skip to main content

The Kitchen Table

Those of you who work outside the home...

15 years ago

Before I was married, if they needed a skeleton shift for work, I'd work Christmas. It paid time and a half, so I always volunteered. Later, when I did payroll for the school, I got Christmas Eve afternoon (if it was on a weekday), and the next working day after Christmas off. I'm retired now.

For those of you who work outside the home, how much time do you get off for Christmas? Or do you have to work straight through?

Shirley

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (16)

oldgardener_2009
15 years ago
I do hospital work "at" home, not "outside" the home, but it's regular shift work, a regular job.

I always schedule myself off for the week before Christmas to do my shopping, but I always work on Christmas day because the hospital needs people to work on holidays.

This year, Christmas is on a Saturday, so I get it off, and I did request Christmas Eve off as well.
Terri_PacNW
15 years ago
I work for the school district..I'm off when the kids are off..so our last day was Friday the 17th, with a return date of January 3. I think Payroll only works a few days during this two weeks..as we were all supposed to have our time cards in by the 17th for next months pay..and then our payday is Dec 31 for last months. So there may be a few days involved there. Most everyone is off the same as me.

My husband works for a BIG international company..and they do "scale" down during the holidays..he took a week or so over the last 3 years..so this year it was his turn to not take the time off. He's not taking a single week day off. I'm hoping we can take a nice vacation in the spring or summer with the time he didn't use to take off at the Holidays. He gets about 3 weeks a year..plus incidentals and sick. But usually spreads it out through out the year.
Related Discussions
How did Orchiata bark in Gritty Mix work out for those who tried?
Q
Comments (54)
Jane - it's not uncommon for someone to make unsupportable statements, then treat them as fact and build an entire case around them. It happens on every active forum every day of every week. I'd like to take 4 paragraphs you wrote and use them to illustrate the difference in how we think. Your offerings are in bold and I'll comment intermittently. I have seen more underlit plants than I care to mention. Those plants lanquish and eventually decline. Plants growing in light that limits their potential ("underlit plants") needn't necessarily be in decline. Decline is a condition during which a plant is using more energy than it's able to produce - nothing more than that. It's entirely possible, and it happens very often, that a plant we might consider unsightly due to it having received less light than it needs to keep it looking good (from our POV), is able to sustain life and growth under light conditions insufficient to keep it looking as attractive as we would like - indefinitely, as long as it's life span isn't limited by the fact the plant is an annual or biennial, or by other potentially limiting cultural factors. Many people mistake the label, 'low-light plant' or 'shade,' without realizing how much light is lost by having a plant too far from a window. If a plant stops growing, it is not producing roots which uptake water. Without growth doesn't matter what a plant is in. I promote light first and foremost. First, "A[ny] plant that is not growing is dying" ~ Alex Shigo, PhD; this, because growth is a byproduct of the plant's ability to make more food than it needs to keep its systems orderly. A plant that is too far from a window to keep it looking healthy can still be growing and producing roots. Even if the top of the plant seems to have stalled, the roots can still be growing because root growth always precedes top growth. Also, it does matter "what a plant is in" if it's not growing because in most cases a lack of growth is directly linked to inhibited root function, which is very often related to limitations inherent in poor media. I have no argument with your recommendations to people who choose to use a grit mix. I think its good. But the majority of people who have multiple house plants are not going through the effort to put it together. A very quick scan of any of several fora will clearly illustrate otherwise. They will just continue to stick their plants in Miracle Grow. This is also untrue. While you focus on labels like the gritty mix and the 5:1:1 mix, I focus on helping others implement a concept, the effectiveness of which you can't question because you regularly note it's superior to methods you use. Growers implement the concepts I espouse with great regularity - primarily because it makes so much sense to do so. I suggest a alternative using bark or perlite to keep the mix from clumping and enhancing the drainage. Drainage isn't enhanced