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Six out of ten people don't know why it's called Boxing Day
Sunday December 26th, 2004
eBay.co.uk launches advertising campaign to give December 26th a new twist
The origin of one of the UK's finest traditions, Boxing Day, is shrouded in mystery for 60% of the country according to a recent survey by www.eBay.co.uk. This worrying trend is set to continue as 70% of 18-24 year-olds have no idea how Boxing Day got its name.
There are many different theories, including "it's when you tidied up the boxes and wrapping paper" and 1 in 10 people believe "it's when boxing matches were held". The real reason is that it was the day when traditionally servants were given the day off - and their masters gave them boxes of gifts and goods.*
This old tradition is being given a new twist as research shows most people expect to get duplicate presents this Christmas - worth an average of £30 - the equivalent of nearly £1.4 billion across the UK.
Without servants to give them to, 65% of people will spend the day after Christmas boxing up duplicate gifts ready to swap or sell. Of course, eBay is the perfect place to find someone who might want a gift you've already got.
eBay.co.uk is launching a new advertising campaign on Christmas Day to encourage recipients of unwanted or duplicate gifts to sell them on the site. The campaign weaves together a diverse series of characters from around the country, each describing how they're planning on selling unwanted Christmas gifts on eBay - anything from dodgy jumpers and mobile phones to poorly chosen trousers and car headlights.
"It doesn't take much to work out why gifts were given to servants on the day after Christmas - it allowed people to get rid of things they no longer needed, and presents they didn't want or already had", said a spokesperson from eBay.co.uk.
"We're expecting the same thing to happen, but this time in cyberspace as people cash in on their unwanted or duplicate presents and raise money to make the most of the January sales.
"Who knows, in a hundred years' time they could even be calling it eBay Day!"
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