(Tune: Traditional, like “Good King Wenceslas”)
Verse 1:
When the star had climbed to its highest height,
And the stable was bathed in morning light,
The kings arose from their resting place,
With a farewell grace for the holy space.
But a servant stayed ‘neath the berry’d tree,
And a gift was given, from knee to knee:
“For your steadfast care on the desert track,”
A cloak for your back, and your burdens slack.
Chorus:
Then sing of the day when the gifts go forth,
To the south, the east, the west, and north!
For the box that is opened, the hand that shares,
The weight that is lifted, the spirit cares.
On Boxing Day, on Boxing Day,
The love of the manger is sent away.
Verse 2:
The camel knelt by the juniper root,
And nuzzled the robe from foot to boot.
A child came out from the cottage door,
With an apple core and a handful of straw.
“You whose knees bent on the starlit road,
Carrying wisdom’s treasure-load,
For you is this rest, and this tree’s shade,”
And the gentle beast in the sun was laid.
Chorus:
Then sing of the day when the gifts go forth,
To the south, the east, the west, and north!
For the box that is opened, the hand that shares,
The weight that is lifted, the spirit cares.
On Boxing Day, on Boxing Day,
The love of the manger is sent away.
Verse 3:
Now the evergreen in the hall is bare,
Of its gifts and tokens of love and care.
But the greatest pine is the living one,
That shelters everyone ‘neath the winter sun.
So take from its box, by the old yew tree,
A gift for the weary, for them and for thee:
A promise of peace, like the camel’s rest,
A hope of a haven, a blessing confessed.
Final Chorus:
Then sing of the day when the gifts go forth,
To the south, the east, the west, and north!
For the box that is opened, the hand that shares,
The weight that is lifted, the spirit cares.
On Boxing Day, on Boxing Day,
The love of the manger is sent away.
Amen.
Of course. Here is a brief essay expanding on the thematic explanations woven into “The Camels of Boxing Day.”
The Unseen Gifts: Camels, Trees, and the Quiet Charity of Boxing Day
The carol “The Camels of Boxing Day” seeks to fill a curious gap in the festive canon by creating a mythology for a day often seen as an annex to Christmas. While Christmas carols glitter with angels, shepherds, and kings, Boxing Day (traditionally the feast of St. Stephen in the Christian calendar) carries its own, quieter ethos. It is a day of aftermath, of rest, and of the deliberate, downward flow of charity from the fortunate to those who serve and labor. To capture this spirit in a traditional form, the carol employs two resonant symbols: the camel and the tree, recontextualizing them within the nativity story to articulate a theology of practical, post-holiday grace.
The Camel: Bearing Burdens and Earning Rest
In the traditional narrative, the Magi’s camels are mere set dressing, exotic beasts of burden that fade into the background behind gleaming gifts and royal personas. This carol intentionally shifts focus to them, and by extension, to their unseen handlers. The camel symbolizes the essential yet overlooked labor that makes grand journeys—and by metaphor, grand celebrations—possible. Their “knees bent on the starlit road” speak of dutiful perseverance. By having a king gift a cloak to a servant, and a child offer an apple core and straw to the beast, the carol highlights Boxing Day’s core historical principle: the giving of “Christmas boxes” to servants, tradespeople, and the poor. The camel’s deserved rest in the shade (“the gentle beast in the sun was laid”) transforms the day from one of revelry to one of recuperation and gratitude for labor. It champions a charity that is not condescending, but reciprocal—a thanks for burdens carried.
The Tree: From Decoration to Living Sanctuary
The carol also reimagines the symbolism of the holiday tree. The decorated evergreen of the great hall, now bare on Boxing Day (“its gifts and tokens of love and care” removed), represents the concluded spectacle of Christmas Day itself. In contrast, the carol introduces living trees—the juniper and the yew. These are not brought indoors and adorned, but are found in the landscape, offering natural, enduring shelter. They become the sacred sites for the carol’s intimate acts of charity: the quiet gift from king to servant, the child’s offering to the camel. The final verse makes this distinction explicit: “But the greatest pine is the living one, / That shelters everyone ‘neath the winter sun.” This moves the theme from the distribution of goods (the boxes, the hall’s gifts) to the provision of sanctuary—rest, shade, and respite. The tree becomes a symbol of enduring, stable care that exists beyond the festive season, just as true charity must extend beyond a single day of giving.
Weaving Tradition into a New Tapestry
By setting these actions within a speculative extension of the nativity story, the carol grounds Boxing Day’s traditions in the same sacred soil as Christmas. It suggests that the impulse to give practically and to honor labor is a direct, logical outflow of the Christmas message. The “love of the manger” is not meant to be admired in isolation but is inherently “sent away,” carried forth into the world like the kings departing, or a box being delivered. The traditional meter and refrain structure (“Then sing of the day when the gifts go forth…”) deliberately echo carols like “Good King Wenceslas”—a carol itself about St. Stephen’s Day charity—creating a sense of familiarity and lineage.
In essence, “The Camels of Boxing Day” uses its central symbols to argue for a holistic Christmas spirit. The camel reminds us to see and reward the often-invisible labor that sustains our lives and celebrations. The tree shifts our focus from temporary decoration to permanent sanctuary. Together, they sing not of a day of leftovers, but of a day of legacy—where the glory of Christmas morning matures into the deliberate, grateful, and restful charity of the day after.
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