WWYD re:PTO

financialdiva

Would you take the week off of Thanksgiving and 1.5 weeks off at Christmas (Mon before until 1/2/14) Or would you take more random Fridays/Mondays off for long weekends?

I have three available days to take random long weekends in addition to the available time to take the above off. Plus I am busy until mid-October and really shouldn't be taking random days until then.

aglenn

I like to take some time at the holidays because everyone else is off, so it's a less busy time.  Plus it is no good to be the only one on the team working during that time!  Especially since you still have a few other days to take randomly, I would choose option 1.

ccam

LibraryChica said:

Option 1. I may have voted for option 2 (I love the long weekend) until I saw that you can't really take advantage until October.

I agree.  If you have to wait til mid-October, I would just go for the long stretches of time off.

BeachBum73

I usually save some time so I can take off chunks of time at the holidays.  I WFH so I do have more flexibility which probably makes it easier to just get through the random Mon/Fri days.

cedenton

EAMartin1004 said:

I'd do a combo.  I'd probably want the time at Christmas, but would work the week of Thanksgiving. That way I could use those extra days for long weekends.

What she said. Those random days would be great for "me" time, but clumped together I would feel too guilty to do that more than one day.

costa2011

I personally take random days off here and there to get more out of weekends. I figure holidays are exciting enough and to take a day off on a Monday makes a regular weekend just as exciting.

LoCarb

I'm in favor for random days. I know in December I enjoy a day off to complete shopping without crowds (well a wknd crowd). And in my area, October has perfect weather offering several events I could attend sans kids (ie: state fair, wine festival,etc...)

MidwestGidget

Another vote for a combo. We take off between Christmas and NYE, but no extra time for Thanksgiving. Sometimes it's really nice to be at the office close to holiday time when only half of the staff is there--almost like a working vacation. Plus, when it's quieter, it's easier to get your stuff done without people interrupting you.

Also, I don't know about your personal time, but I try to keep a day reserved in case I need to stay home for a plumber/appliance repair guy etc.

Karla CS

I'm in the combo boat too.. Christmas I would take off for sure - most business in the US seem to grind to a halt that week, even for those of us that are federally mandated to stay open. Thanksgiving week, not as important unless you're planning for a huge event and need the days before to prepare.

I especially find that as we get into fall/winter and the days get shorter, having a couple longer weekends where I have time to get stuff done is really helpful.