That's right....I said Boxing Day, celebrated on December 26th. I'm pretty sure you're having the same reaction that I had the first time I heard about Boxing Day. I couldn't help but think, "Sheesh...a whole day devoted to the sport of boxing?! Mike Tyson fans much..." (for the record...I don't think NZ is all to keen on Mike, considering they banned him from entering...click here to read more.)
Okay, okay, back on point. What exactly is Boxing Day? Well, there's two theories as to its origins. The first theory is that back in the day, servants had to work Christmas, but were given the day after off in order to celebrate with their families. The servant's employers would present them with gift boxes on the day after...hence the term Boxing Day. The second theory is that the collection boxes in churches were opened up, and the proceeds were distributed to the poor on the day after Christmas. Today, it's like Black Friday, except you don't have to request off work because it's a public holiday!! Oh, little side note here...Boxing Day isn't just celebrated in NZ. Canada, Australia, and the UK all celebrate BD, too.
We got up bright and early, just like everyone else that hadn't participated in the mass exodus to the beach, and prepared to go shopping. We didn't hit the "early bird" specials, but instead we waited and hit the shops around noon-ish. The traffic was insane, and there was nowhere to park. The Base. (one of the malls) has this nifty little feature telling how many parking spots are available. Well...there weren't many, and everyone was having to park out in the middle of nowhere.
Security was directing traffic, blocking roads and areas that were full, and indicating where you needed to go to park. We WERE being directed to the great abyss, but what did Ben do? He decided to use my bulging belly to get us closer. Yep, he pulled right up to Mr. Security Guard and said something along the lines of "My darling is pregnant, is there any way you can get us closer?" Mr. Security laughed and said "Yeah, she has had a bit too much Christmas pudding! Go right over there, and we'll get you in." We ended up with front row parking!!
I was really thankful for the great spot once the rain set in. To be honest, I was really grateful I didn't have to waddle any further than necessary...I had shopping to do and couldn't be bothered expending all my energy navigating the parking lots trying to get to the mall!! Let me rephrase that, I thought I had shopping to do. It turns out, after visiting nearly every store at The Base, we went home with 1 purchase. That's right...it took 5 hours to find one thing to buy, AND it wasn't even on sale!!!!
In summary, Boxing Day was spent fighting traffic and crowds just to NOT get a good deal. Sounds about right huh? It wasn't a complete waste though...we did manage to get a great laugh out of the parking arrangement....and yes, after 5 hours of walking around that place, I was even more grateful to have the awesome parking spot. Thanks again, Mr. Security Man!! :D
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