There are several thoughts on how the holiday became known as Boxing Day . The Associated Press wrote about the origins of the name back in 2019 . The most widely held understanding of the origins of Boxing Day comes from a tradition among wealthy people . They would give a “Christmas Box ” to their servants and other workers . The box would contain money and gifts . Traditionally , these workers would also have Boxing Day off to rest . The AP story says the start of Boxing Day may even date back to the times of the Romans . Some experts say Roman invaders brought the practice to Britain . The tradition was then taken up by churches . Churches would put boxes outside their doors to collect money for the poor . This tradition gained popularity during the middle 1800s and continues to this day . Boxing Day is still celebrated today in many countries around the world . However , the United States is not one of them . We don't generally have the day off But the Christmas holiday , which takes place the day before , is often filled with boxes . Boxes are useful for storing and containing all kinds of things – especially gifts ! It is fun to shake a gift box and try to guess what is inside . But an empty box can be just as much fun . Just ask any child … or any cat , for that matter . Personally , I cannot walk by a cardboard box without thinking of what I could make out of it . A child can enjoy the box their gift came in as much as , if not more than , the gift itself . An empty box can lead to imaginative play . It can become anything ! It can be a secret house in the forest or a boat on the open sea or a rocket ship flying through space ! That is because children are masters at “thinking outside the box .” To think outside the box means to explore ideas and consider solutions that are creative and unusual . Someone who thinks outside the box is not limited or controlled by rules or tradition . Another way of saying this is that they are not “boxed in ” by such rules and traditions . They think of new ways to solve a problem . To be “boxed in ” can also mean being physically prevented from moving . For example , a car can “box in ” another car in a parking space , . However , thinking outside the box is important not just for playing or for teaching English . Lots of problems and situations can be helped by thinking outside the box !