# Do you receive a Christmas bonus? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 7, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283 "2010-12-07T16:22:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283/61 "2010-12-08T13:36:59Z")
Nope, no bonus…well, unless you count the three-pound block of Cabot cheese we all get… But I [sub]normally[/sub] make out like a bandit with time off. We officially get 1.5 days off each for X-Mas and New Year’s, plus a “floating” holiday that every year is split into two half days so we end up with two full days off for X-Mas and New Year’s. This year we have the Thursday and Friday off before both dates… But wait, there’s more! Last year and this year the President of the University, on Staff Appreciation Day in the fall, said we get the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday between X-mas and New Year’s off too, so over a full week of vacation! However, due to my work schedule, I know I won’t get those extra three days off, and I have a sneaking suspicion I won’t even get Thursday the 23rd and 30th off either…I will get holiday pay for those days, but since the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday aren’t official holidays, I don’t get anything extra for working on them. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283/62 "2010-12-08T14:11:35Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > Yep, we’ve gotten holiday bonuses every year that I’ve been here. I should get mine tonight at the holiday party, actually, so we shall see if it continues to be the generous cash gift it has been in the past or if it has been replaced by a jelly of the month club type thing due to the economy. I did indeed get my bonus! It was $750. This is considerably larger than the bonus I got last year and very welcome as my husband was laid off earlier this year. Hooray for bonuses! ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283/63 "2010-12-08T14:25:26Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > No. > No bonuses. > No presents. > No Christmas party. > No raises. > No “happy holidays” emails from management. > No decorations. > No cookies in the break room. This. No Healthcare No Benefits No job security Vacation use at company discretion (partly cloudy with a 75% chance of “No”.) Oh, and you forgot that right about now we are all expected to pony up 20 for our immediate bosses' holiday gift. Yeah, she's a nice person & I'd have probably gotten her something anyway, but getting daily dunning emails about the is f-cking annoying, especially when I know we won’t get any presents back. ---
**Author:** ![geneb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e4f/32.png) [@geneb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/geneb)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283/64 "2010-12-08T16:06:21Z")
We don’t get a Christmas bonus, per say, but we do get “Profit Sharing” that happens to coincide with the Christmas season. If our business group is profitable, we get a share (somewhere in the vicinity of a couple of thousand for the lowest ranks). If it fails to turn a profit, we get nothing. We do have a lot of other perks that would make up for no bonus (has yet to happen), though, like unlimited sick days, floating holidays, monthly social outings (if you want to join in, you pay 5 dollars a month), a big yearly party with an open bar and catered food (not buffet style… We each get a plate of good food), variable hours (we only have to be in the office from 11 - 3), the ability to work from home (great for days when you have a doctor’s appointment), 401K matches, share purchase plan (company gives you one share for every share of company stock you buy, up to 3.5% of your gross pay), good, cheap health care, etc. All in all it’s a great place to work. The only downside is that it is in a rural area in Virginia. We’ve been hiring constantly for a few years now, so if you want to do software development this is the place to go. (We’re hiring computer science and computer engineering majors right now… So if you need a job, I could always use the recruiting bonus.;)) ---
**Author:** ![Ludy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Ludy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludy)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283/65 "2010-12-08T18:16:22Z")
We don’t have a bonus, but we do have a bit of a party with free food and drinks. But on the bright side we get from the Dec 23 to Jan 2 off work, so basically our bonus is a week off work with pay. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283/66 "2010-12-08T18:56:56Z")
I’ve received a year-end bonus twice in the 25+ years I’ve worked for my outfit, so obviously I’m not in it for that. For Christmas, there is usually an expense-paid party of some kind, and sometimes small gifts like logo’d clothing or traveled items. This yea’s been tough, however, so I don’t expect anything like that. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283/67 "2010-12-08T19:51:01Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > No. > No bonuses. > No presents. > No Christmas party. > No raises. > No “happy holidays” emails from management. > No decorations. > No cookies in the break room. Same here. We call it “unionized labor contract”. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283/68 "2010-12-08T19:58:04Z")
