Day 318 - what do you mean Thanksgiving is next week?

Today is the 3rd day of the 46th week, the 14th day of the 11th month, the 317th day of 2023, and:

• Family Day
• International Day Against Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Property
• International Girls Day
• Loosen Up, Lighten Up Day
• National American Teddy Bear Day
• National Block It Out Day
• National Family PJ Day
• National Pickle Day
• National Seat Belt Day
• National Spicy Guacamole Day
• National Young Readers' Day
• Operating Room Nurse Day
• Spirit of National Speakers Association Day
• World Diabetes Day
• and Voyager 1 is 22h 30m 34s of light travel time from Earth

Quote of the day:

"Too much of a good thing can be taxing."

~  Mae West, American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright whose career spanned seven decades

The day started out with a discussion about my direct report's schedule for next week - and ended up with her working from home hone day and taking off another.  Seems schools in our area are on half days next Monday and Tuesday and off on Wednesday and Friday.

That is what brought it home to me that the holiday season is just around the corner....

This is the kind of Advent season retailers love, and it happens every time Thanksgiving is "early" - a situation that arises whenever the 1st hits on a Wednesday or Thursday and we have five Thursdays in the month.   The earliest possible date that fourth Thursday can land is November 22nd [and the latest is the 28th], and having those extra shopping days is a boon to every store owner.  

I am old enough to remember when stores first opened on the Sundays leading up to Christmas, sometime in the mid-1970's hereabouts.  It started out small - only large stores and only from noon to 6PM each Sunday of Advent - and it was a very popular innovation.  Well, not so much with employees who could no longer count on being off on Sundays,  but eventually all the blue laws were repealed and every Sunday became another shopping day.    

I guess it was just one more stop to the madness of being open on the holidays.  At first stores would open at midnight on Thanksgiving Day to accommodate those eager Black Friday shoppers, then grocery stores started staying open.  The same thing has happened with New Year's Day, and there are some places that are now open on Christmas [and I don't just mean the ubiquitous 7-11].    

I guess I am a little old-fashioned, but I do think there are some days that employees should be able to spend time with their families.  Of course, there were always those who had to work - hospital staff, emergency responders, firemen, police, military - for whom the holiday was just another day, but it does seem a shame that we can't agree to take a deep breath and relax all at once sometimes.

And while we are on the subject, I am a firm believer that every Black Friday and Boxing Day should be paid holidays as well.  Anyone who has done the cooking and planning and decorating and family coordinating deserves to recuperate the day afterwards, neh?  Holidays are hard work!