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Why is christmas so long in the UK?
LadyCake
Posts: 3,126 Forum Member
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Sorry about the clumsy title but after calling clinic and being told it was shut , needing a particular item but shop being closed and reading a thread about News Night being off air cos it's CHRISTMAS...I am wondering when christmas actually starts and finishes in the UK?!
In other countries you tend to celebrate for two days before returning to normal.
Do you think christmas lasts too long ? Or do you wish it was like this all of the time and I should quit moaning? (I moan a lot
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In other countries you tend to celebrate for two days before returning to normal.
Do you think christmas lasts too long ? Or do you wish it was like this all of the time and I should quit moaning? (I moan a lot
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Absolutely none of the hype and panic that we're used to in the UK. We went food shopping last Thursday about 3pm. Ours was the only car in the supermarket car park! I had to take a photo to show my friends back in Nottingham struggling in the mayhem!
Christmas 'Holidays' (that's an Americanism if ever I heard one) start properly on Christmas Day and don't end until January 2 (or January 3 if in Scotland), or the Monday after January 2 - whichever comes last. However, it could be argued that it starts on Christmas Eve.
I wish it lasted longer! I only got a couple of days off.
I think this year it was only between xmas day & tuesday our Sainsburys opening times were disrupted.
Eh? In Spain the Christmas festive period is actually longer than the UK's. It's three weeks; Christmas Eve/Day, New Year, and then the Three Kings on the night of the 5th of January.
And of course it's very special. Presents arent exchanged until the 6th of January, which means Christmas Day itself is more about being in the company of family and friends, and good food of course.
Is it? I thought Spain had a very traditional attitude towards christmas although christmas day isn't the big blow out it is here in the UK. Do they not celebrate it over a longer period instead? Your picture reminds me of a scene from "Dawn of the Dead" film when the car park is deserted!
My sibling's American treat Thanksgiving as a much bigger holiday than christmas
Maybe it depends on the industry you work in?
British people need more time off work but I do think we go overboard at this time of year! Bah:o
Where do you get that idea from???? Over in the USA, they only have Christmas Day off and then its "business as usual" the next day cos they dont have Boxing Day over there like we do!! They may have had an extra day off on Monday or the previous Friday in lieu of the fact that Christmas Day was on a weekend day this year. And even New Years Day isnt even a Public Holiday as such per se!! In fact it all depends on how much time firms want to give their workers off and, more often than not, if workers want to take more time off during Christmas cos they are going away, then they have to take the time off out of their annual vacation leave, which is not a lot compared to this country!! On average its only about 2 weeks, compared to our 5 or 6 weeks annual leave!!
In fact this past Christmas, due to the economy, there were some large department stores and grocery stores that were even open on Christmas Day!!:eek::eek::eek:
We have the local co op open on xmas day? On account of them not celebrating xmas I think. Although they could only sell booze between 12 & 3.
I didn't think it at all tbh, it was my daughters friends dad that works for an American firm that said the Yanks have a week off. Not sure where that came from, from them then!
Half his luck!
The newsagent two minutes from my dad's house is open every Christmas Day. The staff and manager are principally white British, so they probably celebrate Christmas, but open anyway. They must do some decent business, because they've been doing it for a good few years to date.
I was at the doctors today, all doctors were in and the whole of town was open as normal, as was the pharmacy and supermarket. Buses were also running normally and most places look as if they were open.
Do you live somewhere really small?
Oddly, the only thing which seems to have taken a break for Xmas is the kebab van (hasn't been out since the day before Xmas eve)
This country needs to take a chill pill so bad so yeah, I think you should stop moaning!
5-6 weeks? Maybe if your a 100k exec
All of the jobs I've ever had have been 20 days a year.. 3 weeks or so.
Worked for an American company that have 25 days and an extra day off on your birthday.
I am looking forward to starting my new job which is only 35 hours per week, as opposed to the 40 hours in my previous job. However, the commute will take 50 minutes on public transport, as opposed to being a 10 minute drive usually :rolleyes:
No we don't.
I get over 30 days leave a year and I'm certainly not on anything like 100k. And no I'm not in the public sector before the anti-public sector ranters start climbing onto their soap boxes.
Public holidays can actually be good for the economy. Think about how many people go away for the extended break.
Compared to America we have loads.. We just have the smallest in the EU I think. I believe in the USA there's no statutory holiday allowance whatsoever, so it's down to the companies to give them out, and something like 25% of the workforce don't get paid holidays :eek:
I think it's working hours in the UK which need sorting out. I mean most of us work 8, 9, 10 hour days a day but we are so inefficient. I was working 12 hour days in my last job.
I work in a 24/7 call centre and they're open over Christmas & New Year. Although because one site is closing they actually shut the doors on 25th/26th and will be doing the same on 1st/2nd with the other site & homeworkers working instead. This year I had 24th-26th off, and the 28th, and I will also be off this weekend.
The company my boyfriend works for (in the building trade) used to close for 10 days over Christmas/New Year but this year he went back yesterday, but only for a short day, and will be doing the same short hours tomorrow. He's off on Monday and then back as normal.