to a notable degree until the threshold that's been described in many conversations is reached. It occurs when there aren't enough fine particles to fill potential air spaces between larger particles (the BBs and sand analogy). And how is a 1:1:1 ratio of bark: peat or potting soil: perlite better at preventing "clumping", something I've never had to deal with. These same people are not going to get involved in perched water. This is very important: They ARE involved with perched water. If your medium supports it, you're involved with it in a direct relationship based on how much of it there is. I'm sure to your eyes and ears this is horrifying. Not at all - I'm a realist. But it is what I deal with on a daily basis with both orchids and house plants. Its my reality and I have found my alternative is simple enough for them to follow. It is also less expensive for them. It takes exactly the same amount of thought and effort to locate and mix the ingredients for the 5:1:1 mix as it does for the 1:1:1 mix you suggest because the ingredients are exactly the same - they're equally simple mixes. The 5:1:1 mix is actually LESS expensive because it utilizes a larger fraction of low-priced pine bark and a smaller fraction of higher-priced potting soil ..... and it's lighter. My plants do not seem to have a problem with perched water. As I noted previously, they DO have a problem with perched water, in that it is sapping potential. You might be perfectly happy with the state of your plant's vitality, but you can be sure that anything that limits the roots oxygen supply limits root function limits the plant and robs potential. We all know the 5:1:1 mix supports some perched water and that the 5:1:1 mix already includes some compromise to extend watering intervals. Therefore, it would be unreasonable to ask growers to believe that a medium with a much higher volume of fine particulates doesn't hold perched water and that the perched water it does hold has no impact on the root system's ability to function w/o limitation. As I said, the roots fill the base of the pot and will grow out the drain holes. I would think that would not happen in a mix holding too much water. Why would you think that? When the soil dries sufficiently, more or less normal root growth resumes, and some roots will grow outside of the pot. When roots die from hypoxic conditions, it's always the finest roots that die first - the ones that do all (ok - 90%+) of the work. The most significant loss is in the constant death and regeneration of the finer, nearly microscopic roots. To replace the roots killed by soggy soils (so the plant can return to 'normal' function) is an expensive outlay in terms of energy - energy that would otherwise have been directed toward more blooms, fruit, longer branches, more leaves, or a simple increase in biomass. IOW - lost potential. The roots would rot and would not grow into the base of the pot. Roots DO rot and die, it just happens that it's the fine roots that easily get overlooked that take the hit. That is not what happens. It actually IS what happens, but this is another case of someone floating an explanation that doesn't fit the observation in order to refute something we know to be true. Perched water IS limiting and the more you have the greater the limitation(s). I hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday - raining off & on again here in mid-MI. Al
...See More
?? for those who use home made cleaners
Q
Comments (4)
I think you are on the right track using the baking soda but need to use a micro-fiber cloth because it will hold on to the baking soda better. Vinegar is good for hard-water stains but will not remove the oils. Also, a solution with washing soda can work if the baking soda is not strong enough. Baking soda is sodium bi-carbonate, washing soda is sodium carbonate, and Oxy-clean is sodium per-carbonate. They are all related and safe for the environment. Oxy-clean is a non-chlorine bleach and eliminates the use of any chlorine bleach products. I use it with my Soap-it Nuts and also sprinkle it in the bottom of my sink to whiten it. Cheers!
...See More
Caution for those who invest using home computer
Q
Comments (4)
Large organizations have been known to take the view that they didn't do it ... ... so they ain't payin'. These guys were out tens of thousands, I believe. Hackers put in order to sell their good stocks - and buy crap stocks. Which they, or their friends, principals of scrap companies that hired their call centre to shill their stock, had millions of worthless shares to peddle. The couldn't order the stock broker to send them cash from hacked accounts - but they could order the account to buy large amounts of worthless shares. Haven't heard yet what's to be done about it. Going to a meeting of an investment group tonight - someone will likely have heard. One learns a lot of good stuff from that group - two heads are better than one (even if they are cabbage) ... ... and two dozen, better yet. ole joyful
