Technically, it’s still Christmas for a few more days

If you really don’t want the cheer to end, you may have an excuse to keep going according to some theologians who say Christmas is supposed to run for 12 days and only starts on the 25 December.

Theoretically, those who celebrated the holiday for its religious significance should be celebrating it till 5 January, also known as the twelfth night according to WhyChristmas.com

Some denominations within the Christian faith celebrate the 12 days by observing the feast days of various saints.

Others give gifts over this period, which is the origin of the song the 12 days of Christmas.

More interestingly, in ancient times, people did not work during this period.

ALSO READ: Ramaphosa declares 27 December a public holiday

Extended holiday season not feasible

But an extended public holiday period seems unfeasible in modern times.

While President Cyril Ramaphosa declaring 27 December a public holiday has little impact on the economy, according to Economist Dawie Roodt, on average a public holiday on a normal day could cost the economy in the region of about R20 or R30 billion in lost production.

Taking this into account, if the country has to include the additional days of Christmas into the public holiday calendar, the final tally of that bill will see an additional R180 to R600 billion loss to the economy.

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Roodt also believes that currently, SA has far too many public holidays already. Read more on this here.

But without realising it, many companies do accommodate the 12 days, with a number of businesses closing their doors around 16 December and seeing the return to work around 6 January or the Monday after New Year’s day.

When exactly is back-to-work then?

The Consolidated Employers Organisation encourages companies to communicate these days early to the employees, well before the start of the annual break, to avoid any extended Christmas celebration problems.

“A common issue that employers have had to deal with is when their employees do not report for work on the return date specified.

“This is a breach of the employee’s duty to remain in service as per the employment contract. If an employee is unable to return to work after a period of annual leave, the employee can reasonably be required to inform the employer of his/her whereabouts and the reason for the absence from work.

“This requirement is often not fulfilled, and the employer is required to investigate the employee’s absence from work and the reason for the absence,” the organisation on its site advised.