Holidays over?

[Applechick]

In Scotland the norm is that most folk are on holiday until the 5th January - we tend to put up our decorations a bit later than Americans; not until the middle of December and then take them down on the twelfth night, although my tree is drooping a bit already LOL!! New Year is for some families an even bigger celebration than Christmas and the shops remain firmly closed from Hogmanay to the 2nd January .
I just wondered if you guys were still celebrating and are still off work - and how big a deal is new year where you live?
I'm just getting into the swing of not being at work - sitting at my mac 11am still in my Pjs - bliss! Loving not having to think about timetables and excel spreadsheets and budgets....ah! I better go have another coffee to ease myself into the day Lol!!!

Fiona

[carollee]

I'm back to work tomorrow for 3 days, then Friday off for the public holiday, Sat and Sun and then back to normal after that.

We take it in turns to have holidays over Christmas/New Year at work, I'm planning a month off next year! :-)

Fiona, I love that name Hogmanay, how cool is that! No idea what it means but it's a neat word.

[maureenreynolds]

It's back to work here, with government being one of our biggest 'businesses' and employers round here. But I know when I was one of those people, it tended to be slow till the 2nd week of Jan because so many people take leave that many places are only half staffed. I think a lot of the children go back to school on the 4th. My Christmas things will stay out till mid January. I remove them bit by bit and enjoy that process.

[Elena]

Took Christmas week off... now back to work this morning (although I'm off Friday for New Year's Day.) The kids are back in school on the 4th. I will be taking the Christmas decorations (which have been up since the end of Nov) down by the weekend... just ready to be done with holiday stuff and move onto 2010 I guess!

[Scrapbird]

Fiona, me, too! I love sitting at my computer in my jammies until late in the morning.
I'm a teacher, and we usually get two weeks off at Christmas. Now that the company is gone, I have this week to indulge.

[dorah]

Well, Fiona, I also am enjoying sitting here in my jammies. My Christmas stuff usually stays out at least until after New Year's Day as my mom always sais it was bad luck to take your tree down before then. But I got up this morning to find half my pre-lit tree not lit so I unplugged it and it's not so pretty with the lights off. But I will probably still leave it out until after the New Year.

[Chris]

Fiona, I've always been like you with my times, I suppose I got it from the old country! Christmas was a holy day and parties were mostly after Christmas. The only thing is that here in the US, I always feel alone in my late celebrations. I sometimes see trees put outside on boxing day.

I tend to take mine down when I feel like it, but last year I got up one morn and the whole tree was taken down by dh, was that a big let down!

[Teri A]

I think we should all take the week off between Christmas and New Years. My parents were both school teachers so that is how I grew up. Hubby just left for work. Kinda sad, kinda quiet. The tree will stay up until after New Years and then I will slowly start taking down the decorations.

[amcmillian]

In addition to Christmas Day I only took Christmas Eve off and am back to work today. We will have Friday off. This year I put my Christmas Tree up a couple days before Thanksgiving and I always leave it up at least through the first day and night of the New Year. I will probably take it down on Saturday. Enjoy your Holiday Fiona and I hope you have Happy New Year!

[dugarner]

We are still celebrating; we put up our decorations the first Monday in Advent and leave them up through Twelfth Night. We usually take them down on Epiphany. New Year's isn't too big here as there isn't much to do, but where I grew up, they used to do the First Night celebration and have the whole city (merchants and everything) open until about 2:00 a.m., with bands playing, bagpipe bands marching at midnight, and fireworks.

We'll do a small fireworks show at a friend's house, and have a party until the ripe old time of about 9:00 p.m.

My DH is off work on Mondays (since his Sundays are full, he's a pastor) and my daughter is at her first sleepover, so we have peace and quiet for another two hours!

[susiecw]

I was off Christmas Eve, only because it was my normal day off. And, of course on Christmas. But, since I work retail I had to work from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the day after Christmas and won't be off again until Wednesday. The joys of retail. I did have a wonderful Christmas though with my daughters and their families.

Tomorrow is my birthday and I'll be working. New Years Eve...sleeping since New Year's Day is another "huge" sale at the store I work. I need to win the lottery!