...See More
For those who increased the size of their Work Triangle
Q
Comments (13)
I think that a factor in the triangle analysis is whether you are a one-item-at-a-time fetcher or if by habit you gang your hauling tasks within the triangle/zones. That would affect how tolerant you would be of a long-side triangle. Studies show that general movements within the home add to the caloric burn that keeps us healthy. I'm trying very hard not to make ease so important to me that I become a bore and a blob. I must have stool seating at the chopping stations and rubber-heeled shoes when I work, no matter how much walking I do in a kitchen. Keeping the stools out of the other person's triangle is important. We do a lot of commuting inside our lakeshore house. Never mind the logic. We were restricted when planning the kitchen because of shoreland building code rules and investment in a former addition which put living room and bedrooms on the lake side. We decided to leave the kitchen on the street side of the house. A large deck and a patio are on the lake side, but will continue to require a commute to the kitchen. A formal dining room featuring fireplace and deck door is next to the kitchen. Because we eat in the dining room or on the deck or patio, I had to put the refrigerator on the path to them. The rest of the kitchen triangles sides are inside the newly expanded kitchen space. I have planned 'plunk spaces' where things wait to be toted to another place. Bags of groceries arriving from garage, dishes headed out for usage or back for cleaning, condiments for the current meal, etc. Trays are useful sometimes but a bother other times. We think through what we need before we launch toward a destination. Because one triangle has a long tote to and from the refrig, I will have to think hard when I'm in front of the refrig with the door open. A pull-out breadboard will lie just to the side of it so that there is plenty of plunk space coming and going from the refrig. Even now in my little kitchen, it's not unusual for such a surface to have most of the salad makings, the dressing, and the cheese plunked on it before I begin to make the salad, so I'm acclimated to this procedure. We sure try to keep the refrig door closed as much as practicable. As I indicated previously on one of the forum topics, the new design was driven by a mistake--the technical designer we hired for this sweat equity project claimed that I could not vent my stove from the position I had chosen, so the stove was moved and then the vent was still in wrong place and now vent is replumbed so it exits from the roof instead of the soffits. The tail that wagged the dog. Anyway, his design forced us to rethink lots of things we had originally planned and now I think I will enjoy this kitchen a lot because we put so much thinking into it. At some point in the planning, we had a Better Homes Kitchen Mag which ran a great article with diagrams of the standard kitchen layouts and text that indicated number of cooks. The G-shaped kitchen was listed as a two-cook kitchen but needed a lot of space to prevent being cramped and being trapped in the space. That's what we ended up with. The diagram showed two work triangles that did not intersect but that shared the stove and the refrig on two ends with outrigger angles at each of two sinks. Thinking has been very difficult but very rewarding. I'm trying hard to gang together "same-usage so same storage space" for food and utensils. The paring knives need to be by the chopping space but the ice cream scoops don't. The beverage-related stuff--wine openers, tea balls, beer opener, tea containers--don't need to be positioned near the stove in a single utensil area; now we're putting coffee pot and microwave and auxiliary induction burner in the upper arm of the G where beverage activities will not interrupt the cook and where they will most easily facilitate drinking beverages elsewhere in the house. We can use the area as a temporary bar/beverage station when we entertain guests also, and they won't need to enter deeper into the cooking arena. My relatives are diehard Swedes who swill coffee deep into the night; my husband comes from a cohort of beer drinkers who savor nuances from microbrews. So...beverages will now be dissociated from the cooking area! Beer drinkers will be routed back outside the immediate kitchen as soon as they have found their brew and coffee drinkers can creep in and out at will. The refrig is at the start of the G. with plunk space next to it on left. Everyday dishes and silverware will be in uppercupboard next to it. Toast buttering and sandwich making will now be there also, next to refrig on the right top side of the G opposite the stove on the bottom of