Today across the globe is observed as Boxing Day.

The day every year, falls on December twenty-six, the day after Christmas, and is hard to miss on the calendar during a crowded week of festivities.

Although Boxing Day sounds like something that would involve gloves, silky shorts, and a ring, it actually has nothing to do with the sport of boxing.

The specific origins of Boxing Day are not universally agreed upon, but explanations for the origin have varied, with some believing that it is derived from the opening of alms boxes that had been placed in churches for the collection of donations to aid the poor.

Others, however, have held that it came from the boxes of gifts given to employees on the day after Christmas.

With so many competing narratives, it’s difficult to know exactly how Boxing Day began as it is clear, however, that what they all have in common are themes of charity, gift-giving, and celebrations, which have lived on and is present in how this holiday is observed today.