what’s your company doing for the holidays this year? — Ask a Manager

“We are closing for two weeks!”

My company is doing that too! (or pretty close to it, we shut after the 20th and come back on the 2nd)
I am so excited! and really looking forward to not only being able to gather with family over Christmas without being tired from doing work stuff the day before, but especially the time AFTER Christmas through New Year’s when I have absolutely nothing planned except one get together with friends

Plus, a huge bonus for me – we usually end work before Christmas with a half day on the 23rd, capped with a catered luncheon and Yankee Swap. (we’re less than 20 people, so we do it onsite with rented tables, chafing dishes and catered food from a local place) But this year, since the 23rd falls on a Monday, we’re just getting that day as a bonus day off. No party …

I’m the person who single-handedly plans and pulls off the party … which I normally enjoy, even though it’s a LOT of work. But this year, I’ve been swamped since November, doing not just my normal job (finance, payroll, operations, compliance, HR – which last week included a surprise offer letter/new hire, an employee with performance issues coming to a head including day I walked in and was immediately met by the CEO saying “you should check with Mfg Mgr … he needs you to call 911 for Bob” … like, why are you waiting for ME to dial 911 for a medical emergency??! and then me sitting with Bob, who didn’t want 911 called, but needed calming down and coaxing to call someone to come get him because he was not fit to drive, and then trying to reach his emergency contact the next day when he was MIA, didn’t call in, but sent 2 gibberish texts) which are all part of the hats I usually wear, but also sales admin, logistics and export compliance and letters of credit for several large orders, PLUS several last-minute special year-end projects like “let’s finally inventory and clear out decades of computer equipment, paper archives, obsolete inventory, toner cartridges and UPS batteries, arrange services to dispose/recycle all that and have the carpets cleaned (which is going to mean tomorrow is spent clearing out offices, hallways, conference rooms) … which invariably needed my involvement.

I have no idea when and how I would have added “organize, source and hold company luncheon/gift exchange” in the midst of all that. LOL!
So it has been a huge relief to just have that entire task erased from my “to-do” list.
(and from what I can tell, many employees are happier with the paid day off than they would have been coming in for a half-day on a Monday for a company party)

Sorry for that wall of text … it just felt really good to write that all out.
Any friends, family I’ve tried to explain it to have responded with an unsatisfying “yeah this time of year is busy for everyone” when what I really would have loved is a simple, empathetic “Wow! that sounds crazy! You must be really looking forward to the break”