Boxing Day and Box Expressions
2021-12-26
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2In some places around the world, the day after Christmas is called Boxing Day.
3In Britain, Australia, Canada and other places, Boxing Day is a national holiday.
4There are several thoughts on how the holiday became known as Boxing Day.
5The Associated Press wrote about the origins of the name back in 2019.
6The most widely held understanding of the origins of Boxing Day comes from a tradition among wealthy people.
7They would give a "Christmas Box" to their servants and other workers.
8The box would contain money and gifts.
9Traditionally, these workers would also have Boxing Day off to rest.
10The AP story says the start of Boxing Day may even date back to the times of the Romans.
11Some experts say Roman invaders brought the practice to Britain.
12The tradition was then taken up by churches.
13Churches would put boxes outside their doors to collect money for the poor.
14This tradition gained popularity during the middle 1800s and continues to this day.
15Boxing Day is still celebrated today in many countries around the world.
16However, the United States is not one of them.
17We don't generally have the day off
18But the Christmas holiday, which takes place the day before, is often filled with boxes.
19Boxes are useful for storing and containing all kinds of things - especially gifts!
20It is fun to shake a gift box and try to guess what is inside.
21But an empty box can be just as much fun. Just ask any child ... or any cat, for that matter.
22Personally, I cannot walk by a cardboard box without thinking of what I could make out of it.
23A child can enjoy the box their gift came in as much as, if not more than, the gift itself.
24An empty box can lead to imaginative play.
25It can become anything!
26It can be a secret house in the forest or a boat on the open sea or a rocket ship flying through space!
27That is because children are masters at "thinking outside the box."
28To think outside the box means to explore ideas and consider solutions that are creative and unusual.
29Someone who thinks outside the box is not limited or controlled by rules or tradition.
30Another way of saying this is that they are not "boxed in" by such rules and traditions.
31They think of new ways to solve a problem.
32To be "boxed in" can also mean being physically prevented from moving.
33For example, a car can "box in" another car in a parking space, .
34However, thinking outside the box is important not just for playing or for teaching English.
35Lots of problems and situations can be helped by thinking outside the box!
36And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time...
37I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2In some places around the world, the day after Christmas is called Boxing Day. In Britain, Australia, Canada and other places, Boxing Day is a national holiday. 3There are several thoughts on how the holiday became known as Boxing Day. The Associated Press wrote about the origins of the name back in 2019. 4The most widely held understanding of the origins of Boxing Day comes from a tradition among wealthy people. They would give a "Christmas Box" to their servants and other workers. The box would contain money and gifts. Traditionally, these workers would also have Boxing Day off to rest. 5The AP story says the start of Boxing Day may even date back to the times of the Romans. Some experts say Roman invaders brought the practice to Britain. The tradition was then taken up by churches. Churches would put boxes outside their doors to collect money for the poor. This tradition gained popularity during the middle 1800s and continues to this day. 6Boxing Day is still celebrated today in many countries around the world. However, the United States is not one of them. We don't generally have the day off 7But the Christmas holiday, which takes place the day before, is often filled with boxes. Boxes are useful for storing and containing all kinds of things - especially gifts! It is fun to shake a gift box and try to guess what is inside. But an empty box can be just as much fun. Just ask any child ... or any cat, for that matter. Personally, I cannot walk by a cardboard box without thinking of what I could make out of it. 8A child can enjoy the box their gift came in as much as, if not more than, the gift itself. An empty box can lead to imaginative play. It can become anything! It can be a secret house in the forest or a boat on the open sea or a rocket ship flying through space! 9That is because children are masters at "thinking outside the box." To think outside the box means to explore ideas and consider solutions that are creative and unusual. 10Someone who thinks outside the box is not limited or controlled by rules or tradition. Another way of saying this is that they are not "boxed in" by such rules and traditions. They think of new ways to solve a problem. 11To be "boxed in" can also mean being physically prevented from moving. For example, a car can "box in" another car in a parking space, . 12However, thinking outside the box is important not just for playing or for teaching English. Lots of problems and situations can be helped by thinking outside the box! 13And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time... 14I'm Anna Matteo. 15Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 16_________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18origin - n. the rise or beginning from a source 19church - n. a building for public and especially Christian worship 20cardboard - n. a material made from cellulose fiber (such as wood pulp) like paper but usually thicker