Boxing Day

It really is a nice idea!

If you ask just about any American what the day after Christmas is called, you'll get a puzzled "Wha...?" followed by "December 26th." If you ask a Canadian, you'll hear "Boxing Day." Of course ask that same Canadian what Boxing Day means and most will say it's the day the stores mark all the Christmas stuff down 75% and open at 6am. That, or they'll say it's the day you box up all the presents you didn't like, and return it for stuff you want. Ask a Brit and you'll likely get something a little closer to the real definition.

Boxing Day, as I understand it, is an old English tradition. On Christmas Day, those attending services would leave money in designated boxes, to be opened and distributed to the poor on the following day - Boxing Day. That tradition morphed, again as I understand it, to the giving of gifts to service people, staff, help on the day after Christmas. What *I* like to do, is to take that tradition and apply it to my circumstances. On the days after Christmas, I like to give a little Thank You to the people who deliver my mail, who bring the paper, who plow our snow, who pick up the trash. Living here in Vermont, I get my own paper, plow my own snow, and take my own trash to the dump. BUT, I do have mail delivery, and this morning, Gary will get a sweet surprise in the box. Wedesday when I take the trash in, I'll take a tin of cookies, too. I have to think of anyone else I'm missing... I'm sure there are people I rely on more than I realize, who deserve a little recognition too.

edit: Shoot, forgot the resolution part.

Let's see... that money thing's still eating at me. I think debt free by the end of 2006 is too ambitious, but I *do* think we could be down to one card that could be easily paid off in 2007. That'll leave us with just a mortgage, and with no credit card debt, we could pay that down faster. Imagine!