[whatnext]

well, strangely it's 11:09 a.m. here, and i, too, am in my pjs. drinking coffee and trying to locate my scrapping mojo. i think everyone tries to take off at least part of the week between Christmas and New Years here in the States. my daughter is involved with schools, so she's off work, of course. husband and son are back at work, though my husband is only going in to work two days this week. (He will be at home driving me crazy for the rest of it....)

i think there must be some people who make a big deal out of New Years here. i just don't know any of them. the high point of my New Years Eve is dinner,(at home with me cooking it...) some wine and off to bed before midnight.

yawn...........

[ValerieP]

I, too, am in my jammies with a cup of coffee. I teach and I am taking graduate level classes so I am off until Jan 4- Although, I don't have to go to work officially, I spent all day yesterday studying and will spend the majority of today writing lesson plans, study guides and then I will study some more! I put up the Christmas decorations when Winter Break began and will take them down when I get tired of them! This is a fun thread to read!

[tdavenport]

What a wonderful thread to start. Love hearing about different traditions! Dh went back to work today, but is off on Friday. Kids go back to school on the fourth. We started taking our Christmas decorations down yesterday and will finish this afternoon. (Tree looks a little odd right now without its adornments.)

Susie, Hope you have a wonderful birthday, despite having to work!

[Squeak]

The campus is officially closed for two weeks (Dec.21-Jan 4), but I had to work most of last week, and this week will be a regular work week for me, getting only New Year's Day off. Growing up, we used to put the tree up on Christmas Eve, but I suppose over the years I've succumbed to peer pressure and now in our household we put up the tree and all of the trimmings by the first weekend in December and we leave them up until Epiphany. Most folks I know have everything down by New Year's Day, and there are even a few who have everything down by Dec. 26th. We used to go out on New Year's Eve and do the whole party/club scene, but now, a nice, quiet dinner safe at home watching the ball drop on TV (New York City Times Square celebration) is our celebration of choice.

I had to google the word "Hogmanay." Cool tradition!

[Netleigh]

I try to have the week between Christmas and New Year at home with the family, it's such a pleasure to have a mid-winter rest. I suppose I'm lucky with work that I only occasionally have to cover a day in late December. It's a great chance to catch up on projects I've been unable to fit into life.
The tradition in my family is to leave decorations up until 12th night, then at 12th night there is a special cake 'Black Bun'.
I'm always surprised how early decorations are put up as we only do them the week before Christmas!

[janedee]

We're lucky to have our own business so we always try to shut down between Christmas and New Years. I love having that break and time to spend with family. We usually leave our tree up until Twelfth Night too.

[annaaspnes]

Fiona! That's the way it was for me when I lived in England. Big shock to come to the States and be back at work the day after Christmas. This year? The kids are home and I'll certainly be taking it easy until they're back in school.

[sam ellis]

Being sunny and hot and summer- we here in South africa are almost all off for our annual hols at this time of the year. Most businesses are closed til next week - and will really ONLY be fully functional by 11th Jan. Schools only go back then. - start of the new year.

Christmas decorations hang around til 6th Jan too.

I think we are definitely like the English in our traditions.

[connieg]

Fiona, growing up we never took our tree down before the 1st, my mom said it would bring bad luck if you did, not wanting to risk it, I leave mine up until after the first.
New Years eve we usually get together with friends and have dinner, maybe attend a party, but most often are home by midnight. On new years day we spend time at home with family and friends and enjoy a meal of pork and sour kraut and mashed potatoes.

[Blossom]

Still on Xmas vacation and I am off until the 4th A nice and long vacation with few vacation days taken. We are at our cottage in the mountains and enjoying the slopes and xcountry trails.

But... we are not looking forward to going home on Wednesday - we postponed a day as we really do not look forward to the thing waiting for us at home. From we left our house on the 23rd until now it has snowed and snowed - and 70 cm of snow have fallen down in our hometown according to our local newpaper at the web.... geez we have got some work laid ahead of us....

[rj77]

Well, my dear sweet mil leaves her tree up much longer than most people. Sometimes for months. No kidding. So my husband typically takes ours down the day after Christmas. And truthfully, I don't mind at all. The first year, I was a little shocked when he started getting rid of the evidence of Christmas so soon. But it works for us. This year, he's got a bad sore throat, so my tree is still up. I'm very used to it usually being gone by this point, because it's feeling a little in the way. The kiddos don't go back to school until next week, so I try to let them have some very relaxed days, mixed with chores when needed!

