subcon

can anyone tell me if boxing day, which falls on a sunday this year, will be celebrated on that day or on the monday following?

i'm thinking of flying from CDG to LHR on the 26th (for the astronomically low fare of $55), but don't want to be confronted with two straight days of closed sites and restaurants.

thanks for any help...

flanneruk

Boxing Day, if it's on Sunday, will see at least as large a proportion of things closed as a weekday Boxing Day. Part of the point of the English Christmas break is that people get at least two successive days at home with their family.

Additionally, some things - though it's not yet clear what - will be closed on Monday 27, or even Tues 28 as well. It's not that Boxing Day's "transferred" (for no-one can "transfer" Boxing Dsy). But there is a two-day holiday entitlement, and since both Christmas Day and Boxing Day will fall on non-working days, those entitlements will transfer to Mon and Tues.

This will have limited - but some effect - on operations which usually work fully on Sats and Suns.

subcon

thanks for the prompt response and that's what i meant (the entitlement).

i wish there were a more definitive way of finding out just what will be closed. neither the tate nor the national gallery indicate closure on the 27th.

i simply hate to arrive to find that much of london is down on the 27th as my return flight to the states is on the 31st leaving me what i consider very little time to do london.

Spygirl

Gee, it's nice to know that you all in the U.K. are "entitled" to two workdays off if Christmas/B-Day falls on a weekend-here in the US we're "entitled" to 0 days off, Christmas day only-if it falls on a Sunday, tough! No Boxing Day for us, no sir!

flanneruk

It's very unlikely that these galleries will be closed on the 27th. They're open Sats and Sundays, so their staff will have had their hols.

What's virtually certain to be closed on the Mon and Tues are:
- private art galleries (the sort you buy from, but that show good exhibitions), as these usually close Sats and Suns
- anything else that's normally closed Sat and Sun.

What might affect you is that offices will be closed on the Mon and Tues. So businesses that depend on the income from workers (who outnumber tourists in central London by tens or hundreds to one) may take the decision that it's more efficient to close those two days as well. Or even to close from Dec 24 to Jan 3. So there'll be a lot of restaurants, for example, out of action, and public transport will work to less frequent schedules. However, as there'll be far fewer users, public transport will be a lot more user-friendly.

Barbara

Boxing Day doesn't apply in Scotland, also part of the UK.

As Christmas Day is a legal holiday in the US, if it lands on a Sunday, then the following day is a holiday, just like the Fourth of July this year. Here, many businesses now close for the whole week between Christmas and New Year. Anyone who has to work on a legal holiday is paid more and has to have alternative time off. So, yes, I would say it is an entitlement here.

Spygirl

Barbera- where do you base your contention that if Christmas falls on a Sat./Sun. the next day is automatically a holiday? I am certainly unaware of that, because I've been working many a Dec. 26th. Now, the Pres. has, from time to time "declared" Dec. 26 to be a day off for federal workers if Dec. 26 falls on a Friday, but other than that, I am totally unaware of any such "entitlement" of a day off for the US.

Barbara

Well, I thought my example of the Fourth of July this year clearly showed what I base my contenion on. Non-government workers work at the discretion of their employers, but I know when my trash gets picked up a day late because of a holiday. A legal holiday is just that. Even though you may not get the day off on that day, you do get a day off at some time, unless you are self employed, when the rules all change.

Spygirl

And Barbara-I really hope you didn't mean to say that this July 5th of two weeks ago was a holiday in this country. I don't know where you're getting this nonsense, but I can assure you it was NOT. If people take time off from work, that's different, of course-but they're charged for that. The idea that July 5th or Dec. 26 is a day off in this country, simply because the holiday falls on a weekend, is not based on fact.

Barbara

Sorry, spygirl, but July 5 most certainly was a holiday.

janis

Barbara is correct - there wasn't even any mail delivery on Mon July 5. All US Govt offices were closed, courts, state and local govt in most jurisdictions, doctors offices, many private companies, etc were mostly closed. Stores were open of course.

It is becoming the norm in most states that a Sunday holiday results in a Monday day off . . . . . . .

lyb

Spygirl,

I don't know who you work for, but if they made you work on July 5th, and they'll make you work on December 26th and January 2nd, (unless you are working in retail) they are cheating you out of a holiday which most company give to their employees on the holidays.

