U.S. "Holiday" Days?

[bento]

I work at a manufacturing plant and we've always had off the period between Christmas and New Year's. They're now giving us the whole week of Thanksgiving, although it costs us in PTO.

My father-in-law retired from a defense contract manufacturer, and they traditionally closed the plant for two week period around Independence Day.

 

[kenobi65]

I work at a manufacturing plant and we've always had off the period between Christmas and New Year's. They're now giving us the whole week of Thanksgiving, although it costs us in PTO.

When I worked for Quaker Oats, we had some manufacturing plants that would shut down entirely during certain weeks, due to hunting season. (I guess they had so many people who wanted to take time off, and hunting was such a part of the culture in those places, that it wasn't worth pissing off the employees who wouldn't be allowed to take time off...)

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Sadly, this isn't universal in the US. I learned attending a private college, where the only holiday we had was Thanksgiving (Christmas, New Year's, and Independence Day typically fell during between-quarter breaks). Made me happy to go work for the federal government. Even better in the military, where we tend to add "training holidays" to the federal holidays, to turn all the three-day weekends into four-day weekends. Of course, now I'm in an assignment where we aren't on a training schedule and therefore don't get training holidays.

Growing up in California, our school system didn't take Columbus Day off, but did take a holiday around Easter (though it wasn't tied to a specific Easter-season holiday). I suspect most local school systems have their own quirks ... add snow days for northern states.

I'm in the ammo business now, and our two prime contractors take week-to-two-week breaks around Independence Day and Christmas-New Year's. It's the only time they can shut all the lines down to maintain the machinery.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

For schools, Easter break is usually called "Spring Break". Although dates of Spring Break vary amongst colleges, it's usually right around Easter for public schools.

Edit: And if one has to make up snow days, those dates are the first to go. Then they start taking teacher workdays (some of them) and then finally, tack on days at the end of the school year.

Here in NC, they seem to freak out in our part of the state when it comes to snow.... a few little flakes and they're twitching to close schools. And as far as work, people trying to call out of work....

 

[BOZ]

they wouldn't last a day in chicago winter.

 

[kenobi65]

they wouldn't last a day in chicago winter.

Nope.

I remember, several years ago, in Raleigh-Durham, they got what even we in Chicago would call a big snowstorm. A friend of mine, who moved there from Chicago, sent me pictures; the region was largely paralyzed for days.

OTOH, even up here, the first time it snows every year, it seems like 75% of the drivers have NEVER driven in snow before. Maybe it's something that's easy to forget.

 

[Kurashu]

In Illinois, schools and some businesses take Casmir Pulaski Day off. I think we're the only state that does that.

It's about the only good thing a Polish person's done for me. =P


I'm kidding of course. They make for great light bulb jokes too. Although, if I'd say that out loud, I'd get beat. My town seems to have an unusually large Polish population.

 

[kenobi65]

In Illinois, schools and some businesses take Casmir Pulaski Day off. I think we're the only state that does that.

I thought it was pretty much limited to the city of Chicago; not sure how much it's done in the rest of the state.

And, it's entirely due to the large Polish-American population in Chicago.

 

[drothgery]

At my office, we get...

New Years Day
Presidents Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Day After Thanksgiving
Company Holiday (Christmas Eve this year, but really just a weekday between Christmas and New Year's)
Christmas Day
Personal Holiday (whenever)

And we're closed for the most part between Christmas and New Year's, so most of the time you can't work then even if you want to (if you're out of vacation and have used your personal holiday, then it's just unpaid time). Which kind of sucks, but it's not like I'd work then anyway.

 

[Darth K'Trava]

Nope.

I remember, several years ago, in Raleigh-Durham, they got what even we in Chicago would call a big snowstorm. A friend of mine, who moved there from Chicago, sent me pictures; the region was largely paralyzed for days.

OTOH, even up here, the first time it snows every year, it seems like 75% of the drivers have NEVER driven in snow before. Maybe it's something that's easy to forget.

I've come thru DC one year on a school trip and got stuck in the middle of a heavy snow. Found out the people there couldn't handle it any better than we could.... Made the trip back from NYC much more arduous and took us 24 hours to get back (also had the bus break down before running into the heavy snow).

We get morons who drive on snow just like driving on dry pavement.... idiots.


Not to mention there's this big rush for bread and milk when snow is forecast... ::shrug::