Today’s guest post is by Lindsay Bell.
How y’all doing today?
Satiated?
Stuffed full of turkey (or tofurkey)?
Spinning from chocolate overload?
Yes, it’s the day after Christmas 2012, an event that crept up on us with the stealth of a hungry jungle cat (at least it did in this household), and BOOM, just like that, it’s over.
But it’s not really over.
At least not up here in the Great White North.
Giving thank once again to our British colonial roots, we get an extra holiday over the holidays. Today is Boxing Day!
Attention Shoppers!
And if the term “Boxing Day” conjures up images of frantic shoppers lining up in the cold and dark to snag a flat screen TV that was only ten dollars cheaper last week…you would be correct.
Throughout the years, our Boxing Day became the U.S. version of Black Friday. A time for crazy sales and crazier people. Most stores won’t perform any transaction that doesn’t contain the words “cash or charge?” in it, so leave the tacky sweater that old aunt Gladys gave you for Christmas at home. No exchanges. No customer service at all, really.
But, as is usually the case, Boxing Day had quite benevolent beginnings before we bastardized it and turned it into a day of marketing, malls, and mayhem.
The Feast of St. Stephen
In one of my favorite Christmas carols, Good King Wenceslas looks out, on the Feast of Stephen (December 26th). The snow was deep, the frost was cruel. And when he sees a poor man gathering gathering winter fuel, he calls for his page to prepare bounty for the poor, and they head out into that dark, freezing, snowbound night to deliver it to the less fortunate.
That celebration continued, always on the day after Christmas – the Feast of St. Stephen – and eventually evolved to include giving money and/or Christmas boxes filled with gifts to charitable institutions, needy individuals, and people in service jobs.
In the Spirit of Boxing Day
Personally, I don’t DO Boxing Day. It’s an insanity I won’t subject myself to. Nor would I subject the crowds of shoppers to my insanity, because I would surely have harsh words for someone were I to participate.
However, today I am doing Boxing Day – in that, I would like to ask for a small gift from each of you, our amazing Spin Sucks community (or the crazies, as Gini Dietrich calls you).
Help us be the best we can for all of you – and let us know what you would like to hear more about. What trends or topics are you particularly excited about for 2013? What areas of PR or marketing do you want to learn more about? What subject would you like to see explored in depth, through webinars for example? Is there a person you would love to see interviewed? What have we been missing? And how can we improve?
Please leave your thoughts and comments below. And help us become the best that we can be – for you – in 2013.
I’d like to personally wish everyone a continued safe and festive end to your holiday season, and a safe and joyous New Year!
Lindsay Bell is the content director at Arment Dietrich, and works in Toronto. A former TV producer, she’s a strong advocate of three minutes or less of video content. She has a cool kid, a patient husband, and two annoying cats.
If you have a magic wand, please arrange an interview with Howard Schultz and let me do it:) Starbucks is one of those brands I continue to love because they do SO MUCH RIGHT, and so little wrong. That’s what brand loyalty is built on… I can never, ever imagine a Chickfilet incident with Howard at the helm… because, and this sounds terribly naive: the culture they have built is based on good, human decency AND the customer experience… not the coffee.And I totally forget what Boxing Day is supposed to be about.
I want to see a guest post from Tom Petty about how he uses social media and what he likes best about it.
@Joshua Wilner/A Writer Writes Could you set that up for me Josh…? 🙂
Say thanks Linds! I have been spreading lies about the history of Boxing Day. In our family, we put on our new xxxmas bathrobes and punch each other. I will think about topics for you!
@RebeccaTodd BAHAHA! That must be the best Boxing Day tradition ever! xo
@ginidietrich had you working today? Seriously? 😉 I’d like to hear more geeky tips from Gini and I love the suggestions below about hearing stories from individuals and brands that are successful in building their businesses in the online or integrated world. Happy Boxing Day!
@EdenSpodek Oh come on! She wrote this last week!
@ginidietrich Now you’re being to easy on @belllindsay 🙂 Happy Happy to everyone spinsucks
@EdenSpodek @ginidietrich Gini had me working from the crack of dawn yesterday! LOL