[MIDA78466]

Well, in my line of work this is the busiest month of the year--trying to hit deadlines for year end on 12/31 for five different companies. Besides, I work with doctors and we have no such thing as holidays. They work 24/7. I do manage to get Christmas day off. Typically I am back at work on 12/26 and putting in long hours until after year end.

As far as my decorations go--usually get them down the first week in January. I don't have time to mess with it until then.

I'm jealous of all of you in your jammies playing on the computer. The good thing---I am thankful I have a job in today's economy.

[bjwtville]

Having been in health care all my life this is the first year that I have been off for Christmas and all through New Years. Usually only had one day off out of the eves or days of the holidays. Never Christmas and New years. Healthcare makes it tough on family vacations and Christmas...but I would not have traded what I did for 37 years for anything!!! I got so much by working....hopefully I made a difference in some lives!

[AllynD]

Well, now, I just had to google "Hogmanay" and think it is a wonderful word. My Scottish ancestry being several generations removed I did not know it (despite my red hair- and my GGF's last name was Hair or Hare, depending on his mood, it seems). I got his red hair, but never knew about Hogmanay.

I did not put up a tree this year for the first time ever, and I am quite pleased about it since I don't have to put all the decorations away now. I didn't miss it one bit.

[DebbieHodge]

We didn't get our tree and house decorated until the weekend before Christmas. I baked and bought a lot of yummy treats on the 23rd, so this week is really about enjoying the holidays at home for us---boys had friends over this weekend and now they're at friends' homes (and I miss them way too much). We got several movies and games as gifts and we've been working our way through them. DH is a prof and isn't working this week. We all love sleeping late and staying up late. I'll take the tree down next Monday or Tuesday when the boys are back in school. They hate to see it go. And there's no chance my dh is ever going to take it down

[deanie]

We spent a quiet Christmas week in Atlanta. DH had some minor surgery on Wednesday, and we had friends over for Christmas dinner. We left Atlanta on Sunday and today was our "Christmas" with all our children and grandchildren. Everyone has taken vacation this week and we plan to spend time doing fun things together here in Seattle. Our oldest grandboy turns 3 on Sunday so we will have a birthday party for him on Saturday before we leave to go home.

[cstaff]

Decorations are minimal at our house because of "dogs"... small tree... no lights (dogs again)... but many Herrenberg ornaments from our early days in Germany... electric candles in the windows with boughs of greens. My boys are not too celebratory so we do what works for all of us. I usually try to go to Christmas Eve services. The big feast is on Christmas Day after opening our gifts... very special with my mother joining us this year. I like to take down decorations before the first of the year but that varies. After the New Year, I am ready for new beginnings... house sprucing up and thoughts of seeds for the garden... back to routine. Such fond memories of childhood family traditions but they have gone by the wayside so Christmas is in my heart and I hold on to that... dearly...

[hendon]

Here in New Zealand we have Christmas day holiday then the day after is Boxing day holiday. Since that was a Saturday we got Monday off instead. Then this week New Years day holiday and the day after is a holiday, but since that falls on a Saturday it's moved to the next Monday too. So two 4 day weekends and I'd say most people take off at least the couple of days in between.

This is just the start of our summer holidays and the kids don't go back to school until the first week of February so it's really big holiday time here.

As for the decorations I'd say they come down fairly quickly as people are either off to the beach or just 'over it' like me.

[kathleen.summers]

What a fun thread!!

When I worked, I always took off the week between Christmas and New Year's. Ron usually doesn't work this week either.

We like to put up the tree as soon after Thanksgiving as possible. This year I got it on Dec 2 - Ron was out of town and I couldn't wait any longer! The tree and decorations come down usually New Year's Day - that's kind of a tradition for us too. The Christmas season for us goes from the day after Thanksgiving until Dec 31st.

Christmas is definitely a bigger deal than New Year's, but New Year's Eve/midnight is still a fun thing to celebrate. Today I got some mini-fireworks type stuff for the kids for New Year's Eve. Can't believe it will be 2010!