Hi there,
can you tell me when the school holidays are for this time period.
I presume there is some type of Christmas vacation?
When do the kids go back to school in Jan?
We are planning our trip and cruise and would find the info helpful.
Thanks in advance
Donna

Specifics vary depending on what day Christmas/New Years falls on. 12/24 thru 1/1 is off in public schools. It can be extended a bit if, for example 12/23 is a Monday - then schools will close end of school day Friday before. Same on the other end.

Several days before and after official days off may have moe kids on vacation with parents who take them out of school for a few extra days.

Colleges have a longer break - anywhere from mid-December, returning from soon after 1/1 until mid-late January.

Varies greatly depending on school district, region, level -- are you talking about public schools K-12 or universities or what? Generally, public schools get approx. 14 days, but the beginning and end depend a lot on, as gail says, when the actual holiday falls during the week. You'll rarely see anyone in school on the day before Xmas eve, but it's entirely possible to have kids go back as early as Jan. 2. Up north, sometimes the holiday is stretched out (?to reduce expense of heating and lighting the schools?).

College breaks are usually much longer, can start as early as mid-Dec. or end in mid-July, depending on term and exam schedules.

Would be helpful if you could specify where, what, etc. and what you're worried about. Trying to avoid families on cruises? Go after Jan. 10 and you're probably fine.

For Dec 2008 Christmas is Thu, as is new years day 1/1/09. It is a pretty good assumption that the two entire weeks 12/22 to 1/2 many kids will be out of school.

Most will will return to school by Monday 1/5/09 (except for some colleges noted above).

If your goal is to avoid hordes of school aged kids then anything starting 1/4/09 will be much better than the previous 2 weeks.

Careful, Lordy, it's not PC to say "Christmas vacation" around here anymore... ;-)

As others have said, the holiday is usually two weeks, with the last day of school being the Friday before Christmas, with kids returning the Monday after New Year's Day.

Thanks everyone.
Yes Gail, we do want to avoid huge crowds on our cruise and were wondering whether to go early or mid Jan.
Donna