It all started in Great Britain , where the rich gave the 26th as a day off to the servants or household servants to visit their families , since on Christmas Day they had to render their services . By allowing them to go home , each servant was given a Christmas box ( literally Christmas box or package ), a box containing gifts , bonds , and sometimes food scraps ; a tradition that , over time , spread and evolved until it was considered a day to give to those most in need . In Victorian times the churches used to open the box in which their parishioners had been putting their donations and this money was distributed among the poorest . Currently , there are still a few churches that continue to open their boxes on Boxing Day . On December 5 , 1996 , Massachusetts Governor Wiliam F . Weld declared December 26th as Boxing Day in Massachusetts .
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