Happy Boxing (not Boxers) Day

How did the bank holiday in England acquire its curious name? According to a letter to the NY Times from an Anglophile reader in 1902, on the day after Christmas "the letter carriers, lamp lighters, messengers, and newspaper boys and others apply to householders for Christmas gratuities…presented in boxes." A hundred years later, most Brits know Boxing Day as the day sales start. Except when Christmas falls on a Saturday. Then the holiday is observed on Monday, as in 2004 when this Harvey Nichols ad ran. Ladies, take your corners.

DDB London, photographer Ben Stockley, via Ads of the World

happy boxing day

In keeping with the Commonwealth theme, I'm observing Boxing Day by presenting you with what I believe is the best spot for boxer shorts ever made. Those crazy Czechs.