We're deep in the middle of winter, so it's understandable that you might be dreaming of a long summer break at the end of the year.
But perhaps you're running low on annual leave and wondering how you can stretch it to get the biggest bang for your buck.
In that case, here are some tips to help you get the most time off this Christmas and New Year's while taking the least amount of annual leave.
Which days to take off
Christmas Day this year falls on a Monday, which is actually great news.
It means that - with Boxing Day on Tuesday - you only need to take three annual leave days to get you through to the next weekend. As an added bonus, there is the public holiday for New Year's Day on the Monday.
All up, taking December 27-29 off will set you up with a sweet 10 consecutive days away from work.
If that's not enough, taking an extra four days annual leave - so seven in total - will stretch out your holiday to 16 days in a row.
Here's your plan:
Saturday December 23: Weekend
Sunday December 24: Weekend
Monday December 25: Christmas Day public holiday
Tuesday December 26: Boxing Day public holiday
Wednesday December 27: Take annual leave
Thursday December 28: Take annual leave
Friday December 29: Take annual leave
Saturday December 30: Weekend
Sunday December 31: Weekend (New Year's Eve)
Monday January 1 2024: New Year's Day public holiday
Then take Tuesday, January 2, to Friday, January 5 as annual leave, returning to work on January 8.
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