I Can’t Sleep - Boxing Day | Gentle Bedtime Reading for Sleep

Episode Date: December 26, 2025

Drift off with a calm bedtime reading about Boxing Day, designed for sleep and anyone facing insomnia after busy holidays. Relax with a calm bedtime reading that supports sleep, gently easing insomnia as the history and traditions unfold, all in one peaceful flow. In this episode, Benjamin explores the origins of Boxing Day, its connection to Saint Stephen’s Day, and the way charitable customs evolved into modern traditions, shared in a soothing, unhurried cadence that helps your thoughts slow down. You can learn something new while you relax, with no whispering—just peaceful, fact-filled education meant to quiet the mind. This gentle approach can be especially comforting for insomnia, stress, and anxious thoughts that tend to linger at night. Press play, get comfortable, and let the calm rhythm guide you softly toward rest. Happy sleeping! Read with permission from Boxing Day and Saint Stephen’s Day, Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_Day, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Stephen%27s_Day), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to a Glassbox Media podcast. What if I told you that most of the modern day self-help advice you've been hearing could actually make you worse? The key to a better life isn't about feel-good gimmicks that sound catchy. The Mentally Stronger Podcast gives you access to a licensed therapist who shares science-backed tools that will actually change your life. Hi, I'm Amy Morin, psychotherapist, mental strength trainer, and international best-selling author. In each episode, we cover research-back strategies, like how to stop relying on willpower and start creating habits for lasting change. And the five mental strength-building exercises you can do from your couch. I also speak to world-class experts like Dr. Nicole Kane, who shares how to permanently heal anxiety by addressing the root cause.

With over 200 episodes in our catalog, this podcast is for you if you're ready to crush self-doubt, conquer challenges, become stronger than ever with therapist-approved strategies that can change your life. Listen to Mentally Stronger with Therapist Amy Morin, wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to the I Can't Sleep podcast where I help you drift off one fact at a time. I'm your host, Benjamin Boster, and today's episode is about Boxing Day. Boxing Day, also known as Offering Day, is a holiday. celebrated on the 26th of December, a day after Christmas Day. Boxing Day was once a day to donate gifts to those in need, but it has evolved to become a part of Christmas festivities. It originated

in the United Kingdom and is celebrated in several Commonwealth nations. The attached bank holiday or public holiday may take place on the 27th or 28th of December if necessary. necessary to ensure it falls on a weekday. Boxing Day is also concurrent with the Christian Festival St. Stephen's Day. In parts of Europe, such as East Spain, the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Finland, Romania, Sweden, Belgium, Norway, Latvia, and Ireland. The 26th of December is St. Stephen's Day, which is considered the second day of Christmas. There are competing theories for the origins of the term, none of which is definitive.

The European tradition of giving money and other gifts to those in need, or in service positions, has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown. It may refer to the almsbox placed in the narthex of Christian churches to collect donations for the poor. The tradition may come from a custom in the late Rome, in an early Christian era, where an alms boxes placed in churches were used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of St. Stephen, which in the Western Christian churches falls on the same day as Boxing Day, the second day of Christmas Tide. On this day it is customary in some locations for the alms boxes to be opened and distributed

to the poor. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the earliest attestation from Britain in 1743, defining it as the day after Christmas Day, and saying, traditionally on this day, tradespeople, employees, etc., would receive presents or gratuities, a Christmas box from their customers or employers. The term Christmas box dates back to the 17th century, and among other things meant, a present or gratuity given at Christmas. In Great Britain, usually confined to gratuities given to those who are supposed to have a vague claim upon the donor, for services rendered to him as one of the general public by whom they are employed and paid. or as a customer of their legal employer.

The undefined theory being that as they have done offices for this person, for which he has not directly paid them, some direct acknowledgement is becoming at Christmas. In Britain, it was accustomed for tradesmen to collect Christmas boxes of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas. as thanks for good service throughout the year. This is mentioned in Samuel Pepi's diary entry for the 19th of December 1663. This custom is linked to an older British tradition

in which the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families since they would have had to serve their masters on Christmas Day. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts bonuses and sometimes leftover food. Until the late 20th century, there continued to be a tradition among many in the UK to give a Christmas gift, usually cash, to vendors, although not on Boxing Day, as many would not work on that day. St. Stephen's Day, a religious holiday, also falls on the 26th of December. In the United Kingdom, Boxing Day, could not fall on Sunday the 26th of December.

