Around here the only day now where you can rely on everything really being shut down is Christmas Day. Scotland used to be renowned for New Year being bigger than Christmas but the trend towards shops opening on New Years Day is well underway, one of the big supermarket chains and several High Street stores like Debenhams are opening, unthinkable even ten years ago.

I can't really speak for any other places but I do know that Boxing Day is celebrated in many other Commonwealth countries including Canada. Here in the UK it felt like a mini-Christmas, everything was still shut down although it has always been a big day for sport especially horse racing and football. Now it just feels like a normal public holiday, all the major shops open, cinemas etc. Bill Bryson praised Boxing Day in one of his books and lamented the American Christmas where everything starts to open up again after lunch on Christmas Day. It is against the law in the UK for large shops (over 2,500 sq ft floor space I believe) to open on Christmas Day, so that is protected for now at least.

The 2nd of January also used to be a big thing in Scotland, it was like our Boxing Day when Christmas was not as widely celebrated here as in the rest of the UK. Up until the mid-90s it was common for most shops to close on this date, now it is also a regular shopping day. I am absolutely not in favour of legislation regulating when shops can open but I do feel that society has lost something when it can't forgo consumerism for more than one day a year. And because shops have big sales on these 'holidays' they need more staff than usual so the choice for workers to take the holiday is limited.

What are things like where you live? Does Christmas and New Year still feel like a shared holiday or has 24-hour society taken over? Would you even relish the chance to shop on Christmas Day if you could?

In Germany it is very annoying:

On Christmas Eve (Dec. 24th) all shops close at 2 P.M.
On Christmas Day I (Dec. 25th) everything is closed (except for gas stations, restaurants etc...)
On Christmas Day II (Dec. 26th - yes, we have two official christmas holidays) everything is closed (except for gas stations, restaurants etc...)
On New Year's Eve (Dec. 31st) all shops close around 4 P.M.
On New Year's Day (Jan. 1st) everthing is closed (except for gas stations, restaurants etc...)

And if the 24th or the 27th falls on a Sunday, we've got 3 days in a row with no possibility to buy food at a supermarket...

You've just described my ideal holiday season, want to swap?  :P

You've just described my ideal holiday season, want to swap?  :P


Maybe  ;)

I know the current situation is great for those working in shops, but for consumers.... it's so boring. Especially January 1st  ::) ;)

I don't work in a shop, I just love the feel of everything being shut down, the world seems less 'busy' and the roads are quieter.