Boxing Day - A Canadian Secret

The pale equivalent to our southern neighbours Black Friday. The traditional day born out of a odd custom from yesteryear. Boxing Day, the day after Christmas where gift recipients unhappy or dissatisfied would return or exchange their gifts. Often boxing them back up and bringing them back to the store to get the proper size or the version they preferred. Stores would discount these returned items, often only out of the package for mere minutes, for quick sale. Over the years people hungry for bargains would flock to the stores on this day to scoop up whatever sales made sense to them. Eventually stores began to discount on their own before items came back, a function of the now standard 30 day return policy. Now groggy shoppers crowd around the doors in the Canadian winter, coffee in hand, ready to burst into the store for the year's low prices on electronics or other consumer goods. I was there today, as I have been for the past five years, sans coffee, but awake and ready to find a deal that I would be stupid not to take advantage of. Family who prefer the warm, quiet slumber of early morning usually mention a few items they would like me to purchase for them. Armed with a scant list I entered the fray. The deals were not overwhelming and nothing on my list was present in he description given. So we left with a few rolls of discounted wrapping paper and a feeling of defeat. The mood brightened with a rare treat, breakfast at McDonalds. But overall, the adventure was a bust for deals, but a win for comradery gained on such a trying "hardship." Now the day sprawls out in front of us like a cornucopia of opportunity. What will happen next? Tune in soon to find out.