My father's father was at one time in business as a grocer with a mobile shop, in the wilds of Derbyshire, and he always refered to a christmas box, meaning either money or luxury items from business contacts and 'those beholden'.

Boxing day could not be a Sunday as there was an element of business or trade associated, and so it was not appropriate for the Sabbath Day.

Grandad used to get quite a few Christmas Boxes, and my father used to have the job of opening them, whilst grandad sat and threw the packaging and notes into the fire, and sometimes he would throw the whole thing in if he thought it not good enough. His wife gave him what for when she found that the wives of other tradesmen in the area were wearing real silk head scarves sent from one of the 'big houses' and that he'd taken it for cheap thing off the market and burnt it.

Anne