At long last, Christmas Break has arrived!
I take it for granted that most people don’t get two weeks off at Christmas. Frankly, that should be the norm; in some ways, it seems to be, at least in “white-collar” work. When I was working my one major job outside of education, I don’t think my office phone rang for two days. E-mails came in at a trickle. If I had the work ethic then that I have now, I would have knocked out a lot of little tasks; instead, I read Wikipedia entries and took it easy in the mostly-empty office.
We may not appreciate the True Meaning of Christmas anymore, but there’s still a very strong, vestigial reverence for this season. Everything shuts down for a week or two; everyone is cheery; and everybody is enjoying parties and family time. There’s a general sense that this time is not meant for working, but for indulging in fatty foods with loved ones. Late nights by the fire, reminiscing about departed family, remember old glories and ancient stories—that’s Christmastime.
The Portly Politico 