38+ Sample Holiday Calendars

What Is a Holiday Calendar?

A holiday calendar is basically like your ordinary printable calendar, except it highlights only the holidays for a whole year. This document enlists all the holidays in chronological order from January to December. That way, you can easily tell what day, month, or year significant holidays are from your 2021 holiday calendar until the future, making it a useful reference to be reminded of the holidays every year.

According to Statista, Christmas is one of the USA’s most important holidays as it is the most lucrative holiday; in 2016 alone, Christmas retail sales grew up to 3.6%

The Components of a Standard Holiday Calendar

The holiday calendar’s content doesn’t have to be the same for everyone, except for what day, week, month, or year the holidays are. Hence, you can always add more data, designs, and relevant content to your calendar. But in case you are wondering what a standard holiday calendar consists of, get introduced to these significant components of holiday calendars:

Title: First of all, a piece of a document can be regarded as any other document or calendar. So the words ‘Holiday Calendar’ should be visible on top of your calendar. That sets off the introductory statement of what the calendar’s intention is, which is a calendar of the holidays.Holiday List: The meat of the holiday calendar is definitely the holiday list. Expect to list the holidays chronologically so you would know which holiday happens first until last. And the holiday will be listed beside a date for clarification. A proper example is ‘January 1 – New Year’s Day.’ That clearly displays what the holiday is and when it is celebrated.Specific Dates: To elaborate on the holidays further, don’t forget to include specific dates. While it is clear that the US Independence Day is celebrated on July 4th, what specific day of the week is it? It would be clearer if you added that it is on a Sunday for the year 2021. And since it is on a weekend, then you won’t be able to take a vacation leave as it isn’t on a working day. At least the holiday calendar reminds you about what you can or cannot do with more elaboration.Relevant Labels and Groups: Also an important note is to insert relevant labels or groups. For example, those working in the government or even the private sector can label which holidays are granted a paid or an unpaid leave application. Another label is to note which holidays are respected in your area because some religious holidays may not be validated at work, perhaps. Also, some holidays in the US are not the same in other countries so be very specific with the grouping and labeling portion.Task List: To make holiday calendars more useful, don’t forget to leave a space for each holiday where you can write your task list or plans. Although this part is optional, it is still essential so you can mix your calendar as your official holiday planner as well. And it will be a win-win situation so you will be sure of what to do during the holidays. That is if you have plans.Notes: Another optional example is the ‘Notes’ section. This marks the free space of your calendar where you can write about any additional information. Besides the list of plans and tasks, you can input in the notes about your planned budget, specific deadlines, or any other function.

Functions of a Holiday Calendar

Now that you are fully introduced to what a holiday calendar is composed of, it is time to understand why you need to use holiday calendars in the first place. Remember that there are lots of functions in such a calendar. And some of the notable functions of a holiday calendar are the following:

Forgetful No More: A holiday calendar basically prevents you from forgetting when every single holiday is per year. If you suffer from being forgetful, then a holiday calendar can help you remember when specific holidays are celebrated. This is definitely crucial to those who need to be aware of specific holidays for whatever purpose it might be.Holiday Vacation Planner: A common use of a holiday calendar is to set your plans for a holiday vacation. With the calendar, you can set your holiday travel checklist, plan where to relax on the holiday, and other vacation plans. And it is better to be guided that way than to have plans yet you are unsure of when exactly those plans must happen. At least holiday calendars set the dates of when you can actually spend your vacation for the holidays.Work Reference: In the workplace, managers or HR would want to take note of the holidays. That way, they can figure out which holidays have no work but still pay the employees or have the no-work-no-pay policy. The same goes for deciding the allowable paid or unpaid vacation leaves. Also, some companies work harder during the holidays. A common example is the retail sales sector. In 2016, it was reported that Christmas retail sales grew up to 3.6%, making Christmas the most lucrative holiday in America.School Reference: The school department is also concerned about the holidays. This is to plan what dates will have no classes or have classes. Naturally, school is out during Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. But without a holiday calendar, you might have accidentally placed a test schedule during a holiday. Hence, it must be changed since it will most likely have no classes.Daily Tracker: On another note, holiday calendars can be your official daily tracker. You can report about anything daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually if holidays are of concern. At least you can consider the calendar for multi-purposes like a journal, an everyday report, a deadline tracker, a historical document, etc.

How to Form a Smart Holiday Calendar

After everything you learned about the holiday calendar’s definition, components, and functions, apply your knowledge to the test by making the holiday calendar itself. If you will refer to your holiday calendar from time to time, then it only makes sense to keep it accurate and smart so that such a calendar won’t fail you. And without further ado, here are the steps on how to create your holiday calendar:

Step 1: List the Different Holidays of the Year

It only makes sense that you should have a list of the many holidays in a year first. It will be used as your draft on what data to input for your holiday calendar. The key is to take research seriously wherein you got the exact dates that are precise for the year and that those holidays are respected in your place. There is always the internet to help you with the data but gathering details from the wrong source won’t help. So a bit of fact-checking should be part of the plan.

Step 2: Use a Sample Holiday Calendar

After making your holiday list, don’t forget to download from any of the sample holiday calendars given above. Those samples make it simpler for you to craft the calendars without working from scratch. And expect to refer to your draft or holiday list to plot what must be added or changed in the sample template. In fact, sample holiday calendars are editable so you can take advantage of changing the format, content, and more. Also, arrange the holidays chronologically and that you haven’t missed any holiday. Maybe you missed some specific holidays in February, November, and more. Nonetheless, evaluate carefully.

Step 3: Tailor the Calendar to Your Purpose

It is important that you make a calendar that fits your purpose. So if you are creating the holiday calendar for school purposes, then it makes sense to add data that will be relevant to the school. This includes holidays affecting the school schedule, test schedule, etc. If you are making it for personal use, then there is absolute freedom on what data should be covered by your calendar. If you end up making a calendar that won’t help your main purpose for making it, then that document can still be useless.

Step 4: Organize with the Calendar’s Components

You learned about the holiday calendar’s basic components earlier from the title until the notes. Have you already checked if your calendar contains the significant components already? If not yet, then do so. Such components complete your holiday calendar in the first place. Also, focus on how organized your calendar is. Maybe you have not arranged the details carefully. And adding tables and charts will make a better result. Make it easy to follow too to avoid having a hard time navigating with that document.

Step 5: Finalize the Format and Output of the Calendar

Lastly, think about the final format and output of the holiday calendar. This is where you finalize if the document must be printed, just sent as an email, or you just share it through social media, perhaps. Go for the output you find most appropriate or useful if you will be the one using it. If not, then consider which is more convenient for whoever uses it. Also, check if the output has legible words, an organized set of data, and a correct list of holidays. Once confirmed, you can depend on that calendar from now on.

FAQs

What are the kinds of holidays?

Holidays can be categorized according to a local holiday, a national holiday, an international holiday, a religious holiday, a federal holiday, or an unofficial holiday.

What holidays with paid time off are observed mostly by American companies?

In the US companies, the holidays with paid time off would consist of New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Where did the word ‘holiday’ come from?

Holiday comes from two Old English words that mean ‘holy’ and ‘day.’ Back then, holidays are only meant for religious days until they got modernized as a way to dedicate significant days as a time of celebration.

People may have varying reasons for the need to check the holidays every year. But when you have an easy, flawless, and quick reference known as the holiday calendar, you won’t have to lose track of all the holidays every day. And what is even better is you can always forecast the holidays using easy-to-edit and printable samples for a much convenient experience. Download sample holiday calendars now!