Are U.S. Federal Holidays Effectively Timed?

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  • Thread starter Thread starter Loren Booda
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the timing of U.S. Federal Holidays, questioning whether the current distribution of holidays throughout the year is effective. Participants explore the implications of holiday scheduling on vacation planning, personal preferences, and potential adjustments to the holiday calendar.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that the current distribution of holidays, with fewer in the March to August period and more from September to February, could be improved.
  • One participant notes that employees often plan vacations during the summer when children are out of school, indicating a preference for holidays at different times.
  • Another participant appreciates the cluster of holidays between Labor Day and Christmas, mentioning a practice of "banking" holidays for later use.
  • A participant observes that many holidays are scheduled on Mondays or Fridays, implying a pattern that may not be coincidental.
  • One participant proposes the idea of moving holidays like Christmas or New Year's Day to June to balance the holiday distribution.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the effectiveness of the current holiday timing, with no consensus reached on whether changes should be made or what those changes might entail.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight various assumptions about vacation planning, personal preferences, and the implications of holiday scheduling, but these assumptions remain unresolved and are not universally accepted.

Loren Booda
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Do you think our Federal Holidays in the U.S., with 2 during the half-year from March through August, and 8 during that from September through February, could be more effectively timed?
 
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employees probably plan vacation time in the summer when their children are out of school. so naturally, they'd want their holidays at another time.
 
That spate of holidays between Labor Day and Christmas is kinda nice, for me. My employer let's us work on holidays (with permission) and take the holiday at a later date (within three months). For some reason people almost inevitably take those "banked" holidays somewhere between December 20 and 30.
 
Have you noticed that most holidays fall on a Monday or a Friday. Far too many to be coincidence alone.
 
Loren Booda said:
Do you think our Federal Holidays in the U.S., with 2 during the half-year from March through August, and 8 during that from September through February, could be more effectively timed?

It's even more skewed than you think. You have fewer days between the autumnal equinox and vernal equinox than you do between the vernal equinox and the autumnal equinox, yet you have more holidays.

I'm all for more time off in the Summer (I'm also for going to double dog daylight savings time from June 1 to Sep 1, where the clocks are advanced two hours past standard time.)
 
So, should we move Christmas or New Years Day to June?
 

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