Oh, goody, I can stealth-brag: Just found out we’re supposed to get a small bonus right after the holidays. It works out to roughly half a week’s pay for me - definitely a welcome help. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283/69 "2010-12-08T20:28:25Z")
Hmmm. I have never received a Christmas Bonus in my life. I am an engineer with a graduate degree and have been in the workforce for 15 years. I have worked for HP, Agilent, Ball Corporation, and a handful small technology startups with between 3 and 100 employees. Currently I work for the state and I have no expectation of getting a bonus. I have never really cared that much as I make a good living and always have. Anybody else in this line of work share my experience? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283/70 "2010-12-08T20:40:20Z")
I’ll get nothing except Christmas Eve off. That is only because Christmas falls on Saturday and the company is going to be forced to give us an extra day off next year since New Year’s Day also falls on a Saturday. I’ll end up spending money for the optional/mandatory Secret Santa and pot luck. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283/71 "2010-12-08T20:49:46Z")
Work for the State, so no. Our Union does a nice party for it’s members with a small logoed gift. It’s a nice time. My colleagues and exchange gifts and we have a departmental potluck. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283/72 "2010-12-08T21:11:08Z")
I work for the Feds. 'Nuff said. My spousal unit, however, works for a private company and in the past, they’ve given really nice bonuses. Last year, he was a new employee, so he didn’t get anything. However, he’s been a bit of a superstar for them, so we may see something nice… ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283/73 "2010-12-08T21:19:49Z")
My job class is not eligible for any bonuses, performance, holiday or whatever. It’s been 20 years since I’ve worked anywhere that gave out year-end bonuses. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283/74 "2010-12-08T21:30:46Z")
Last year we got a small bonus, but we’re a small business with mostly twenty-somethings with no families to support or mortgages to pay, so any bonus is a good bonus. 😃 My mom gets the same bonus every year at this time. I mention this because it reminds me of this time she was putting a not-insignificant amount of it on a gift card for my brother who was going to use it towards a snow blower. He gets to the cashier and brings out the gift card and…there’s no money on it. Panic ensues. Turns out the card wasn’t activated. Mom had egg on her face that year! 😃 My gift card was activated, so we joked that she loved me more that year. ---
**Author:** ![limegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@limegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/limegreen)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283/75 "2010-12-08T21:50:50Z")
As a teacher, I get two full weeks of vacation! And as I’m salaried, I would say it’s paid…not sure about the teacher that posted above. Usually we get a $50 gift card, and being a teacher, kids usually will bring me homemade cookies, or a candle, or a goofy ornament. I probably shouldn’t even mention the two-and-a-half-month summer vacation… ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283/76 "2010-12-08T22:03:20Z")
One of the companies I work for sent out an email today not only asking us to work on Christmas but offering no holiday pay to do so. Three years ago they gave us a $50 check bonus but nothing since then. But hey the CEO has raised his own pay to nearly a million a year so I suppose that makes up for it. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283/77 "2010-12-08T23:46:56Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > So, you get a raise just for being there huh? That’s a novelty. > > Do you also get increased vacation time? That’s how it works here, bonus-wise. Well, for the State we start get longevity bonuses starting at 10 years. Not a raise, but percentage bonus. It’s much cheaper to keep an employee than train a new one, so incentives to stay help. Plus my salary is lower than in private industry, so it’s a recognition of that. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283/78 "2010-12-09T05:48:42Z")
I get a Walmart gift card and a free cafeteria meal. And I get to work on Christmas Day. Again. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283/79 "2010-12-09T06:51:42Z")
The regular employees do here (to the tune of something significant, like a couple months pay), but alas, I’m not a regular employee. My salary’s still pretty good, however. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283/80 "2010-12-09T11:25:58Z")
I had no idea people still got bonuses in this day and age. I’m 35, and not only have I never GOTTEN a bonus, I’ve never known anyone who has. Including private business, government, and higher education. Most years we considered ourselves damn lucky to get a 3% COLA. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-receive-a-christmas-bonus/563283.md?page=5)