Christmas Box

Christmas Box, a present made at Christmas, generally by an employer or superior to one employed. It is said to take its name from the practice in former times of would-be recipients to carry a box with a slit in the top, such as we may see in the streets on Hospital Saturday, or during a strike procession. The practice received a heavy blow in 1836, when it was forbidden in state departments by the authorities, but naturally it lingers on and is slow to die.