It is common practice for most employers that if a regular paid holiday falls on Saturday, employees get the previous Friday off, if the holiday falls on Sunday, employees get the Monday off.

I don't know how old you are, but I've been working for over 30 years and that's the way it's always been, and yes, that includes banks and federal/state employees.

So therefore, I again advise you, talk to your employer, unless you are an employer and you'be been cheating your employees. Stop calling Barbara names, as she is right and you are EXTREMELY wrong!!!!!!!

Londonholly

If I do not know what is closed on a boxing day (or any other day) I am sending an email to the shop or gallery or whatever and ask politly if they could help me. Usually I get an answer very soon. Maybe you should make a list of what you want to do or see and send out some mails?

Kavey

From a website I found that the US has the following national holidays:
New Year's Day
MLK Day
Presidents Day
Memorial Day
Flag Day (hadn't heard of this one)
Independence Day (which was listed for 4th AND 5th)
Labor Day
Columbus Day
Veterans Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas Day

That's 11 days. Do you generally get all of those off?

In England we get the following:
New Year's Day
Good Friday
Easter Monday
May Bank Holiday
Spring Bank Holiday
August Bank Holiday
Christmas Day
Boxing Day

Which is a measly 8. Though I think both Scotland and Ireland have additional days.

Ick.
Subcon, sorry, I'm of no help on your original question.

CPHtraveller

Since I am from Denmark I cannot comment on holidays in UK/US, but I simply want to say that a couple of years ago I went to London for christmas and found that Boxing Day was absolutely wonderful. London was so quiet and we spend the whole day just walking round all the places that are usually crammed with people. You will, after all, have some days with open shops/museums/galleries, so I would take that very cheap ticket and go - and enjoy a day of Christmas silence in London.

Lori

Kavey, The majority of U.S. workers do not get the days you have listed. If one is lucky enough to work for the Federal Gov. or a State Gov. (as I do) you get Veteran's Day and MLK Day, but many private companies do not include those as paid holidays. Many companies "took" President's Day away from employees and "gave" them MLK Day so nothing was gained (this happened to me where I work). Large companies may "give" the day off after Thanksgiving but no all do. As for holidays that fall on the weekend, yes it is nice if the companies gives you the Monday off to compensate for it,but I do not think they have to. I have a friend who works for a school in Texas and they did not get an extra day off because July 4th fell on a weekend day this year. It all depends on the gov/state agency or the company. 8 paid holidays a year (as most get) is NOT much compared to what the rest of the western world gets.

As for Boxing Day - I have been inLondon on that day and it was not any problem. Things were open as I recall (OK, maybe not everything) but we did not feel we missed much. I've been there over long Bank Holiday time off too and it has been no problem. Most tourist oriented things are open.

SiobhanP

I definateley did not get all those holidays off. Many of the holidays listed are optional by state I think(?). Good Friday is religious but I think some companies had 1 day to take for religious holiday as some of my friends took certain days off for Jewish holy holidays. I always envied people working in europe as the 1 year at work you are entitled to approx 20-24ish days holiday (vacation) and public/bank holidays listed by Kavey....I even get St. Paddy's Day off...such a novelty!

Kavey

8 is the same as we get in England. Certainly the rest of the UK and most of mainland Europe get more days than we do, from what I have read.

Ah well... at least in the UK most workers get 17+ days annual leave and 20-25 is more common.

Now I'm self-employed I have to balance my impulse to take months and months off each year with the need to do some work to fund myself! LOL!

lyb

In the U.S., most regular workers only get the following holidays:

New Year's Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas Day

That's the holidays that most employers can't get away without giving to theier employees, I know that's all I get.

FromAtlanta

This is what I just read on "www.welcometolondon.com" and then I reemembered this thread

"On most Public Holidays, known as Bank Holidays in the UK, many shops, museums and other attractions remain open although public transport services sometimes may be less frequent. However, most businesses close on Boxing Day and they almost certainly will on Christmas Day.

If you are planning to visit a certain attraction, museum or shop on a Public Holiday, it is advisable to call first to avoid disappointment."