It's Boxing Day! Today Is 'Wednesday' for Garbage Pickup, Alumni Basketball Game at the Wenner

1. The holidays: a time for family, good times and screwing up on-street trash collection. According to the Belmont Department of Public Works, today is "Wednesday" for those homes scheduled to have their garbage collected on Christmas. 

2. The Belmont High School Basketball Alumni Game will take place at 4:30 p.m. at Wenner Field House at Belmont High School. This should be fun.

3. All town departments and the Belmont Public Library are open and for those doing bargain shopping or making returns in Belmont's commercial areas, parking enforcement will be back on the streets looking for those vehicles that overstay their visit.

4. Bel Airs singing group will not meeting today at the Beech Street Center but line dancing will meet at 11 a.m. 

5. Today is Boxing Day, the day after Christmas that began as a custom for tradesmen to collect "Christmas boxes" of money or presents as thanks for good service throughout the year. It's linked to an older English tradition where since they would have to wait on their masters on Christmas Day, the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts and bonuses, and sometimes leftover food. A big holiday in all the English speaking world with the exception of the United States: it's a major shopping day for sales, sporting events – all the English premier league teams play today – and for hunting in the UK and in some parts of the US. So don't punch anyone to celebrate the day.