The last of the dishes used during the party have just now taken their turn in the dishwasher. A mountain of wine glasses are waiting for someone to store them back into the cupboard. As you might surmise, we do not stay up all night, after a party, to put the house back into order. The house does not get re-ordered until just before the next party.
It was a Boxing Day party for previous and present neighbors, with a few outliers added for color and confusion, and it was marvelous fun. People who live near each other met for the first time. Others, who do not live near each other know the reason why, now. We manufactured pretend-leftovers, and drank each other's wine, told lies about things we have done and said, and felt good about each other.
I thought you might like to read a part of the invitation; the rationale for Boxing Day:
The Day after Christmas became known, in parts of the British Empire, as Boxing Day. There are more dubious explanations for the name than there are boxes. The day was not named for what brothers-in-law often end up doing to each other during family gatherings. Neither does the day have to do with putting the gift boxes away. It was probably not named after Barbara Boxer.
What is not generally known is that Boxing Day is not British in its origins, at all. It is Norwegian.
The Norwegian name, andre juledag, is pronounced something like “andre juledag”. In olden times, Norwegians would gather at Ole and Lena’s house up nort’ on the day after Christmas and plan their next raid on Ireland or Scotland. Lena usually served fruit cake made with leftover herring, which made going to sea in December in an open boat seem like a good idea.
Very often, winds would blow them south, and they would land in England. The English, as we all know, have tin ears, and pronounced, “andre juledag” something like, “Boxing Day”, and having not understood what “the second day of Christmas” really means, made up all kinds of silly reasons for “Boxing Day”.
Next year it will be a different obscure holiday. If you want to attend, let me know.
It was a Boxing Day party for previous and present neighbors, with a few outliers added for color and confusion, and it was marvelous fun. People who live near each other met for the first time. Others, who do not live near each other know the reason why, now. We manufactured pretend-leftovers, and drank each other's wine, told lies about things we have done and said, and felt good about each other.
I thought you might like to read a part of the invitation; the rationale for Boxing Day:
The Day after Christmas became known, in parts of the British Empire, as Boxing Day. There are more dubious explanations for the name than there are boxes. The day was not named for what brothers-in-law often end up doing to each other during family gatherings. Neither does the day have to do with putting the gift boxes away. It was probably not named after Barbara Boxer.
What is not generally known is that Boxing Day is not British in its origins, at all. It is Norwegian.
The Norwegian name, andre juledag, is pronounced something like “andre juledag”. In olden times, Norwegians would gather at Ole and Lena’s house up nort’ on the day after Christmas and plan their next raid on Ireland or Scotland. Lena usually served fruit cake made with leftover herring, which made going to sea in December in an open boat seem like a good idea.
Very often, winds would blow them south, and they would land in England. The English, as we all know, have tin ears, and pronounced, “andre juledag” something like, “Boxing Day”, and having not understood what “the second day of Christmas” really means, made up all kinds of silly reasons for “Boxing Day”.
Next year it will be a different obscure holiday. If you want to attend, let me know.
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