Happy Boxing Day! Today is the day in the UK, Canada, and other former British colonies when people box up the stuff they no longer need and donate it to the poor. No one is clear on where the name came from, but the intent is clear - it's a time of giving back, for showing appreciation for all that you have.

In the United States, of course, the day after Christmas is like Black Friday - another orgy of buying, this time all of the after-Christmas sales. Some retailers are probably hoping to salvage something from this holiday season since - due to the poor economy - retail sales are way down this year.

It's an interesting juxtaposition, the British tradition of giving away and the American tradition of buying more on this day. Americans buy for others before Christmas and for themselves after Christmas. Perhaps it's all those gift cards people now give as gifts...

But Christmas and the buying frenzy are all part of the American Experience, right? We love this time of year, right? We love getting all that stuff right?....

No, we don't:

I was one of those people. I used to have a self-storage unit that I rented and kept stuff that wouldn't fit in the house. I ended up emptying it when I bought a bigger house. I remember thinking "why do I need all this stuff?" when I was sweating gallons in the July heat (in GA) as we moved it into the spacious new house. A year later, there were still boxes of crap unpacked.

My parents grew up in the Depression, so reusing and getting the most use out of everything, and not wasting anything was instilled in them at a young age. I can understand their aversion to getting rid of something they might need later. That attitude was passed down to all of us children as well, which is why I tend to not get rid of stuff as much as I should. I think I've finally broken this one in myself.

It would seem like the Boxing Day tradition would be a perfect fit for Americans with so much stuff they need to rent a locker. In this economic downturn, there are more people needing help than ever before, and donations are down. Perhaps that junk in the attic or the storage facility or the basement or the back of the closet could help someone who doesn't even have a house anymore.

Perhaps it's time for Americans to think outside the box, and trade those Big Box stores and their post-Christmas sales for a box of stuff donated to their local Goodwill or Salvation Army. We could all end up a little happier.

Happy Boxing Day.