Christ-Mass: Day 2 (St Stephen/Boxing Day)

“On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, two turtle doves ...”

Today is a day when I violate every principle I hold dear, and attempt to go shopping on the day after Christmas. In my humble defense, it is mainly to cash in on great prices for Christmas-related material, specifically Nativity-scene ornaments for the expanding collection on the tree at Chez Alexandre. Next year's rendition will look even brighter to celebrate the birth of Our Savior.

I love to show this video of the á capella group Straight No Chaser singing their own unique version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Today still feels a little like Christmas, only more stores are open, bustling continued consumer spending in spite of everything. I know, some people may think that's a concession to the over-commercialization of the holiday, but as we mentioned before, it's better than pretending it's anything other than Christmas -- like some folks we know.

Today is “Boxing Day” in Canada, the UK, and other nations of the present and former British Empire. Traditionally, Christmas Day was when the master of the house would give presents to his family. On the following day, he would arrange for leftovers from his great feast to be given to his domestic staff, in boxes that they could take home. Eventually, it became customary to box other gifts as well.

For this year's musical Boxing Day selection, we feature The Boxing Day Blues performed by Jez Lowe and the Bad Pennies at Green Hammerton Village Hall, North Yorkshire, earlier this month. (Jez Lowe on Guitar & Vocals, Kate Bramley - Fiddle & Vocals, Andy May - Northumbrian Pipes & Keyboards, David De La Haye - Bass and Benny Graham - Accordion & Vocals.)

Whatever works, huh, guys?

Meanwhile, the Irish celebrate this as a national holiday, too, only as Saint Stephen's Day, honoring one of the seven deacons appointed in the Book of Acts, to assist the apostles in their ministry. He was stoned to death by the Jews -- no, not all of the Jews, just some of them, and all of those guys were Jews, alright already??? -- and so is known in the Churches of the East as the "Protomartyr," as he was the first recorded to die for the Faith. And let's not forget that "Good King Welceslas" of Bohemia went out on the feast of Stephen, when the snow lay on ground, yada yada yada ...

And so it goes.