I’m writing this on Boxing Day, which is a choice I made. I regret the decision now, because my need for a nap is significant, but it was my choice and I’m happy I was able to make it.
I could have worked ahead, and filed something to The Courier earlier this week, but I was busy in my main job, and anyway writing closer to publication date makes the subject matter more fresh, even when it’s a Monday column annoyingly abutting the weekend. Also, I’m glad to have the flexibility.
Not everyone is so fortunate. Some people, such as those who made the newspapers you may have read on the 26th and 27th, work as others celebrate.
Earlier today, led by eager children clutching gift cards, I ventured out among the Boxing Day bargain-hunters.
It was unpleasant, because crowds trigger my anxiety and people trigger my misanthropy, but, again, I was able to make the choice.
Another choice I made was to spend money at my favourite emporium of geekery.
I am now the delighted owner of a copy of The Brave and the Bold number 64, cover-dated February-March 1966, in which Batman battles the “demon of darkness” Eclipso, and the real superhero was the staff member who worked today so I could buy it.
Boxing Day sales, like Black Friday, are a gimmick, of course, and on Boxing Day media outlets offer bland reports of retail trends.
(I’ve written them. They only happen because they’re an easy job for reporters who are perhaps more lethargic than usual.) With varying success, retailers take advantage of the hype and their customers’ time off, to make some money.
There’s nothing wrong with that. Social media is full of comments on those Boxing Day sales stories, many demanding that everywhere should be closed on Boxing Day.
I disagree: sometimes it’s a choice, by a worker or business owner, to make extra money, or to avoid a stressful or lonely time.
Sometimes it’s about the need to offer a service or simple dedication to a job.
Let’s preserve their right to choose – as long as nobody is forced on a holiday.
