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Remember When Boxing Day Could Not Fall On A Sunday?
JEFF62
Posts: 5,103 Forum Member
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Does anyone else remember a time when December 26th was not called Boxing Day if it fell on a sunday? when this happened in 1971, 1976, 1982 and 1993 it was known as Christmas Sunday and Monday 27th December was called Boxing Day instead. i never really understood the reason for this but assumed there was some religious reason why Boxing Day could not be on a Sunday. last time this happened in 2004 it changed and Sunday 26th December was called Boxing Day and this coming Sunday 26th is also called Boxing Day. So why the change and why did we have this Christmas Sunday business in the past? I remember this causing a great deal of confusion as when someone referred to Boxing Day you had to ask if they meant the Sunday or Monday as many people couldnt get their heads round it!
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Christmas day is a bank holiday too, does that mean christmas day is on tuesday??
No, Christmas Day is fixed, Boxing Day is the first working day after Christmas Day.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/LivingintheUK/DG_073741
Boxing Day is Dec 28th. Christmas Day has a substitute day on Dec 27th but it is still Dec 25th.
They are (historically speaking at least) incorrect. Boxing Day is the first working day after Dec 25th, which would be Dec 27th. And because Christmas Day falls on a Saturday there is a second substitute day on the 28th. It doesn't matter in reality because it's still two days off (just in the wrong order).
Christmas Day on Friday
Christmas Satuarday on Saturday
Christmas Sunday on Sunday
Boxing day on Monday
And Easter eggs on sale in Woolworths on Tuesday!
That would be the situation when Christmas Day falls on a Friday - and is hence a public holiday anyway. Saturday and Sunday are the weekend anyway (so don't count), and Monday, being the first working day after Dec 25, is Boxing Day.. Friday and Monday are your bank holidays.
This year Christmas Day is a Saturday, which doesn't count as it's a weekend, nor does Dec 26, so Dec 27 being the next working day is Boxing Day, with a lieu day on Dec 28,
It can't be. Christmas Day falling on a Saturday is the only way the 28th becomes a bank holiday and in that case the 27th is Boxing Day.
It does happen but not with great regularity.
And only Boxing Day as well, if 26th is not at a weekend. Saints' Days are fixed, public holidays fixed to a working day are not.
Then you obviously weren't paying attention. It's not a new thing.
I have been paying attention for 53 years now, although i will accept that these things probably weren't of too much importance to me in the first few of those. I have been well aware of the practice of calling Sunday 26th 'Christmas Sunday', with Monday 27th being labelled Boxing Day but have never before encountered the argument that in this scenario, Boxing Day moves to the 28th. I fully accept that this is the holiday in lieu of Boxing Day, but the suggestion that the 28th should actually be called Boxing Day is something I can never remember hearing before.
That is because it is wrong.
(And in any case, 28th is actually the lieu day for 25th!)
Christmas Day Saturday 25th
Boxing Day Sunday 26th (the modern way i.e. to most people)
Christmas Day substitute bank holiday Monday 27th.
Boxing Day substitute bank holiday Tuesday 28th.
All of which is the logical conclusion after reading the Direct.gov link posted earlier in this thread, in my view. But to verify it, we would have to read the full text of the relevant Royal Proclamation itself, which I have not been able to find.
Logical, but wrong, because as I said, Boxing Day was always historically the first working day after December 25th, whichever day that fell on. It can't be a Saturday or Sunday, because they aren't working days, it can't be a different day where Dec 26 is a working day, and if Dec 26 is a Saturday or a Sunday it becomes the Monday (27th or 28th).
So this year
Christmas Day 25th
26th is a Sunday so is not a working day anyway
Monday 27th = first working day after 25th = Boxing Day
Tuesday 28th = Bank Holiday in lieu of the 25th and 26th being a weekend (effectively then in lieu of 25th as 27th is Boxing Day (or if you prefer 27th being in lieu of 26th being unable to be Boxing Day as it is a weekend))
Yeah. They could avoid the issue of different people having different interpretations (even though correctly it can only fall on one day) by using actual dates... but no.