Today is Boxing Day. That might not mean much in this country but in much of the British Commonwealth it’s an official holiday. In the Victorian Era, the first weekday after Christmas was a working class holiday, and also the day when wealthy people would box up presents for the poor.
Alison Macrae is originally from Guilford England. She owns a shop called Verde on Brattleboro’s Main Street. She and her husband spend the day after Christmas going through requests for donations and sorting out their year-end charitable giving. Brian Byrnes is President and CEO of the Vermont Community Foundation. They spoke with VPR’s Jane Lindholm about the subject of charitable giving.