Boxing Day shopping

I admit, I have no clue where this tradition of Boxing Day shopping comes from. I promise, I'll look it up in Wikipedia for the next year. All I know is--the stores have crazy discounts on the day after Christmas, some of them open early, and shoppers line up even earlier in front of the store to grab the best "door-crasher" deal. I hate shopping and I can't quite understand this tradition. But I have my deal-searcher, my special envoy to the crowded shopping frenzy: Maggie. She may not like the hustle of Boxing Day, but at least she doesn't go insane in crowds. Benefits of growing up in Hong Kong.

This year she performed her biggest heroic shopping feat yet: she bought us six leather dining chairs for a bargain price and survived to shop another day! What is that to survive, you wonder? If you've never experienced Canada's Boxing Day, you may be forgiven. On that day everybody goes shopping mad. It is impossible to find a parking spot near the shopping area. Cars circle around like sharks, fighting for every emptied spot. Inside it gets even worse. Elbows are drawn, shoulders used, along with any carry-on bag one may have, to clear the path to the best priced article. It's a bruising experience. I'm thinking about buying hockey pads for Maggie for the next Boxing Day. Until then, we'll enjoy the comfort of our new dining chairs.