Instead, Boxing Day would be celebrated on Monday the 27th of December, with the preceding Sunday called Christmas Sunday. This rule was independent of the rule of bank holidays being taken in lieu. Over time, Sunday the 26th of December increasingly became referred to as Boxing Day. Unlike the contemporary understanding of Boxing Day at the time, Sunday the 26th of Boxing Day, itself. The Associated Bank holiday or public holiday always falls on a weekday. When December 25th falls on a Saturday and December 26 falls on a Sunday, the Christmas Day substitute holiday is observed on Monday, December 27th, with the Boxing Day substitute holiday observed on

Tuesday, December 28th. When Christmas Day is a Sunday, the Boxing Day holiday, is still observed on Monday, December 26th, with the substitute holiday for Christmas Day observed on Tuesday, December 27th. The Banking and Financial Dealings Act, 1971, which regulates UK bank holidays, does not officially name the December 26th bank holiday as Boxing Day, but states that it falls on December 26th, if it be not. A Sunday. In Australia, Boxing Day is a public holiday in all jurisdictions except the state of South Australia, where a public holiday known as Proclamation Day is celebrated on the first weekday after Christmas Day or the Christmas Day holiday. Both the Boxing Day

test cricket match held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race begin on Boxing Day. In Canada, Boxing Day is a federal statutory holiday for employees of federally regulated industries or workplaces. It's also recognized as a statutory holiday in the province of Ontario. In New Brunswick, Boxing Day is a holiday listed as a prescribed day of rest in the Provinces Days of Rest Act, but it is not a statutory holiday because it is not classified as a paid public holiday under New Brunswick's Employment Standards Act. In Hong Kong, despite the transfer of sovereignty from the UK to China in 1997, Boxing Day is a general holiday as the first weekday after Christmas. Starting in 2024, Boxing Day, Bexing Day, Beards a General Holiday, as the first weekday after Christmas.

Starting in 2024, Boxing Day became a statutory holiday on the territory. In Indonesia, Boxing Day is not a public holiday, but since 2023 was included as a joint holiday. In Ireland, when the entire island was part of the United Kingdom, the Bank Holidays Act, 1871, established December December 2, December 6th, as a bank holiday. The day is referred to as St. Stephen's Day in most of Ireland, and as Boxing Day in most of Ulster, especially in Northern Ireland, in County Donegal. In New Zealand, Boxing Day is a statutory holiday. On these holidays, people who must work receive one and a half times their salaries, and a day in lieu is provided to employees who work.

In Nigeria, Boxing Day is a public holiday for working people and students. When it falls on a Saturday or Sunday, there is always a holiday on the following Monday. In Scotland, Boxing Day has been specified as an additional bank holiday since 1974. by royal proclamation under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act, 1971. In Singapore, Boxing Day was a public holiday for working people and students. When it fell on a Saturday or Sunday, there was a holiday on the following Monday. However, Boxing Day is no longer a public holiday. In South Africa, December 26th is the day.

of Goodwill, a public holiday. In Trinidad and Tobago, Boxing Day is a public holiday. In the UK outside Scotland, December 26, unless it is a Sunday, has been a bank holiday since 1871. When December 26 falls on a Saturday, the associated public holiday is on the following Monday, December 28th. When December 26th, falls on a Sunday, the public holiday is the following Tuesday, December 28th, with the substitute day for Christmas Day being observed on the Monday. The same practice is observed in Canada. In the British overseas territory of Bermuda, the costume Gombe dancers performs throughout

the Mid-Atlantic Island on Boxing Day, a tradition believed to date back to the 18th when slaves were permitted together at Christmas. In Massachusetts, U.S. Governor William F. Weld declared in 1996 that every December 26th is Boxing Day in response to the efforts of a coalition of British citizens to transport the English tradition to the United States, but not an employee holiday. The holiday is otherwise not widely celebrated celebrate. not widely celebrated in the United States. In the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Trinidad and Tobago, Boxing Day is a popular shopping holiday. Boxing Day sales

are common, and shops often allow dramatic price reductions. For many merchants, Boxing Day has become the day of the year with the greatest revenue. In the UK, it was estimated in 2009, that up to 12 million shoppers appeared at the sales, a rise of almost 20% compared to 2008, although this was also affected by the fact that the VAT was about to revert to 17.5% from January 1, following the temporary reduction to 15%. Many retailers open very early,

typically 5am or even earlier, and offer door-bustre deals and loss leaders to draw people to their stores. It is not uncommon for long queues to form early in the morning of December 26, hours before the opening of shops holding the big sales, especially at big box consumer electronics retailers. Many stores have a limited quantity of big draw or deeply discounted items, Because of the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, many choose to stay at home and avoid the hectic shopping experience.

