Hello all and a happy post-4th of July!  I assume you are all back to work today, two days after the national holiday, but a vast majority are not. Which leads me to say — when did we start taking off so many days before and after the holidays? If you ever watched the original Miracle on 34th Street, you will remember everyone was working until 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Now many employers offer so many days off before and after a national holiday, it is hard to tell which day is the real holiday.  Jan. 1 is the holiday, not Dec. 31, but how many of us have that day off? And Jan. 2 as well.  For many, it depends on when the holiday falls. Less than 10 years ago, these were work days. Now many people expect these days off, and when they are not off they are shocked and disappointed. When I recently offered Global Traveler‘s official days-off schedule from our company handbook to our representative from ADP (Automated Data Processing), she said I was very generous.  But GT did not offer July 3 or July 6 off. I still have to question this current situation of expecting bundled days off around holidays.  Is it really productive?  Is it really what our founding fathers wanted? Happy 6th of July — if you are off. –Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO Global Traveler has joined the world of social marketing. For breaking news, special offers and much more, fan us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @Gtmag!