Hotels and gas stations opened Christmas Day?
 

We will be traveling Christmas Day. Will we have trouble finding gas stations opened on the Interstate? Hotels? Thanks.

I will assume you are traveling in the U.S. Hotels will definitely be open and most gas stations will as well, especially along interstates.

I always recommend that folks fill their tanks completely early on Christmas Eve to reduce the possibility of needing gas on Christmas Day. Although many are open that day, if you find yourself in a small town, you may not find one. Also, don't wait until your tank says "empty" to refill. Refill no less than at a quarter tank just to be safe.

As a side note, I try very hard NOT to use any services (hotels are an exception) on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day and 4th of July. I just think the folks who work at gas stations, stores, etc. should get to spend the holidays with their loved ones also.

That doesn't make sense - if they are making the effort to stay open, they should be rewarded with business. It's their choice to remain open.

It is the owners NOT the employees who decide to stay open for xmas to earn a few bucks at the expense of the employees who are forced to work. I am with toed on this one. Its ONE day...let them spend it with their family!

Lizzie - In my opinion, we have become so demanding as consumers that we have told companies that we would rather make other people work on Christmas Day rather than plan ahead or do without for one day.

When I was growing up, you bought gas the day before the holiday, you bought batteries, gravy, ketchup, etc. in the days before. If you forgot, you did without until the day after. Seems to me, it really wasn't that much of an inconvenience and the people who worked at the markets, drug stores and gas stations got to spend the day with their family.

Now we have Carl's Jr staying open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Christmas Day so that we can get $6 dollar burgers at the last minute instead of thinking ahead and making sandwiches for the drive.

Rather than "rewarding" the companies for staying open, I prefer to do what I can to make it unprofitable so that the workers can get their holidays back.

toedtoes, I agree. I don't go to the store on Christmas Day, although I confess I did have to go to 7-11 get batteries once when my kids were very small.

Aren't you assuming everyone, everywhere (store owners & employees) celebrates Christmas? Even some who do observe the holiday don't mind working because they can make double-time pay or better. Should surgeons, pilots and other airline employees, TV companies, police, firemen, 911 operators, etc. all stay home on Christmas?

This is a strange question, if you ask me. Who as ever heard of all gas stations and hotels closing down on xmas? In all your life in America you've never traveled on a major holiday?

Don't patronise businesses & services that operate on xmas if that's the way you feel, but it seems to be rather fuzzy logic.

I completely agree with toedtoes as does the rest of my family. We do not spend any money on the major holidays either. It is not like the major holidays are a "surprise" and we do not know when they are. I have more respect for businesses that close on Thanksgiving, Christmas etc.

While it would be nice if everyone that celebrated a holiday could have the day off, but of course that is not possible for lots of folks.

While it may be an attempt to hit the business owners where it hurts [in the pocket] by not patronizing businesses open on holidays, keep in mind that not everyone celebrates [the same] holidays.

Also, please keep in mind those folks that work for gratutities on those days -- whether they are there because they simply wanted to be or whether it was assigned to them, don't punish them by not patronizing them.

My DD is a waitress and offers to work on Christmas because we do not celebrate the holiday and by doing so allows those who do celebrate to have the day off. She counts on those tips to pay her college tuition etc.

As for the OP, perhaps they are visiting the US for their first Christmas and simply don't know what to expect.

Debi

Bluestar - please let's not get into the whole "only Christmas" debate, there's been enough of that. :)

I don't shop on Thanksgiving Day, New Year's Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day or 4th of July either. I didn't mean for this to turn into a major debate. Everyone has their own reasoning. I don't shop on the holidays because of my reasoning.

We are from the States but this will be the first time we have traveled on Christmas Day so that is the reason for my question. I thought there would be hotels and gas stations opened along the interstate but did not know for sure.

