Christmas is not a big deal across much of Asia, at least, not as big a deal as in western cultures. That’s especially true in places like Thailand and Malaysia, which have pretty large Buddhist and Muslim majorities, respectively. Still, you may have employees who celebrate, whether for religious or family reasons, and this is a busy time for them. PLus, it’s nice to take a few days at the end f the year and recharge for a big push starting in 2016.

Just as we give people extra time off for Songkran, Chinese New Year, and other holidays, consider cutting people a little slack during the Christmas season. Hey, it’s the end of the year, and unless you need to make a bunch of final sales to avoid going out of business (and if that’s your situation, try to do better next year), consider being a little more free about granting some extra time off today and during the next week so people can be with their families. It’s just a nice thing to do.