Should businesses open on Christmas day?

fuzzybuddy said:
Why shouldn't businesses be open? If you don't want to do business with them on Dec. 25th for religious reasons, you don't have to. If others want to do business on Dec. 25th, it's perfectly right and legal for them. Fortunately my religious doctrines don't apply to you, nor should they.
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Over here the significance of Christmas has moved from a religious observance to a celebration of family. Most people want this day off work to be with their family.

One of the problems over here is that in any mall if the major retail outlet wants to open on a public holiday then all of the small outlets have to open too, even though most won't break even on their costs. I think for one or two days of the year the greedy retail chains could close without going broke and then every one could have time for family. If the banks and offices of the city are closed and the sky doesn't fall then Maccas can give their employees a break too. Unless they choose to open on Christmas Day with volunteer staff, throwing their doors open to the homeless for a free feed. For that I would applaud their community spirit.
 

nvtribefan said:
Do you also agree that it is okay to close for holidays of all other religions? If not, why?
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It's up to the business owner. All I am saying is if they want to remain closed, that shouldn't bother anyone. If they want to close for any other religious holidays that's completely up to them. Usually when you're hired, holidays are discussed. I say then, if Christmas is a holiday then working that day should be considered OT. If you work in a job that does not offer Christmas as a holiday then you would be expected to work.

I put my forty years in and I have never objected to any holiday. I worked in a multi-cultural facility and people took off for other holidays. I worked on Martin Luther King Day so others could have off.
 
I don't know if other states had or have "Blue Laws" but not that many years ago, our state did not allow businesses to be open Sundays! Saturday, 5:00, stores closed. We didn't even have movies on Sundays. There were a few exceptions but all and all, it was followed. Fines were imposed for breaking the law.
 

My first gut response was to say no. But then I remembered that yesterday, on the first day of Hanukkah, businesses were open. Well OK, the Jewish deli near me was closed, but I think they always close on the Sabbath.
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Marie, it sounds as if you are making the common error of equating Hanukkah with Christmas in significance. The fact is, Hanukkah is a minor Jewish holiday which does not require anything to close, or anyone to stay home from
work or school, unlike other Jewish holidays. The only reason it has reached such importance is because of its proximity to Christmas, and some of its similarities, such as candle lighting and gift giving.

So as you mentioned, observant Jews would close on the Sabbath, but usually not on Hanukkah.

Carla, I completely agree with you. It should be up to the individual business owner. The question as to whether businesses "should" be open on Christmas is meaningless. Unless the business is (sadly) located in a theocracy, the government, the clergy, the self-appointed morality police, etc. have no business dictating whether a private business should remain open or not.

A stickier question is whether the government should shut down its offices, and whether public schools should close for religious holidays. But the fact is, at least in this country, they do. It may be for practical reasons, as most of the employees would take off anyway.
 
A decision as to whether to open or close on any specific day should be left to the business owner. Some may want to allow employees holidays with their families. Others may determine they need to be open for competitive reasons and not close those days. I grew up in an area where NOTHING was open on Sundays. Grocery store... gas station... You had to do any shopping on Monday through Saturday. Today, Hobby Lobby chooses to be closed on Sundays. That is their decision. Our firm gave us Friday and Monday as paid holidays this year. Again, it is the decision of the business owner.
 
I'm not sure if this was just a "Southern" thing, but I remember years ago when all retail stores and restaurants were closed on Sunday. You learned to get all your shopping done by Saturday.
 
maggiemae said:
I'm not sure if this was just a "Southern" thing, but I remember years ago when all retail stores and restaurants were closed on Sunday. You learned to get all your shopping done by Saturday.
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I grew up with the Blue Laws in Central New York. It was inconvenient for people who were traveling and could not find a gas station or restaurant that was open on a Sunday. It did tend to keep families home and together on a Sunday. Sometimes I think of the pure boredom I experienced on lazy Sunday afternoons when I was a kid, on a sunny day you could literally watch the dust fall on the dining room table after dinner, LOL!
 
Aunt Bea said:
I grew up with the Blue Laws in Central New York. It was inconvenient for people who were traveling and could not find a gas station or restaurant that was open on a Sunday. It did tend to keep families home and together on a Sunday. Sometimes I think of the pure boredom I experienced on lazy Sunday afternoons when I was a kid, on a sunny day you could literally watch the dust fall on the dining room table after dinner, LOL!
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Nowdays everyone would just be glued to their tablets or phones all day. But I'm not sure that's an improvement.
 
Businesses used to open on Christmas Day in Scotland,
I don't know if they still do though as it is many years
since I was up there.

You need some to open to sell batteries that you forgot
to get for the expensive toys that you bought.

Mike.
 
I think if the decision to give employees privileges for Christian holidays off it is only fair to offer the same privileges to other religions too and as many of us live in multi cultural countries it shouldn't be too difficult in most cases to share it around, Christians working on other cultures holidays and vica versa. I think that should work out fairly good most places. I am Mennonite and choose to observe Holy days as I said earlier but I don't expect folks to believe what I believe unless they want to.
 
The decision to open or close depends on this year's sales per square foot to last year's. If that number is high, they post a sign saying, "our employees should be with their families". Why pay an extra days pay for staff when the bottom line is OK. If that number is low, they post a sign, " All Xmas goods 75% OFF".
 

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