In the U.K. and Canada, they call it Boxing Day, but in my Chicago family, the day after Christmas is something else entirely: Beefmas. The rules of this sacred, completely-made-up holiday are pretty simple: every Dec. 26, my brother and I go see a movie, and then we get Italian beef sandwiches.

The tradition began about 10 years ago, when I first moved out of state and started craving the thinly sliced beef and the hot, wet mess of giardiniera and bread dipped in gravy every time I came home for a visit.