Comments on: Happy Sales and Returns Day &c.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 04:56:49 +0000

There’s nothing wrong with the song, per se, as long as people realize it is fiction, and romanticized fiction at that. Poets and songwriters have always done that, but too many start believing the propaganda.

There are times when I have to wear a mask to visit my Mother because I have a respiratory infection and she has asthma. At her age a cold is not a good thing, and it can lead to an asthma attack which would end up with her in the hospital, something she really hates.

By: oldwhitelady

oldwhitelady — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 03:43:16 +0000

I used to sing that song. I don’t remember the words, now. I guess it’s a good thing. Talking about sales, my mother had to go to town to get some stuff (medicines and some tool type stuff). She stopped, at the edge of the biggest town near her, and gassed up the vehicle. It wouldn’t start. She called me and I, still sick, called a friend who agreed to take a look at the vehicle. I would pick friend up and take over. Luckily, mother called back and said vehicle started, but stay by phone. I called friend back and said nevermind for the time being. I was dreading passing on my flu to her, then she would end up giving it to father. That would have been awful.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 17:48:10 +0000

I notice they used “sexed-up intelligence”, i.e. the wren is the king of birds, to sell their scheme, Steve. Of course if they went after a falcon [F-16] or eagle [F-15] or any other raptor [F-22] they might have shared St. Stephen’s martyrdom.

It’s sort of like being required to march in a Veterans Day parade, or working the Labor Day sales. Kryten.

The Salvation Army kettles is an extension of the Church tradition, but corporations don’t feel any obligation to share the wealth with “the peasants”.

By: Kryten42

Kryten42 — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 10:54:40 +0000

Ohh, I almost forgot (mainly because this was the first part of the tradition to disappear like a bad memory)…

The Churches in England around 800AD (and later, throughout the Commonwealth) would open their alms boxes (boxes where people place monetary donations in the Church) and distributed the contents to poor in their Parish on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas). The money in the alms box were NEVER intended to be used for any Church business, the money was solely intended to be donated to the poor and needy.

I spent some time whilst a student at University in the huge research library. I spent most of my time studying history and other areas. I read that the origin came from feudal times, where Christmas was a reason for a gathering of extended families. All the serfs would gather their families in the manor of their lord, which made it easier for the lord of the estate to hand out annual stipends to the serfs. After all the Christmas parties on December 26th, the lord of the estate would give practical goods such as cloth, grains, and tools to the serfs who lived on his land. Each family would get a box full of such goods the day after Christmas. Under this explanation, there was nothing voluntary about this transaction; the lord of the manor was obliged to supply these goods. Because of the boxes being given out, the day was called Boxing Day. 🙂

By: Kryten42

Kryten42 — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 10:29:09 +0000

Just to clarify the Commonwealth tradition of ‘Boxing Day’… it has nothing whatsoever to do with the *sport* of Boxing! 😉

Boxing Day is a public holiday that, historically, was meant to be for employees and citizens of a lower social class. In olden times, a box made out of clay was placed in shops where people visiting them would put in their coin(s). Come the day after Christmas, this “Christmas box” would then be broken to retrieve all the money that’s inside, just like a modern day ceramic piggy bank. Whatever was inside was split amongst all the workers to augment to their basic month’s salary (something like a Christmas bonus).

There are many variations to the tradition of Boxing Day across the Commonwealth Nations and Europe, but the general consensus is that this holiday was meant to give workers and servants some time for rest and relaxation after a busy holiday season. This usually meant giving these individuals the day off as well as some form of monetary compensation (or in some cases, giving them a “box” of whatever leftover food remained from the previous day’s festivities).

So, what do we do in our *modern* society on Boxing Day? We force the underpaid employees to work even harder in the stores by having huge clearance sales! That’s so typical of this modern era. Why give employees a bonus when a capitalist can make them work for it. 🙂

Every year I come to appreciate those immortal words *Bah! Humbug!* more and more. 😉

By: Steve Bates

Steve Bates — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 07:02:00 +0000

Ouch. Those wrens really took a bath at the hands of those Irish kids: Lather wrens, repeat…

By: Bryan

Bryan — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 05:20:37 +0000

That was rather medieval.

Check out what the Irish did/do to wrens on St Stephen’s Day on the link in the post.

By: Moi

Moi — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 05:04:49 +0000

Go forth and listen to Elvis Costello sing St. Stephen’s Day Murders……(see my radio.blog)

By: Bryan

Bryan — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 20:56:25 +0000

It will be just as much fun, Jack, just think of it terms of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, especially Arthur's encounter with Dennis the Peasant.

By: Jack K., the Grumpy Forester

Jack K., the Grumpy Forester — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 20:20:10 +0000

…ok, so it won’t be much fun anymore singing about “Good King Wenceslas”, but that’s alright. I never really liked the song that much anyway. In any event, Merry Christmas et. al. and a Happy Holiday season, Bryan…