Santa Claus have a meaning? Where does the origin of the Santa Claus story come from? As it happens the modern Santa is largely a blend of Saint Nick and Father Christmas from the United Kingdom. The name “Santa Claus” is from the German “Sinterklaas” and has changed over the years.

This short video gives you all the background you need.

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Did you think Coca-Cola helped create the Santa Claus myth? This video seems to suggest they only helped establish the current appearance.

What about making a return of some of the elder Santa myths? Fancy some Christmas gnomes popping down your chimney on the solstice?

Awesome or scary? The Christmas devil parade of Krampuslauf

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Who is Krampus?. The short answer is that Krampus is the other side of the coin to Santa Claus. Krampus punishes wicked children in the same way Santa rewards good ones.

Krampus is mainly still talked about in Austria, Slovenia and Croatia but on Krampusnacht in Germany they dress up as the demon.

This video is from Krampusaluf Graz, in Austria, last year and it is in equal measures awesome and scary.

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Are you tempted? I mean; are you temtped to tell naughty children to be good or risk a visit from Krampus?

Disclosure

This blog discusses ideas and causes. Urban myth and history combine here. In Pure Spirit covers stories from elsewhere on the web and may make fair use clippings and quotations from the original source.