Six Months With NO Three-Day Weekends??

Tom EgelhoffPublished: January 16, 2014

NEW YORK - JANUARY 04: Linda Choi clears out snow from the sidewalk in front of her workplace, Angel's Nail & Spa, on January 04, 2014 after an overnight storm dropped up to 7 inches of snow in New York City. The Northeast and Midwest regions of the United States were hit with a large amount of snowfall accompanied by blizzard-like winds and plummeting temperatures this week. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images)

In the short span of three months we have four — count em — four major holidays. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Yet there are no major, “take the day off work” holidays until Memorial Day at the end of May.

America has always been at the forefront of innovation and ways to get things done. But this lack of holidays is unconscionable. We have St. Patrick’s Day in March but that’s not a day you get off work, that’s a day you go back to work feeling like your head might explode.

Even Sports Are Off The Table

Football ends with the Super Bowl in early February. There’s not real baseball to speak of until April. There is hockey that has a small devoted following. The “Final Four” in college basketball takes place in March. But there are no associated three-day weekends to get together and tailgate with brats and beer.

The Weather And February

Don’t even get me started on weather. We just went through sub zero temperature and hurricane level winds. It’s cold, dreary, overcast and nasty during the winter in Montana. Yes, there is beautiful scenery and good skiing but for the rest of us who don’t partake in those outback activities it’s five months of slip sliding to work.

Whatever Christmas lights are on the house can stay there till July. You’ll excuse me if I choose not to climb a ladder and chance falling off and crashing onto the frozen tundra blow.

February alone is like an entire month of Monday mornings. Let’s face it February serves no useful purpose. It should be scrapped. I think it was added as an afterthought. It does have Valentine’s Day. Spend big bucks on your sweetheart but no day off work to enjoy it with him or her.

Six Months of Expenses

Think of how much no holidays cost you in the first six months of the year. Gas to warm up the car. And please don’t tell me you’re green and don’t warm up your car. I know better. That would make your color “blue” if you drive to work in a freezing car.

More firewood burned, more layers of clothing that have to be washed or cleaned. More car washes to get all the nasty stuff they pour on the road off your vehicle. I know you’ve got a heater under your desk at work.

Some Final Thoughts

A couple of three day weekends would sure go a long way in making the first six months of the year more palatable. We can come up with “Kwanzaa,” but we can’t come up with some reason for retailers to make big bucks somewhere in the first six months of the year? What’s up with that?

Workers of the World Unite — Its time for a grass roots movement for more three-day weekends in the first six months of the year. I would definitely support at least two to start. Why should December be the only month you can get a deal on a big screen TV?

Hibernation is for bears not human beings. We need time off to battle the lack of sunlight, white knuckle driving, snow shoveling and Christmas bills. Working together we can make this happen. What are your suggestions for a couple of good old, capitalistic, consumer gouging, money spending holidays we can all get behind?