Now, don’t laugh at me here – but I have never known the reason why Boxing Day is called Boxing Day!
As a girl who grew up watching Eubank fights on TV with my Dad, my first assumption was that the old boxing halls opened their doors and the gents of yesteryear beat seven bells out of each other to relieve festive frustration.
Apparently not!
According to Wiki – which has been known to be wrong – in Britain it was a custom 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 Pepys’ diary entry for 19 December 1663. This custom is linked to an older English tradition – since they would have to wait on their masters on Christmas Day, the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts and bonuses, and sometimes leftover food.
This is not the definitive theory however! The European tradition, which has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions, has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown. It is believed to be in reference to the Alms Box placed in places of worship in order to collect donations to the poor. In ancient, pre-Christian Rome, Saturnalia was a Roman celebration during which slave owners would switch roles with their slaves. Gift giving was a part of Saturnalia and benevolence to slaves was a practice which may have influenced the later December tradition of boxing and presenting of gifts to people of lesser status. Also, it may come from a custom in the late Roman/early Christian era, wherein metal boxes placed outside churches were used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen, which in the Western Church falls on the same day as Boxing Day.
In the WLB household however, Boxing Day is known as Buffet Day! 
My family gathered at my sisters house – the old lady from down the road joined us too – and we ate and had fun together. My Dad had his nails painted by my niece, as did I…and I can’t get the bloody stuff off, even with nail varnish remover! I had lots of cuddles from my nephew and stuffed myself with food…rude not to when it was Slimming World friendly! 
I made some of the Slimming World pulled pork and it went down a treat, as did my roasted butternut squash and sweet potato, which I had sprinkled with mixed spice for a Christmas feel…it was the first time that I had tried both of these recipes and I am pretty pleased that they turned out okay.
Anyway – it’s just a quickie today as I am up in the early hours to start my drive north…off to my favourite place ever – the Scottish Highlands!
I woke up early, headed to Asda for supplies, went to see the horses and gave them more veggies and bid them farewell for a week, and then packed the car ready for our long drive. We then had our afternoon of fun, I escorted the old lady home and got a huge hug, and I am now relaxing before heading for an early night. I made my Mum and sister promise to check on my old lady…even though I knew they would anyway…and even though she has coped perfectly well without us so far! I just don’t want her to feel that our friendship was only on offer over the festive season!
I hope that you have had a good day too?
Breakfast: Smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, spinach and cherry tomatoes.
Lunch: Buffet food…all Slimming World friendly – pulled pork, gammon, turkey, beetroot salad, salad leaves, red onion, tomatoes, roasted spiced butternut squash and sweet potato, and roast potatoes!
Dinner: More of the above!
Snacks: Cheese and beetroot salad rolls (HEA and 2 x HEB) with Black Forest fruits and Greek yogurt.
No syns today as I could not fit another morsel in…even though I have been 100% in terms of Slimming World, I have eaten far too much. Actually, I guess I haven’t been ‘on plan’ as Slimming World talk about moderation and nothing was moderated today!
Exercise: Nothing much, just a small stroll with the horses and dog!
Thank you for reading…bear with me over the next couple of days as I am heading up to Aviemore and have no idea what the weather will do, and whether or not I will have wifi!
Weight Loss Bitch xxx
WeightLossBitch
On a health and fitness driven journey to lose over 32st / 448lbs / 203kgs – yes, it is a considerable amount – I am committed to losing my excess weight without the aid of weight loss surgery, diet pills, or quick fixes…as there aren’t any! Changing my eating habits and building up my fitness levels, along with addressing the ‘head issues’ will be crucial in order for me to achieve my goal. Living in England as a 31 year old super morbidly obese woman can be challenging to say the least. I have been shouted at in the street and verbally abused far too many times to mention; hence the name ‘Weight Loss Bitch’…the day I am just called a ‘bitch’ instead of a ‘fat bitch’ will be the day that I know I have cracked my weight loss! With many reasons to lose this weight I am documenting my journey for a number of reasons. Firstly, I would like to keep a record of the ups and downs, the highs and lows, and the challenges I face with such an enormous task to tackle. Secondly, I would also like to inspire and encourage other people who are in a similar situation and to show them that significant amounts of weight can be lost naturally…with a bit of motivation, hard work, dedication and will power. Thirdly, all of the blogging, Facebook-ing, Tweet-ing, Pinterest-ing and YouTube-ing keeps me occupied and keeps my fingers out of the fridge!
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