It’s “Boxing Day”, affectionately known as the day after Christmas; and, in case you didn’t know it, it’s also “St. Stephens” Day as well. And no, it’s not called “Boxing Day” cuz you get to throw out all of your Christmas boxes.
The origins of Boxing Day can be traced back all the way to the 17th century, when an English bloke named Samuel Pepys [shown directly below in all his splendid glory] used the term in his diary.
The day after Christmas [in the U.K. & its colonial empire], for those who had servants, maids, or workers on their estates, would be given “boxes” filled with presents, money, or even leftover food from the traditional Christmas feast to take home to their families for their Christmas celebrations, since they obviously had to work Christmas day pampering the Lords & their families. It was most likely one of the few days each year they got to spend with loved ones; the other being Easter.
In Ireland, Boxing Day is celebrated as “St. Stephen’s” Day in honor of the Irish Saint who was stoned to death for his belief in Christ. For a very long time, fox hunts were popular on St. Stephen’s Day, but for the most part are banned now and what goes for a “fox hunt” now isn’t anything like it used to be. Today, people all over the U.K. Commonwealth celebrate Boxing Day from sports, to eccentric activities like swimming in the English Channel, or simply enjoying a day off from the hectic pace of Christmas.
Of course, not wanting anything to do with things associated “British”, U.S. customs have not adopted to the concept of Boxing Day … most Americans today will either be returning gifts, eating leftovers with relatives, watching sports on TV, or still trying to get that damn dollhouse put together for little Sally.
Markets today are, for the most part, non existent; and if they are open, spreads are so wide you could drive an 18 wheel semi through them and not come close to either the bid or offer. For example, taking a peak at my screen, shows USDJPY with a current quote of 117.029 bid … offered at 117.079; “hey, who’s up for trading some Yen with a 5.0 PIP spread, when it’s usually 0.3 PIPS?”. As for gold? Mercifully, it’s not open.
For a Monday, it feels like a Sunday … this whole Holiday schedule this year is screwing up my biorythms; the only cure is to treat the whole week like it’s Saturday! Markets reopen up tonight in Asia, but don’t expect anything.
For the most part, enjoy today’s history lesson and sit back, relax, reflect on what Christmas really means, and try and keep that feeling for as long as you can. The dog, although he didn’t get his own “impenetrable bacon box”, is in high spirits as always, with gifts galore to take to the beach and generally gnaw the crap out of to keep him happy. Does he look unhappy?
As for me, I’m in Paradise where it’s 83° at 10:00 A.M., with the sun shining and turquoise waters surrounding me; I’m always happy! Until tomorrow …
Have a great day everybody!
-vegas
OPEN A DEMO AND/OR LIVE ACCOUNT [CHOOSE
THE “ZERO ACCOUNT”] AT THE LMFX LINK IN THE “DOWNLOAD LINKS” SECTION OF THE
WEBSITE TITLED “OPEN TRADING ACCOUNT – DO IT NOW!”
No comments:
Post a Comment