Among the items high on my hate-list every December is the really heavy traffic in Metro Manila. If you hate Metro traffic on a regular day, try going to Makati in the evenings during the weeks before December 25. For some strange reasons, everybody seems to be out on the streets. Maybe everybody is out shopping for Christmas gifts or for the noche buena, although it's interesting to find out if this still holds true even with the current economic downturn.

Maybe you're planning your 2009 vacations this early. Most of the 2009 regular holidays and nationwide special holidays are movable, as provided under Republic Act 9492. For these movable holidays, the President is tasked by law to issue a Proclamation, at least 6 months prior to a movable holiday, fixing the specific date of that non-working day (if you're looking for the guidelines on the computation of holiday pay or premium, go here). The Philippine holidays listed below are under RA 9492 and Proclamation 1699, unless otherwise indicated.

National Regular Holidays and Special Non-Working Holidays (unless indicated as a special non-working holiday, these are regular holidays)

Employers and entrepreneurs may not view declared holidays in the same way as their workers. Extra pay for work rendered on a holiday means extra operating costs. This may be especially true in case of a long stretch of holidays, like the one we'll have in December (by way of getting your opinion, through the comment section below, are you in favor of the long holidays?).