The Ape pokes the hornet's nest.

[KAV]

Another thread mentioned canadian stores curtaining window displays on the sabbath. It would be nice to have business and the sacred return to seperate activities again.

[m3m0ryleak]

Greg,

I stand shoulder to shoulder with you on this. For years, I worked with two other guys (with family) who always claimed the holiday weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's which left me, the single guy carrying the load those weeks. Over time, co -worker #1 transferred out leaving co-worker #2 still claiming those holiday weeks with his rationale of "I got family". I finally beat him to the punch, documented all the preceding years to management, got the time off and p*ssed the bejeezus out of co-worker #2 who has since been "downsized". Revenge IS a dish best served cold!

[PACHUCO]

I'm on your side Ape. I have a co-worker who recently had a child, (now don't get me wrong I'm very happy for them) but has since taken the opportunity to use the excuse mentioned in the former posts. When they did not receive the holiday time off they had requested they were not pleased, and of course wasted no time mentioning their "rational". If I had children (and hope to soon) I think I would rather show them; a hard work ethic, fairness, sacrifice and responsibility regardless as to what time of year it is. I have other co-workers with children and they have not balked at having to work during holidays. In my employment we run 24/7 and only a certain number of people can be off at any given time. I consider it part of the career path we chose to work on holidays.

[GollyMrScience]

I am self employed - what are these "holidays" you speak of?!

[Chap]

You have my support, if you are employed under equal terms, they cannot offload their work to you when it is inconvenient for them to do it.

[Squire]

I let everyone off for the holiday and transfer the calls to my cell.

[2clfrwrds]

Greg, more power to you! You've been very kind the past several years, and it's time for your coworkers to extend the same civility to you.

Stuff like this really makes me angry.

It seems that some parents get so caught up in their children that they forget to be civil to the rest of the world. One morning five years ago I came out of my house to find a neighbor in my yard, carelessly hacking branches off my blue spruce. I demanded to know what she was doing, and she explained that her son needed the branches for his costume for a school event.

I had to take the tree down a few years later. The hacked-up areas never did grow back, and it looked like hell. We used to get along with the neighbor, but she took it badly when I told her to never again come into my yard unless my wife or I were present; in her mind I'm wrong for thinking her son's costume was less important than my tree.

--Glenn

[JayTrek]

I am also behind you on this one, Greg.

I consider myself fortunate that the company I work for lets us all off for 10 days around Christmas and New Years.

[aircraft_electrician]

Like most parents, I love spending time with my children. However, taking advantage of co-workers to get that time is not acceptable. Do your co-workers get Christmas day off even if they don't get all the time off they requested? If so, they have nothing to whine about. There are many parents that will have to work on Christmas.

Even if they have to work on Christmas day, it's definitely their turn. You've been more than kind in the past, and children or not, your turn to enjoy your holiday is well over due.

Having children is an extremely important part of my life, but teaching them to respect others and to make personal sacrifices for the sake of others is just as important.

Tom