Boxing Day is celebrated throughout the English-speaking world…with the exception of the USA. It’s celebrated in all British Commonwealth countries and former colonies on 26th December, in the U.K. it’s a public holiday. Traditionally It was the day servants were given boxed gifts by their employers, hence the opening of the boxes gave the day its name. Nowadays it’s the day the “Sales” start where all the big stores open their doors to sell their leftover Christmas stock at greatly reduced prices. It’s also now a day filled with sporting fixtures, and especially football matches where they often have local derbies between two neighbouring teams.

Historically it was a day where fox hunts were organised …fox hunting with dogs was banned throughout the UK in the early 2000’s and is now illegal, however drag or trail hunting has replaced hunting foxes and still takes place today on Boxing Day. The “wassail” or drinking cup is associated with the hunt..where the cup, filled with ale or rum, was passed around the huntsmen to insulate them from the winter chill. Many songs are associated with wassailing and I’ve chosen this one - The Gloucester Wassail sung by The Longest Johns…