Overview
- The Netherlands keeps two official Christmas days, with December 26 commonly used for a second family gathering or a practical outing.
- The practice grew from a twelve‑day midwinter cycle, evolving from the Germanic Joelfeest around the solstice into an early Christian season from December 25 to January 6.
- Within that early Christian calendar, December 26 traditionally honored Saint Stephen, regarded as the first Christian martyr.
- Church synods in the Frankish realm around 813 reduced the celebrations to four feast days, and the Dutch government formally scrapped a third day in 1773.
- December 26 remains a public holiday in several European countries, called Boxing Day in England with roots in a day off and gift boxes for servants, and some Dutch towns now host informal ‘third day’ events without official status.