The office had always been a place where I measured time in missed celebrations. For six years straight, I had worked every holiday shift without complaint—Christmas mornings spent answering emails, New Year’s Eve closing reports, Thanksgiving dinners eaten alone between deadlines. So when my manager finally approved my request for Christmas vacation, it felt less like a luxury and more like a long-overdue promise. I had already started planning something small and meaningful: a quiet trip, a break from the constant hum of responsibility, and a chance to finally experience a holiday that wasn’t spent under fluorescent lights.