What is Boxing Day?
Boxing Day is 26 December, a public holiday in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and much of the Commonwealth. The name most likely comes from the Christmas boxes given to servants and tradespeople, though the exact origin is disputed. It is also St Stephen's Day in the church calendar. Where the 26th falls on a weekend, the day off moves to the next available weekday, which is why some years give three consecutive days away from work.
For retailers it is the start of the winter sales, though the discounting now begins online on Christmas Day itself and the queues outside shops have thinned accordingly. Sport fills the day in Britain and Ireland, with a full football programme and major race meetings, and tickets for those go on sale in the autumn. Rail engineering works traditionally begin on the 26th, so anyone travelling between cities should check for replacement buses before assuming a normal service. In South Africa the same date is the Day of Goodwill. In several countries the 26th is not a holiday at all, the United States among them, which surprises visitors who expect the whole week to be quiet. Returns and exchanges of presents also start here, and many shops extend their usual deadline for goods bought in December.
Australia opens the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and starts the Sydney to Hobart race out of the harbour on the same afternoon. Germany and the Netherlands treat the 26th as a second Christmas day, quieter than the first and spent visiting relatives rather than shopping. Nordic countries keep it as a second day of the feast too. The name misleads people: it has nothing to do with boxing up unwanted presents for return, which is a modern habit attached to a term that was in use long before any shop held a sale on the date.
The next one falls on Saturday, 26 December 2026, and this page counts down to the midnight that starts it in whatever time zone your browser reports.