Well if people who work at hotels and gas stations are not suppose to work because it is a holiday, then the hospitals better closed also and let their nurses/doctors go home. Dumbest thing I have ever read or heard here. And then if you refuse to go shopping or get gas on holidays you better not have to go to a hospital then during holiday so those nurses and staff can go home. Get real for petes sake

And some places pay their employees extra to work on Christmas Day. Possibly that extra income is very welcomed by some people. I have a "waiter" friend who loves working on Chrismas and other holidays because people tip more and he could care less about being home anyway.

Personally I can't quite relate the importance of a supermarket being open compared to a hospital, fire dept. police dept.etc being open. Quite a different cup of tea IMO.

The postoffices, banks, schools,federal,state, county and city offices, medical offices (at least in my area)libraries etc. all closed. Even the pharmacies inside the supermarkets are closed.

But this subject has been discussed time and time again and no one is ever going to agree with those with a different viewpoint.

Not all places pay their employees extra pay for having to work during the holidays. And many of these employees miss out on the holiday celebrations with their loved ones because they can't refuse to work as they would lose their jobs.

Just got a phone call a second ago from a grandson, he has to cancel seeing us Christmas Eve as he has to work, no choice in the matter.

And name calling regarding people's thinking and thoughts does not add anything to the discussion, never has and never will.

Aren't you glad you asked your innocent question cd, LOL? Happy holidays to you and yours along with a safe trip.

Gads...both my son and DIL have been on call Christmas and Thanksgiving. One is IT for Citi, and the other for a software company. All those places must be up and running 24/7 all year long...if a system comes down at Citi, and no transactions can be made...we'd all really be in a pickle wouldn't we! Sorry, cash only. :)

Hotels don't close, ever...unless there is a hurricane coming. :) There was no way to lock the doors of our hotel in Tampa when we had to evacuate. Hotels doors are meant always to be open. They had to take chains and padlocks to try and close it off from access to thieves when our area was evacuated.

Hotel employees will not work a 9-5 day Christmas. They will be home with their families at some point, but really, in the hotel business, which is always up and running, they are quite used to it. This hotel is already at 50% occupancy for Christmas day and the restaurants, which will have buffets, are doing a gangbusters business.

And I sure am glad the hotels in Paris did not close in '04 and '05. '04 was to be our first Christmas without kids since 1971. Much as we love each other's company, it would have been sad to be there, just the two of us with our memories...so we traveled, to Paris, and had so much fun we did it again the next year. It wasn't a novel idea--check airfares to Paris at Christmas time. Sky high.

I guess it just seems a little high-handed to selectively boycott businesses without any idea as to the employees motivations for working that day. And I also think that decreasing the profitability for the business could potentially hurt the employees. But, to each his own. It's funny that this is such a controversial topic, as I had never really considered it in the past.

My apologies CD, I had no intention of turning your thread into this.

As for the others, I would kindly appreciate it if you didn't call my ideas, suggestions, beliefs, etc. stupid, dumb, unreal, etc. I have not argued with any of you as to why you disagree with me, and I have no problem with your disagreeing with me, but I think it's rather rude to say my thoughts are the "dumbest thing on earth", etc. I don't call your ideas dumb.

One final comment and I won't post to this thread again, but all I was saying was I try not to use services on these days. I didn't say that the hospitals, etc. should close down - I'm not an idiot thank you very much. I was saying that instead of waiting to buy gas on Christmas Day (or Thanksgiving or Kwanzaa, etc.), that I buy it the day before because I think letting the employees spend the day with their families is more important than waiting til the very last second to fill up my tank. It seems that many have read WAY MORE into my comment than what was there.

People do need to travel on Christmas Day. We have traveled for many years on Christmas Day. Many people need to return home on the afternoon of Christmas Day.

Many gas stations take credit cards now, and there is not a need for an attendant. Fill up the day before and be sure to have a credit card or two to use to fill the tank.

Some restaurants and fast food places are opening late afternoon and early evening on Christmas. The places are usually jammed packed by locals and travelers, so we still pack some food just in case.

Have a good Christmas Day trip.

<< As for the others, I would kindly appreciate it if you didn't call my ideas, suggestions, beliefs, etc. stupid, dumb, unreal, etc. >>

Aside from marleneawe, no one did.