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How many days until Boxing Day?
Boxing Day falls on ….
Counted in your own time zone, —.
Boxing Day is 26 December, the day after Christmas. When it lands on a weekend, the public holiday moves — the date does not.
A holiday about the day after
Boxing Day is marked across the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and much of the Caribbean, and almost nowhere else — in the US, 26 December is simply a working day. The name most likely comes from the Christmas boxes given to servants and tradespeople, opened on the day after the household's own celebration.
The date is fixed. The day off is not.
This is the wrinkle worth knowing. In the UK, when 26 December falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the bank holiday shifts to the following Monday or Tuesday — so the date and the holiday come apart. If you are counting to a day off rather than to the date, check which one your country is actually giving you.
What people actually count down to
For a large share of people the countdown is not to the holiday at all: it is to the sales, which now open online on Christmas Day itself, or to a fixture list — Boxing Day football in England and the Sydney to Hobart yacht race are both institutions built on the date.
Questions
Is Boxing Day always 26 December?
Yes, the date is fixed. The associated public holiday can move to the next weekday when it falls on a weekend.
Where is Boxing Day a holiday?
The UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and much of the Commonwealth. It is not a holiday in the United States.
Why is it called Boxing Day?
Most likely from the Christmas boxes historically given to servants and tradespeople on the day after Christmas.