The most wasted holidays in NJ that need to change

Whether we like it or not, the new year is full steam ahead. And after a wild 2024 featuring ups and downs, some in New Jersey may have forgotten about these particular so-called holidays.

OK, scratch that. A more accurate way to put it is, that far too many in New Jersey have forgotten about this particular set of days. And it really is a shame when you think about it.

But what exactly is it, and am I one of those people who are guilty of ignoring this? If you're someone who worries immensely about your job, then you might very well be.

Let's first start off with those who work essential jobs. As most of us know, you most likely can't take the big national holidays off. If something happens on Christmas or Thanksgiving, for example, you might be expected to work no matter what. Retail might also fall into this category.

But it's not your standard holidays we're talking about here. Rather, it's those personal days that a lot of us earn but simply never take. Some may call it personal time off (PTO), while others call it a personal holiday. Regardless of what you call it, far too many New Jersey let them vanish without ever using them.

Now, it could be due to a number of reasons. Some might fear that it'll make them look bad if they take too many days off in the first place, even if they have earned multiple days for themselves.

Others, sadly, are afraid of the workload that might pile up if they're away from the job for too long and will use that as an excuse as to why they don't take their earned personal holidays off.

If either of the above applies to you, then here's a little message for your employer. If you really care about your employees, then please make sure they take the time they need for themselves.

As mentioned above, not all of us can take the national holidays off. At the least, we should be able to take our own earned holidays where we can forget about the workplace for a little while.

There's no excuse. Everyone in New Jersey deserves those days to themselves. Whether you call it personal time off or a personal holiday, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you take the days that you deserve.

And if you lost days in 2024 simply because you didn't use them, then it is what it is. But let's try not to make personal holidays the most wasted type of holiday in 2025.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.