How do you celebrate Boxing Day: Shopping, eating or both?
A secular holiday, Boxing Day happens each year on December 26 – the day after Christmas Day. The name “Boxing Day” originates from a time when tradespeople and servants would receive “Christmas Boxes” from their employers as a holiday gift.
Boxing Day is also known as a shopping holiday – sometimes thought of as the Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving in the US) of Canada. In a recent survey conducted by Contract Testing, nearly 55 per cent of Canadians brave the retail lines to grab a good sale on Boxing Day.
Aside from shopping, food is often a topic around Boxing Day. Due to the fact that Boxing Day falls on the day after Christmas, leftovers are abundant; and on the other hand, some may experience “food fatigue” from both cooking and eating.
Contact Testing wanted to learn more about Boxing Day food traditions in Canada – asking more than 1200 Canadians about their food preferences and here’s what they had to say:
– 60 per cent of Canadians eat leftovers on Boxing Day
– Only 7 per cent of Canadians order take-out such as pizza
– 70 per cent of Canadians prefer making turkey sandwiches with leftovers
– 60 per cent said turkey soup
– 47 per cent said pot pie
– 41 per cent said turkey casserole
– 40 per cent said a pasta dish containing turkey (such as fettuccini)
– 34 per cent said chili and/ or enchiladas
– 228 per cent said Turkey a la King
We found a delicious recipe (c/o Taste of Home) that will use up all your leftovers – from turkey to mashed potatoes to peas.
Want to know more about food preferences in Canada and the US? Check out our blog for an archive of articles.