Yachats Oregon Writer Rick Schultze

Every year after the Columbus Day I ask; was that a “Holiday”? It’s not that I doubt Columbus discovered America even though there are a multitude of opinions on that given that it’s been said that the Asiatic People who became Native Americans did or that the Norse expeditions lead to America by Bjarni Herjolfsson in 986 are well established historically. But that’s beside the point, I’m talking about a “Holiday” which is supposed to be “a day free from work so that one may spend time at leisure, especially on a day on which custom or law dictates a halting of general business activity to commemorate or celebrate a particular event”.

However, that not what Veterans Day, Washington’s and Martin Luther Kings birthdays and Columbus Day are. Those are called “Holidays” and are Federal, Banks, State and some school Holidays but the rest of the population seemly has to work unless your boss is the charitable sort and gives you the day off. Now don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t take away a Holiday from anyone but it always throws me for a loop when I head to the Post Office on one of those days and it’s shut! Then I remember the “closing to observe a holiday” sign on the banks door and pass on going there except to use the cash machine. And several times I’ve made the mistake of going to one of the larger Central Oregon coast cities like Florence or Newport and encountering traffic and people on a grand scale. Of course if I’d paid attention to all the advertising for sales geared up for those days I’d have known but I think I’ve grown immune to special sales ads.

The other thing about these kinds of “Holidays” is the general confusion it causes among those who are working. They can’t get their mail, go to the bank to do business, hang out with friends and family that get the Holiday off, visit any Federal institutions or get anything done with state offices. On one hand that seems inconsequential but it’s the ripple effect it causes and generally by the end of the working day those who had to work aren’t concentrating too much on work unless they are sales people in the department stores or working in the service industries. I’m just guessing, but I bet the amount of folks that play hooky from work on those “Holidays” is rather high compared to normal days.

But the worst effect of those “Holidays” is the day after the holiday when all those that legally had it off come back to work and they are backed up with work and generally seemed somewhat disoriented and a bit out of sync with the rest of the world that worked the “Holiday”. It’s the “day after” syndrome and just ask a postal worker how their day is going and you’ll get the look of “I’m trying to catch up”.

So I’d like to see Holidays unified so a Holiday is a Holiday like the 4^th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, the everybody Holidays! If you work on those days it’s usually for more money or trade outs with other workers for days off and that makes it worthwhile and that’s workable, but let’s work towards getting everybody on a “Holiday” to get a Holiday!!

To reach Rick Schultze email:yarick@pioneer.net