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Boxing Day

Boxing Day is traditionally celebrated the day after Christmas. It's often a day filled with shopping, as many stores begin a Boxing Day sale.

Upcoming Dates For Boxing Day

Boxing Day lands on the 26th of December, following Christmas Day. Here is a list of the upcoming dates for Boxing Day to help you plan your holidays:

  • Tuesday, December 26, 2017
  • Wednesday, December 26, 2018
  • Thursday, December 26, 2019
  • Saturday, December 26, 2020
  • Sunday, December 26, 2021
  • Monday, December 26, 2022
  • Tuesday, December 26, 2023
  • Thursday, December 26, 2024
  • Friday, December 26, 2025

Where Is Boxing Day Considered a Holiday?

Considered a public holiday, many stores are closed on Boxing Day. While some will open their doors and launch exciting discounts, many remain closed. Public transportation is often unavailable on Boxing Day. Government offices will also be closed. Since the Christmas holidays land in the summer months in New Zealand, school is already out. Before making any arrangements for your Christmas holidays, make sure that your work is closed on Boxing Day as well as Christmas Day.

Festivities & Events During Boxing Day

An accurate celebration of Boxing Day would be to spend time at a homeless shelter or food bank. However, many choose to celebrate Boxing Day simply by relaxing. The chaos during Christmas can leave many people feeling drained, so Boxing Day is a chance to catch up on much-needed rest. Many will simply head to the beach to soak up rays of sun. This is also a good way to relax after the chaos of the holidays. Often, families take the Christmas holidays off and travel together. This may be the time older children are home from school, so taking a vacation is a common way to spend the holidays. It's important to check the delays for travel time, particularly during this holiday. It's a common travel time for many places all over the world, who also take the Christmas holidays off.

A Brief History About Boxing Day

Boxing Day was traditionally a day where leftovers were given to the less fortunate. Employers would give their employees left over food and other goods. This could include clothing as well. It was a way of giving back to the community, following Christmas Day. Many wealthy individuals acquired new goods on Christmas, therefore offering old goods to the less fortunate. Also, including food left-overs from the Christmas meal the day before. In more recent days, the celebration is simply a day of relaxing after the hectic season.