Local media often covers the event, mentioning how early the shoppers began queuing up and showing videos of shoppers queuing and later leaving with their purchased items. Many retailers have implemented practices aimed at managing large numbers of shoppers. They may limit entrances, restrict the number of patrons in a store at a time, provide tickets to people at the head of the queue to guarantee them a hot ticket item, or canvas queued up shoppers to inform them of inventory limitations. In some areas of Canada, particularly in Atlanta, Canada, and parts of Northern Ontario, most retailers are prohibited from opening on Boxing Day, either by provincial law or by municipal by law, or by informal agreement among major retailers,

to provide a day of relaxation following Christmas Day. In these areas, sales otherwise scheduled for December 26 are moved to the 27th. The City Council of Greater Sudbury, Ontario, which was the largest city in Canada to maintain this restriction, as of the early 2010s, formally repealed its store hours bylaw on December 9, 2014. While Boxing Day is December 26, many retailers run the sales for several days before or after December 26, often up to New Year's Eve, branding it as Boxing Week. Notably, in the recession of late 2008, a record number of retailers held early promotions because of the weak economy. In 2009, many retailers with both online and high street stores launched their online sales on Christmas Eve and their high street sales on Boxing Day. In terms of seasonal or holiday shopping traditions, boxing day sales have been compared to the U.S. phenomenon of Black Friday sales.

Black Friday being the Friday following the American Thanksgiving holiday in late November. In the late 2000s, when the Canadian and United States dollars were near parity, many Canadian retailers began to hold Black Friday promotions in an effort to discourage shoppers from crossing the border to visit the United States stores. This may have been a contributory factor since 2013, in a relative decline of traditional Canadian Boxing Day sales when compared to sales on Black Friday. The traditional Boxing Day sales in the United Kingdom were never as large an event as the Black Friday sales are in the United States. However, many British retailers began to see an opportunity to import the Black Friday tradition into the UK,

not to replace Boxing Day sales, but as in addition to their overall seasonal promotions. However, Black Friday and Boxing Day are close enough together that spending on one sale was likely to affect spending on the other. Ultimately, the result was a marked decline in traditional Boxing Day sales in the UK. The change was initially facilitated, although not necessarily, by design, by U.S. owned retailers such as Amazon and ASDA, then a subsidiary of U.S.-based Walmart. This phenomenon was furthered by a general decline in traditional high street shopping and a growing online marketplace, which is more international by nature. This led in 2015 to greater November retail sales in the UK than in December for the first time.

In 2019, a retail analysis firm estimated that there was a 9.8% drop in British store traffic on Boxing Day, in comparison to 2018, the largest year-over-year drop since 2010, citing several factors such as the weather, the increased prominence of online shopping, uncertainties in the wake of the general election, and the growing prominence of Black Friday sales. Boxing Day sales are not a prominent tradition in the United States, although many retailers often begin after Christmas sales that day. It is typically the earliest starting day after Christmas for people to return unwanted gifts, for exchanges or refunds, and to redeem gift cards. In the United Kingdom, it is traditional for the home-nation nation's major football leagues, including most prominently the Premier League, Scottish Premiership, and NIFL Premiership, to hold a full program of fixtures on Boxing Day. Originally, matches on Boxing Day were played against local rivals, so that teams and their fans

would not have to travel long distances to away games on the day after Christmas. The 2022 Premier League Boxing Day fixtures saw the return of domestic top-flight football for the 2022-2020-23 Premier League season following the six-week break for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In Italy, Boxing Day football was played for the first time in the 2018-19 Series A season. The experiment was successful. was Italian stadiums 69% full on average, more than any other match day in December 2018. In rugby league,

festive fixtures were a staple of the traditional winter season. Since a transition to a summer season in the 1990s, no formal fixtures are now arranged on boxing day, but some clubs such as Wakefield Trinity arrange a traditional local derby friendly fixture instead. Since 1980, the Australian cricket team has traditionally opened one of the test matches of its summer season on Boxing Day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. While several test matches had occasionally been held at the MCG around Boxing Day, it was not until 1980 that the concept was formal.

by the Australian Cricket Board. The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race is also traditionally held on Boxing Day. In horse racing, there is the King George the Sixth Chase at Kempton Park Racecourse in Surrey, England. It is the second most prestigious chase in Britain after the Cheltenham Gold Cup. In addition to the prestigious race at Kempton in Britain, it is usually, Usually the day was the most racing meetings of the year, with eight in 2016, in addition to three more in Ireland. In Barbados, the final day of horse racing is held on Boxing Day at the historic garrison

Savannah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This tradition has been going on for decades in this former British colony. Day is one of the main days in the hunting calendar for hunts in the UK and U.S. With most hunts, both mounted foxhound or harrier packs, and footpacks of beagles or bassids, holding meats, often in town or village centers. Several ice hockey contests are associated with the day. The IAHF World Junior Championship typically begins on December 26th. While the Spangler Cup also begins on December 23rd in Davos, Switzerland.

