Day Two of The Twelve Days of Tree Ornaments is Big Ben. I am a total Anglophile and I travel to the UK whenever I get the chance (in fact, I’m way overdue for a visit thanks to the pandemic). I picked up this Big Ben keychain from a street vendor because I like the historic clock tower, but it wasn’t until the following Christmas when I was decorating my tree that I had the idea that the keychain is the perfect size for an ornament. Off came the round hook, replaced with a ribbon. From then on, when I travel I look for keychain souvenirs that work for the tree.
Today is Boxing Day, which is a holiday in the UK. There are many stories as to the origin of this holiday, but the one I like best is this: in the Victorian era, the day after Christmas wealthy people would “box up” some of their possessions that they no longer wanted and give them to “the poor.” Today I think it’s just an extension of the Christmas season.
In my house, we have our own Boxing Day tradition and that is to do nothing or whatever we want to do. By this time, I need a break from the festivities so the day is unplanned. Usually we read, take a long afternoon walk, nibble on leftover goodies. In the evening we might watch a movie. It’s a moment to moment day of peace and quiet.
Today is also the first day of Kwanzaa. Happy Kwanzaa!
I hope you’re enjoying some peace and quite. Come on back tomorrow for Day Three.
OverDressed for Life 
Leave a Reply