We’ve worked for companies that tracked every minute of vacation and sick time, ones that swore they were “super flexible,” and even one with unlimited PTO (which, let’s be honest, usually means you’ll take less of it).
Whatever your setup - corporate, self-employed, or something in between - we can all agree: we’d rather be spending this time of year with our families than in our inboxes. The reality is, December tends to be a mash-up of year-end deadlines, last-minute planning, and a healthy sprinkle of winter germs that eat into that precious PTO.
Our crew here doesn't have all the answers, but we do have a few real-world ways to stretch your time off, guard your schedule, and start the new year without feeling like you sprinted to the finish line. Let’s do this.
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⚡ The Late-Afternoon Focus Block
👉 Meetings creep later, tasks pile up, and suddenly it’s 5:45 and you’re still wrapping up emails. Protect your exit by setting recurring calendar blocks now for 2:30–4:30 p.m. on busy days through December.
Call it “Focus Work” or “End-of-Day Deliverables.” It signals you’re unavailable for new meetings, helps you actually finish your day on time, and keeps evenings from turning into unpaid overtime. (Or at least, that's the goal.)
💸 The 2025 “Bridge Week” PTO Math
👉 Both Christmas (Dec 25) and New Year’s Day (Jan 1) fall on Thursdays this year - which means you can create two long weekends with minimal PTO burn.
→ Take Friday, Dec 26 off for a four-day weekend, and Friday, Jan 2 for another. That’s two long breaks for just two PTO days.
💡 Pro tip: Use a free site like holiday-optimizer.com to visualize your best long-weekend combos before submitting PTO. This is especially valuable when done at the beginning of the year!
Did you know? 🧃 JuiceBox is built by a tiny team of working parents just like you. We curate and write this stuff so you don’t have to but we’d LOVE for you to get in on the action.
💬 Got a time-saving tip or a chaos-fighting hack of your own? Hit reply and share it—we all need a village, and we’d love to hear from you.
👯♀️ Know a fellow parent who needs this? Forward away or hit this button:
💬 The Annual “Benefit Audit”
👉 A friend in HR rants that every December, thousands of dollars’ worth of benefits go unused.
Action: Check your company portal now for frequently forgotten benefits like backup childcare days, free health programs, or volunteer time off that might even double as school-event coverage.
Plus: if you’ve already hit your deductible for the year, December’s the time to squeeze in any last appointments you’ve been putting off —> dental, eye exams, therapy, dermatology, whatever you can get on the calendar.
💼 This Week’s Work WTF
Inspired by real life events.
Scenario:
You’re finally able to submit your PTO request and a someone responds, “Well… so-and-so is already out then.”
What We Wish We Could Say:
“Yeah, it’s almost like holidays happen every year at the exact same time. For everyone.”
Steal This Response:
“I planned ahead so things will stay on track.” (Optional addition) “Here’s what I’ll have wrapped before I’m out.”
K that’s all. You’re the best and we love you.
-CK “Will Never Take Full Advantage of Unlimited PTO” Fuller (Editor) & the JB Crew 🫡
P.S. Next week: The Lazy Genius Guide to Gifting. A no-shame strategy for surviving gifting season with minimal effort and maximum impact including how to group-gift, pre-batch, and emotionally outsource your holiday list.