the G. Sink for cleanup and dishwasher are on the long side of the G with lots of windows. Baking area and secondary chopping are left of the sink near lower corner of G. Stove at bottom of G with butcher block plunk space either side of it and canned goods and other food storage above on either side of the vent hood. Pots and pans below. Peninsula on the short arm of the G will be launching/receiving space for prepared food and dishes plus will allow casual seating outside the kitchen proper and will house the prep sink and chopping pullout board and "double trash" unit on the inside of the short arm of the G. In our current tiny kitchen, we put utensils of all sorts in one place and all fabric items in another, etc. Often storage was dictated more by depth of shelf or drawer than by relationship to other items on same shelf or in same drawer. The weirdest drawer is the one with batteries, used plastic bags, permanent markers, the least used disks for a chopping appliance, rolling pin, and writing instruments; most likely this collection evolved because all items are shallow. Now am hoping to dissociate stored items so that the groupings will cut down commutes. Flour and sugar and rolling pin and sifter and pie pans will be grouped. If necessary, I plan to make auxiliary containers for things that we use redundantly--bring back the sugar bowl from deep storage, for example, and put it in the beverage area. I am an empty nester. I don't think I would have a use for additional refrigerator drawers even if I had a large family living nearby me. I don't think I would have wanted the when the kids were growing up either. Too many decisions--does this item go in that one or in this one? Where did I put that avocado? A refrig. just for butter and jelly and sandwich meat is silly, an example of American arrogance. I live in Minnesota so I do use the garage for cold storage during the winter--beverages especially, but also for overflow of leftover containers and baked goods, etc. at Thanksgiving and Christmas. In summer, the garage is usually cool enough to begin the refrigeration process for some things. I also have the former well pit room in the basement which is great for wine, cold storage of squash, etc. My children live in Alaska and their visits are in weeks-long spurts. I am not too proud to go buy a bag of ice and use a portable cooler for short-term spare refrigeration space. I don't want to own oversized appliances just because I have a party or houseguests once in a while. Very large cook gear like the blancher, the dehydrator, the auxiliary turkey baker as well as vacuum cleaner and brooms, potatoes and onions, cleaning supplies, and the dog food will be in a new closet in the former kitchen-- a hall behind the stools of the peninsula arm of the G. I still need to procure or design a decent-sized bookshelf for cookbooks, which will have to wait until serendipity renders me the right item. This will probably also be placed on the kitchen hall. I like to give dinner parties and this kitchen is set up for that. I want to retain the restaurant-like ambiance of the separate dining room but will now be able to do a better job of herding guests out of the cooking area instead of simply demanding: "You may stand there or there or leave." My guests are guests, not choppers or waiters, although perhaps I will change this when the multi-station G becomes familiar enough for me to allow others besides the DH and my children into it. The room will allow as many as 6 cooks and assistants, I think, but the sacred triangles will not be honored very much at that time. I demanded that the prep sink be large enough to hold a pumpkin. It's positioned to serve for general hand-washing but also for washing down garden produce and for filling the dog water pail so I bought a one-bin Kohler regular sink. The cleanup sink is a two-bin Kohler sink on the opposite side. Faucets have a high arc and a separate sprayer. I think I would have liked a pot filler to shorten the number of steps between sinks and stove, but the sweat equity contractor said NO more plumbing, please. I talk to the cupboard man today here at our place and we might come to an agreement. He likes our plan and his marketing guy is already hoping to get some photos when we're done. But we're not done sweating yet. Florantha
...See More
jennmonkey
15 years ago
We get Christmas Day and New Years Day paid off...since they both fall on Saturday this year, we get Friday off, and they let us leave a few hours early on Thursday. For certain staff members that have to work (we are staffed 24 hours/day), they get double time if they work the actual holiday.
lynn_d
15 years ago
I always gave my staff Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas off, and for the past few years I gave the week between Christmas and New Years off and forwarded calls to my home.

