Boxing Day

禮盒節On the day after Christmas, many countries celebrate a long tradition of giving to the needy 透過扶弱濟貧的方式來慶祝禮盒節吧Celebrating a tradition of giving to the needy by Beth Bowyer Wei

Today, people who live in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and other Commonwealth countries celebrate Boxing Day.

While people disagree about its exact history, Boxing Day celebrates the tradition of giving to the less fortunate. The origins of this holiday probably date back to the Middle Ages. At that time throughout Western Europe, Dec. 26 was a time to give gifts to those of a lower social class. Churches opened their donation boxes and distributed the money to poor people. Likewise, masters gave boxes containing practical gifts to their servants, who had to work on Christmas Day. Dec. 26 was a holiday for servants to visit their families.

In English tradition,shopkeepers such as carpenters and blacksmiths, commonly kept clay "Christmas boxes" in their stores. Customers placed donations in the boxes. One Dec. 26, the shopkeepers smashed the boxes and shared the money with their employees.

Nowadays, people celebrate the day by relaxing with family shopping or playing sports. And some-in keeping with the original purpose of the holiday-spend the day volunteering or helping thoe in need.

Grammar
And some-in keeping with the original purpose of the holiday-spend the day volanteering or helping those in need.
in keeping with-conforming to
The fact that Mr. Holt has a vacation home in Switzeriand and in Hawaii is in keeping wigh his billionaire lifestyle.
In keeping with tradition, Sarah's mother makes a pumpkin pie for thanksgiving every year.

Vocabulary
distribute (v)-分派,分配,The secretary distributed paychecks to all of the employees.
*The company's magazines were distributed to all departments today.
*Food and supplies were distributed to each household located in the flooded area.
blacksmith (n)-A blacksmith uses iron and steel to create tools, furniture and other metal objects.铁匠
smash (v)-打坏,猛击
Jimmy smashed his piggy bank and gathered up all the coins that were inside.
*He got really angry and smashed all the things on his desk.
*He smashed his finger with the hammer as he was hanging the picture.
nowadays (adv)-现在,时下.Nowadays, mobile devices are part of everyday life.
*Teenagers nowadays are less diligent than ones from the past.
*Nowadays, people don't write letters anymore. They write e-mails instead.
fortunate (adj)-幸运 means someone has other people don't have.

Chat Room
Boxing day-the day after the Christmas mainly is to helping the needed people.
St. Stephen's day-church holiday
martyr-;烈士,殉道者.
Christmas carol (song)