Christmas leave -v- New Years leave

[Homethroughthepuddles]

Someone in here has just suggested that staff with young children be given priority for Christmas leave, and staff without young children be given priority for leave on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

Sigh! When will some people get that not every adult without small children wants to go out and paint the town red on NYE? I haven't gone out to celebrate New Year in about ten years. I'm quite happy at home with a glass of champagne and the telly.

On the other hand I do value Christmas day with my extended family.

AIBU to wish people would stop suggesting this as some kind of 'fair' compromise. Maybe some young and childfree people might love the opportunity to go wild on New Year's Eve. But many people have no interest whatsoever in doing so, regardless of their family situation.

My husband has had one Christmas off in 8 years andbthats because of paternity leave. He works local authority and they give no fuck if you have kids. So what's with the moaning. Just don't give a fuck and live in the real world. Every one single. Married. Children are entitled to some form of Christmas leave.

You can have my New Year though - much rather work that than Christmas. In fact, for the last decade or so I've worked most of the bank holidays except Christmas. I view them as opportunities to take DH and the kids on a flight with me without him having to take too many other days off work.

We all request what we want and a colleague puts together a rota, people generally get what they want. We all know the work needs covering. If it didn't work our manager would look at who had time off over the last couple of years and allocate leave based on that.

It was a massive bone of contention in my old work place.

I'm a single parent to one DD and finding Christmas Eve/NYE childcare cover for her when she was younger was actually impossible. I've always had very supportive family around me who were more than happy to help out with DD whenever I was in a jam, but they understandably wanted to celebrate Christmas and NYE, so I could only work up to a certain point (early afternoon) on Christmas/New Year's Eve before needing to run and grab my daughter. I was the only parent in a team of 20-odd people and I never played the 'But I have a child!' card in a bid to get Christmas off work, but the simple fact was I had NO access to childcare arrangements later in the day and she was too little to be left alone at the time. As a single parent household, I simply didn't have a partner to fall back on for help.

I know it caused a lot of resentment at work, because it meant I couldn't work the later shifts (retail) and was therefore at home celebrating when others couldn't be. It made me feel hugely guilty, especially when the snide comments would start every time the Christmas rota was being drawn up. "Suppose Mary will get the time off ... AGAIN."

Had the option of alternating every year been doable, I would have done it without hesitation so that it was fair for everybody. But when DD was little, it just wasn't an option due to childcare restrictions. All I could do was offer to help out/cover various shifts for my colleagues throughout the rest of the year to try and make up for it. It's been years and I STILL feel bad about it!

In my office I always got Christmas cause I always let everyone else take holidays at water and in August. Most people where happy with that. One last made a fuss one year so I said no problem I'll work Christmas but I want two weeks off in August and water week. She changed her mind pretty quickly then. I was always very nice about it but I thought it was a fair compromise

I don't have an issue with this, if you really need it you plan early. I absolutely need the days around Christmas off as I have to travel to my mother so I need 24th and 27th off.

You don't absolutely need it off. You want it off, there's a difference. Your desire to see your mother is no more important than someone else's desire to spend it in their pyjamas drinking Bucks Fizz.

I have worked in the nhs for many years and always volunteered to work Christmas before I had kids so that I could have new year off.

Since having children I have worked a couple of different nhs jobs, one of which simply kept people on their normal rota and anyone wanting extra cash could volunteer to do extra on the bank holidays, so one year I worked over both Xmas and new year but as a weekend only worker it meant I would have a few years in a row where I would have both off so it worked out well all round.

In my current nhs post you can let them know your preference then see what you are given rota wise. Staff can then swap shifts to try and get the days off they want. I’m on Christmas and Boxing Day this year and I’m just going to accept it as it’s an early shift so will get home for dinner and the evening with my kids, and OH will be doing the cooking. Also means I’ll get Christmas off next year.

What really annoys me is people pleading for swaps due to having young kids when they are rostered to work say from 6pm on Christmas night...they’ve had all day off with their kids!! 🤷‍♀️

It's nice to see that the majority agree it should be fair. Even on a forum which is majority parents.
I think that people with children demanding time off is a separate issue to managers not sharing fairly. It's a bit harsh for someone to have worked 20 years on Christmas day when others always get it off.
We are all moaners. So many more people could have time off work through Christmas..but of course there's always someone wanting to call the joules helpline on boxing day because their pom pom has come loose from their slipper.

Who NEEDS to actually go to next on boxing day? Really? If people weren't so demanding, and retailers weren't so greedy, many more people could enjoy time off with only necessary jobs being worked (NHS etc...)

I don't want 24th or 27th off even though it's my turn to have first choice but I'd object very strongly if someone were given it automatically.

Personally, I don't have dc so I will happily work Xmas and allow others to spend it with their dc. However, the minute that becomes an expected sacrifice, I will start booking it off.

At the moment, I am given the option to get in on the Christmas leave as I have worked the last 5 and my team always ask if I am sure when I just offer to work it. But then, I don't work with expectant arse holes.

I have occasionally wondered about arguing that as an observant Christian I should have priority booking time off at Christmas as it is an important religious festival to me. But I've never had an employer or colleagues who would much appreciate that. New Year on the other hand, I don't give a monkey's about.

surely if too many people want xmas then it goes in turns

that's what's happened everywhere I work

xmas has always been the bigger and more important celebration, in my neck of the woods anyway

xmas eve was way bigger than nye and much more fun

changing now I blame something not sure what though :D

Like halloween starrting to overtake bonfire night when in past bonfire night was the big one!