Now I have no staff and work from home....I work my business if the phone rings or my real job if my boss needs me.
samkaren
15 years ago
I work at a college so Xmas break begins at 4:30 on the 23rd and we go back January 3rd.

For me I save my vacation days during the summer so I can use them in the winter. My last day was the 17th and I go back on the 3rd. That is ......16 days off.

LOVE IT!!
SamKaren
your resident DJ
joyfulguy
15 years ago
Being retired ... every day is enjoyed as a holiday.

But - many retired folk are are so busy that they are heard to say that they couldn't find any time to go to work, if they had any ... that they're busier now than they ever were!

Being able to choose your "busy" sure helps, though!

Enjoy what holidays you have, everyone.

ole joyful

P.S. Plan now, invest now, learn how to manage money - and join that every-day-holiday crowd even sooner!

Especially now when fewer and fewer employers offer a pension plan.

o j
oldgardener_2009
15 years ago
oj, I'm one of those rare individuals who don't want to retire! I'm strange, I know, but working is very enjoyable for me (probably because my job is at home). I can't imagine not working.

I do very much enjoy my days off, though. :)
Rudebekia
15 years ago
I'm a college professor. Our semester ended last week, and I don't go back until Feb. 1. But I do grade papers up to Christmas day. . .
jannie
15 years ago
Christmas is Saturday, so Pres Obama has given federal employees Friday off with pay. Every year Christmas came on a weekend the President has done this, as far back as I can remember. Other than that, if you want time off, you have to use your vacation time.
liz
15 years ago
The last 5 or 6 years I've been off from the 16th to after the New Year...for 20 plus years I worked straight up to Christmas or pretty close to it...somebody has to be on those planes taking people to and from their family get togethers or skiing or whatever!
workoutlady
15 years ago
I have Christmas Eve and Christmas day office plus New Years Eve and New Years Day. Because two of those days fall on a Saturday, it was a "floating" holiday this year for us to use when ever we want (with supervisory approval). I used my last January. I didn't want to lose mine and if you don't use it, you lose it.
bigfoot_liz
15 years ago
we work 1/2 day thur, paid for a full day and they have a lunch for us. we are off and paid on Fri 12/24 & 12/31. 3 yrs ago they told us the 2nd to last week of the yr we were closed w/o pay :-0 ever since then those of us left, most have been laid off (turns out they are the lucky ones LOL) have saved vacation days for the last week. last yr the owners decided we would work 2 days doing inventory and off 3 days unpaid. this yr the workers are fed up and saved vacation for 3-4 days, including myself, so now they have no one to work, other than their family, and they will be open...hahahaha... we got the last laugh! this yr we have a new vacation policy, use it or lose it so everyone has saved days, forcing them to give us the last week paid. too bad they laid off almost everyone, making the rest of us do 3-4 different peoples jobs when we know we are still making millions $$ over expenses & costs. even some of their kids are getting fed up ~ liz
User
15 years ago
The store I work at is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. When I went for my job interview, I specified that I will NEVER work on Christmas Day. I got the job. Because my regular shift is Monday through Friday, I get Christmas Day and Boxing Day off. I requested the 27th and 28th off as well as my daughter and her boyfriend came home for 2 weeks, and I wanted to spend a little extra time with them. I was pleasantly surprised that my employer gladly gave me the time off. With pay, of course. I'm using vacation days.
Lindsey_CA
15 years ago
My husband and I both work full time for the State of California. When Christmas is on a weekday, we get the day off with pay. When Christmas is on a Saturday, as it is this year, we get 8 hours of "Holiday Credit" - which is like 8 hours of vacation time. You schedule the time off when you want to be off. You can use it as soon as the first work day following the holiday, or you can save it to use whenever... When Christmas falls on a Sunday, we get the next day (Monday) off with pay.

(Same goes for all of the other holidays that we get that can fall on a different day of the week. The exception is Veteran's Day [November 11]. If it falls on a Saturday we get Friday off with pay; if it falls on a Sunday we get Monday off with pay.)

Every year the Governor signs an Executive Order giving full-time state employees 4 hours of "Informal Time Off" (ITO) for the Christmas/New Year holidays. No, not 4 hours for each -- it's a total of 4 hours. We can use it to take the afternoon off either Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve (or if they are on a Sunday we can take the afternoon off the preceeding Friday), or we can save the time to use later. For the folks who work less than full time, there is a chart showing how much ITO they get on a prorated basis.

You can also use any accrued leave time (vacation, CTO, holiday credits, saved ITO, etc.) to take time off, but you have to request it in advance and obtain approval for your request.