The Spangler Cup competition includes H.C. Davos, Team Canada, and other top European hockey teams. The National Hockey League traditionally had close to a full slate of games. Tim were played in 2011. Following the league wide days off given for Christmas Eve and Christmas. Eve and Christmas Day. However, the 2013 collective bargaining agreement, which followed a lockout, extended the league mandate of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off to include boxing day, except when it falls on a Saturday, in which case the Lee can choose to make December 23rd a league-wide off day instead for that year. In Sweden, the related sport of

Bandi is also associated with the day, with St. Stephen's Day Bandi games having become an established tradition. In some African Commonwealth nations, particularly Ghana, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, and Tanzania, professional boxing contests are held on boxing day. This practice has also been followed for decades in Guyana and Italy. In the UK, it is common to eat leftovers from the previous day's Christmas dinner, with turkey often being used in a boxing day sandwich or curry. St. Stephen's Day, also called the Feast of St. Stephen, is a Christian Saints Day to commemorate St. Stephen. The first Christian martyr or proto-martre celebrated on December 26th in Western Christianity, and December 27th in Eastern Christianity.

The Eastern Orthodox churches that adhere to the Julian calendar mark St. Stephen's Day on December 27th, according to that calendar, which places it on January 9th of the Gregorian calendar, used in civil contexts. In Western Christian denominations, St. Stephen's Day marks the second day of Christmas Tide. St. Stephen's Day is the second day of Christmas Tide and is celebrated in honor of one of the first Christian martyrs, St. Stephen.

In the Republic of Ireland, St. Stephen's Day is one of ten official public holidays. Its name is sometimes shortened to Stevens Day, particularly in informal contexts. St. Stephen's Day is also called Renn Day in parts of Ireland. Traditionally, men and boys hunted a wren and placed it on top of a staff decorated with holly, ivy, and ribbons. This was paraded around the neighborhood by a group of wren boys, typically dressed in straw masks and costumes, who sang songs and played music in exchange for donations. Today the wren is no longer hunted, but Renn day has survived or been

revived in a few towns, where groups of Wren boys hold small parades and carry around as staffed or fake Wren. A mummers festival is held at this time every year in the village of New Inn, County Galway, and Dingle and County Carry. Mumbing is also a big tradition in County Fermanagh. St. Stephen's Day is a popular day for visiting family members and going to the theater to see a pandemime. In most of Ulster, the north of Ireland, the day is usually known as Boxing Day, especially in Northern Ireland and County Donegal. Traditionally, a wren was hunted on the Isle of Man every St. Stephen's Day, like in Ireland.

The wren's body would be hung inside a frame of holly or ivy wreaths, called the wrenbush, or displayed in a small decorated wooden box, box with windows, called the Wren House. These ren bushes or renhouses were held aloft on poles and taken around the neighborhood by Wren Boys, some of whom were decked in greenery, singing, hunt the wren, and beating drums. They went from house to house, asking for coins. At the end of the day, a funeral was held for the wren. Today, people, people are sing and dance around a decorated wren bush or wren pole in which is stuffed or fake ren is placed. St. Stephen's Day in Wales is known as Gould St. Stephan, celebrated every year on December 26.

One ancient Welsh custom discontinued in the 19th century, included bleeding of livestock and homing by beating with holly branches of late risers and female servants. The ceremony reputedly brought good luck. St. Stephen's Day on December 26th is a holiday in Catalonia. It is traditionally celebrated with a festive meal that includes cannelons. The pasta tubes are stuffed with ground meat that may include the leftovers of the previous days, Escudea and Cardolia, Turkey, or Capo. In Catalan-speaking territories, the day is also known as the Second Christmas Day, or the festa Michiana.

In the Valencia area, a tradition is to eat with the mother's side of the family on December 25th, and on the 26th with the father's side. Historically, the Catalan holiday on the day after Christmas may be related to the practical need. for time to return home after a Christmas Day gathering and may date back to the days of the Carolingian Empire. Christmas in Italy is one of the country's major holidays and begins on December 8th with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception the day on which traditionally the Christmas tree is mounted and ends on January 6th of the following year with the epiphany. In Italy St. Stephen Evens Day became a public holiday in 1947, where previously it was a normal working day.

The Catholic Church also celebrates it as a religious holiday, even if not as a precept, as it is in Germany and other German-speaking countries. The reason for the public holiday in Italy, not required by the Catholic Church, despite the fame of the saint, is to be found in the intention of prolonging the Christmas holiday, creating two consecutive public holidays, which also happens in the case of Easter Monday, a non-religious holiday, but which only wants to lengthen Easter.

Before 1947, the two days were working days, with banks and offices open. St. Stephen's Day is marked as a public holiday as part of its shared culture across the Rhine River with Germany. Stefanitag is a public holiday in mainly Catholic Austria. In the Archdiocese of Vienna, the day of patron Saint, St. Stephen, has even celebrated on the feast of the Holy Family.

Similar to the adjacent regions of Bavaria, numerous ancient customs still continue to this day, such as ceremonial horseback rides and blessing of horses, or the stoning, drinking ride celebrated by the young men after attending Mass. December 26 is as second day of Christmas, a public holiday in Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic.