Well here in the Uk we don't do Thanksgiving, so our next public holiday is Christmas. I'll be working up until the 24th December till 11pm. Then I'm free till Monday 28th when I start again at 7am. I then work through on call 24/7 until Monday 4th January at 11pm, when I next get a 5 day break.

For Christmas Day I will be having it with friends. I supply the Turkey, they do the veg, trimmings and desert. My partner and I will be spending 3 days in the Holiday Inn Stoke On Trent, M6 Jct 15, while visiting family over the 26th and 27th. The only thing that bugs me is that I'll be having the full Christmas Day Dinner 3 times in 3 days! But it's only once a year so we put with it.

New Year is usually quite and only 3 times in 10 years has anyone being called out on an emergency call out on New Years Eve. So I'm hopeful that I won't be called to fix a computer somewhere and I'm able to see in the New Year without screaming at a computer calling it all the names under the sun. If you would like to see how I deal with computers when they annoy me, I take a leaf out of the Basil Fawlty way to treat a car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl3mfaWCnWw

US Holidays

The United States does not have National Holidays. The President designates Federal Holidays for federal employees and for the District of Columbia. These are listed in bold. Individual States may have additional holidays not listed below. Most of us will only receive an average of 7 holidays a year off from work.

New Year's Day: January 1

Martin Luther King's Birthday: January 15

Robert E. Lee's Birthday: January 19 or Third Monday in January

Inauguration Day: January 20 after a Presidential election

Mardi Gras: Last day before Lent in February or early March

Groundhog Day: February 2

Lincon's Birthday: February 12

Valentine's Day: February 14

St. Patrick's Day: March 17

Presiden'ts Day/Washington's Birthday: Third Monday in February

Good Friday: Friday before Easter Sunday

Easter: Spring Sunday

Memorial Day: last Monday in May or May 30

April ****'s Day: April 1

Earth Day: April 22

Mother's Day: Second Sunday in May

Father's Day: Third Sunday in June

July 4th/Independence Day: July 4

Labor Day: First Monday in September

Columbus Day: October 12 or Second Monday in October

Halloween: October 31

General Election Day: First Tuesday after first Monday in November

Veterans Day/Armistice Day: November 11

Thanksgiving Day: Fourth Thursday in November. Day after is observed as a full or partial holiday in several states

Christmas Day: December 25

New Year's Eve: December 31

Would be great if April Fools Day would be actually be a holiday. Amanda put a nice list together with all the holidays / celebration days. Would be great if they all would be observed, but as she stated we only get about 7 of them off from work

If not a federal employee, then most of us get 7 days off a year to include these holidays: New Year's Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day

This of course, does not count for employers who offer additional holiday paid days to their employees like MLK, day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, etc...

Unfortunately, we end up using 'paid time off/vacation days/sick time' to complement the one day most of receive for a particular holiday.

No wonder you Americans don't travel outside your country much if what you say you get in annual leave is so.

I get 28 days paid holiday a year that is done pro rata; so 1 week for every 13 weeks I work. We also get the 8 Bank Holidays. We can either work them for double pay or take a day lieu with pay. So we could actually end up with 36 days paid holiday.

Well for the holidays the family and I would go to see my parents in Nashville TN. But we have decided  to start our own thing and for now we will be staying home.

As for time off, I'm currently at 7 days holiday, 3 weeks vacation, and 5 sick days. Not too bad for only 3 1/2 years in one place.

This year for the first time, we are travelling over Christmas. Flying out from London on Boxing Day (26th December) to Washington DC. We want to see the in the New Year in front of the White House (you never know, we might get an invite?) Then onto a beach... haven't decided where yet - looking like HI Sunspree Montego Bay, however who knows!

With no kids and no parents, we take off on holiday at every opportunity.  If I was also retired (my partner retired early, 12 years ago) we'd probably be away even more.  Going somewhere WARM for Christmas/New Year has become very important to us, living in the frozen northwest of England, so we've visited different places in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean, Asia and Australasia to catch some southern sun.  This year we're in Singapore for Christmas (only had New Year there previously) and Christmas Island for NewYear (just to be contrary - it'd be too much to be on Christmas island at Christmas!!!).  I can't wait, but I'm a bit concerned about the standard of accommodation on Christmas Island, lots of self catering and limited facilities...but it'll be an experience and I expect the christmas decorations will be lower key than in the UK (I hope!).