Hubs and I both earn 21 vacation days each year (14 hours per month, for 12 months, for a total of 168 hours, which is 21 days, which is just over 4 work weeks). But state offices are almost deserted this time of year, so it's nice to be there and be able to get stuff done without constant interruptions, so I don't like to "waste" my vacation hours taking time off for the holidays. And, I don't think it's worth it to waste the 4 hours ITO to take the afternoon off on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve because everyone is "cut loose" around 2:30 anyway. My husband's office has already told everyone that they will be allowed to leave at noon on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

Scissors mentioned "using or losing" floating holiday credits. It used to be like that in our state service, but then an employee sued, saying that he'd earned the time and it shouldn't be taken away (they put a cap on how many vacation hours you can have on the books, etc.), and the court ruled in his favor. So, now they can strongly encourage you to use up your time, but they don't wipe it off the books. Right now I've got 72 hours of holiday credits (9 weekend holidays) on the books as well as 4 years' worth of holiday ITO, in addition to my vacation hours, CTO, etc., etc. And this year's holiday credits and ITO will get added to my leave balances, too.
3katz4me
15 years ago
We usually have one day off for Christmas - this year it's Friday since Christmas is on Saturday. Our office is also closing at 2 on Thursday. Since everyone's salaried that is with pay. There have been times when we've had Christmas & Christmas eve holidays but it seems like more recently we've rec'd a floating holiday instead meaning you can take the day off whenever you want.
jel48
15 years ago
We have a paid day off for Christmas and one for New Year's. If the holiday falls on a Saturday, normally we have Friday off, and if the holiday falls on a Sunday, we have Monday off.

This year is a little different. We have Friday off for Christmas (normal for a Saturday holiday) but we have the Monday after off for New Year's even though New Year's day is Saturday. This is because if we took the Friday off for New Year's we'd be taking a day off in 2010 for a 2011 holiday!

I'm actually working half days this week Tues-Thurs and then taking off Friday and all next week. We're allowed to take the week between Christmas and New Year's off (using vacation days) every other year if we want. That gives everyone a chance at having a longer vacation at Christmas time.

Related Stories

MOVING What Those Home-Sale Disclosures Are Really Saying

By Christine Tusher

Avoid costly surprises by knowing what’s included in a home seller’s disclosure, what’s not and what you can do if you suspect foul play

MOST POPULAR How to Get Rid of Those Pesky Summer Fruit Flies

By Mitchell Parker

Learn what fruit flies are, how to prevent them and how to get rid of them in your home

WORKING WITH PROS Beyond the Warranty: Builders Respond to Those ‘Oh, No’ Calls

By Erin Carlyle

See how three building pros deal with real problems that come up after the warranty period ends

ORGANIZING Storage Tricks for Those Who Love Their Stuff

By Lara Sargent

Get ideas for clearing the decks without getting rid of all the lovely things you want to keep around

KITCHEN DESIGN How to Hide Those Plugs and Switches

By Jason Ball Interior Design

5 ways to camouflage your outlets — or just make them disappear

DECORATING GUIDES Fix Those 'Whoopsies': 9 Fast Solutions for Decorating Mistakes

By Laura Gaskill

Don't suffer in silence over a paint, furniture or rug snafu — these affordable workarounds can help

ACCESSORIES How to Hide Those Messy Wires

By Scheer & Co. Interior Design

Untangle Yourself From Ugly Electrical Cords With a Few Tricks and Accessories

DIY PROJECTS Hide All Those Wires in a DIY Charging Station

Keep your gadgets handy and charged with a flexible storage board you can design yourself

THE ART OF ARCHITECTURE Architect's Toolbox: Celebrate Those Happy Accidents

By Bud Dietrich, AIA

Sometimes a home's greatest pleasures were never planned. See two examples of serendipity in design, and share your own story!

HOUSEKEEPING Get Those Carpet Stains Out: Best Nontoxic Methods for Spot Cleaning

Banish blotches the safe way with pantry staples, to get your rugs looking as clean as the day they came home

Sponsored

17 Reviews

The Leading Interior Design Studio in Franklin County

More Discussions

What are you reading? October 2026 Edition

44

Let's start a chain reaction game -- Part 5

40

Can we start a Chain Reaction Game - Part 5

40

We Have Nothing You Need So We’re Moving On

26

It's hare raising! Last day of the month!

1