I currently only bake for friends & family. But my daughter's preschool had a raffle and asked for donations from parents. I created a gift certificate for a cake to give. The woman who won called me for a cake. I assumed she would want a birthday cake for her child, but she wanted a cake to serve on Thanksgiving. I told her sorry, but I wouldn't be able to make one that day as I would be out of town. Her 2nd request? A cake for Christmas Day!
Again, I had to apologize and say I wasn't available. Luckily I put on the gift certificate "date subject to availability". We finally settled on my making a cake for her son's birthday in a couple of months.
I was wondering if those of you that are professional if you DO offer cakes on those days??? Is that the norm if you are not working part of a bakery or grocery store???
For holidays I NEVER do orders,....it is as much your holiday and should be a day off as anyone else. Cake is fine to be stored overnight for heavens sakes, even 2 days. I have customers that say they eat my cake for a week after their event.
For Thanksgiving I always do the day before in the morning, until noon only.
Easter is the same way, but I will do Friday and Saturday pick up
Christmas I do pick ups on the 23rd in the morning only, no exceptions.
New years NONE
I'm glad you stood your ground. A holiday is just that....a holiday.
I will, but as others mentioned all items must be delivered or picked up no later than 5pm on the 23rd of december. I won't do orders for the 24th, 25th, or 26th, and depending on when it lands possibly the 27th either. I reserve those times for our family gatherings. For thanksgiving the day before is ok to pick up, but not thanksgiving day.
Was she asking for a pickup/delivery on thanksgiving or was she just conversationally telling you she wanted it for her thanksgiving dinner? We all buy all of our dinner supplies the day (or days) before Thanksgiving Thursday, so I might assume that she planned to pick the cake up then, too. (but we know what happens when we assume! 
)
But .... on the subject of holidays, I wouldnt' take orders for Thanksgiving weekend because that is THE family holiday of the year for us. I turned down a $3000+ catering one year (gulp!) 
, but it's that important to us.
I'm glad to hear that the pros take a holiday too...in case I ever become one! I spent many years working in restaurants & the hospitality industry and worked every holiday there was! After all that, I said I never wanted to work on major holidays anymore 
Maria, another important factor(s) in my decision WERE the folks like you .... my staff and crew. I didn't want to ask them to work on THEIR holiday! It was also time with THEIR family and I would feel terrible asking them to give that up!
Is it duff that blocks out the weeks between Christmas and New Year's? Seems I saw or heard that ..... 
I will do it as long as it doesn't interfere with my plans. We never go out of town or anything, so I can usually do it.
Most of the time all they want is an undecorated dessert cake anyway, at least that's what I get calls about. They like to pick it up from me, place it in their own cake carrier, and pass it off as their own to their family. Do I care? Heck no!
I never do deliveries or have pick ups ON the holiday but I do the day before. Except this year we are going out of town for Christmas and I have already turned down several orders for Christmas.
I've had MANY requests for cakes on Christmas Day. Yes, I can appreciate that people have birthdays on Christmas Day. But honestly, do they not realize that I would have to decorate this cake on Christmas Eve? Then, on Christmas morning, wait for them to pick up the cake (my policy is that all smaller cakes get picked up). I don't get how some clients can be so thoughtless.
And here's my latest one...happened yesterday. Her email... quote: ."I want to order my birthday cake,ill celebrate it on dec. 25,christmas day..im wondering if you can make me one with your busy schedule..i chose one of your designs already..just the simple Louis Vuitton purse cake.its my 29th bday so im wishing to have a unique and gorgeous cake!pls message me if you are not that busy..pls let me know how much you charge with that kind of style."
OK, since when is a Louis Vuitton purse cake "simple"? I've had LOTS of clients ask for a "simple" cake then go on to describe an elaborate design. Do they think because they've told me it's a "simple" cake they will trick me into charging less?
Sorry for the long vent.....whew! I needed that!!
People don't look at "service" people as... well REAL PEOPLE. They don't take it into consideration for one moment that we're real people with real families and real emotions and real needs.
I have done countless pies, cakes, breads etc for people's Thanksgiving and Christmas, but they are picked up the day before. Period. I have always been open on Christmas Eve, but do close early.
I have told brides, "You're not allowed to use the word 'simple' when describing a cake unless you've actually made one"
I love that people think because they can open a can of frosting that what we all do is easy. i enjoy it as we all do but just because i went to pastry school i cant just pull a cake out of my rear on demand.
I currently work as a chef at a country club and dont get holidays off and have gotten a few calls for thanksgiving NOT going to happen between now and then i have 2 days off. Im taking those two days to spend with my family or at Disneyland. This is the first year that i didnt get any Christmas cake request but a TON for new Years (odd). but I said no pj day with the family comes first.
I have told brides, "You're not allowed to use the word 'simple' when describing a cake unless you've actually made one"
I had to share this non-cake story just to show it happens in other areas, too!
I work nights in a hotel. Yesterday i answer the phone and a lady is letting us know she is running late and asks if we could "...put an extra mattress in the room." I said, "no problem ... you want a rollaway bed."
"Oh no!" she said. "Dont' go to all of that trouble! We just need a mattress on the floor. That will be fine!"
So let me get this straight lady. Instead of me grabbing a rollaway bed, which is on wheels, and is something that I can easily just roll down the hall to your room, you want this 50 year old lady to throw a big 'ole mattress over her shoulder and lug this big 'ole heavy thing ALL THE WAY DOWN THE HALL to your room .... because you don't want me to go to "all the trouble" of getting a WHOLE bed for you.
Another example of where they think less is easier. 
(Oh ... and I told her (with a 'big sigh!' in my voice), "Ma'am....we don't HAVE 'just a mattress' that we throw on the floor. You'll have a nice rollaway bed waiting on you." Hang up. Mutter under my breath, ("dumbass!"))
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