To be fucked off with friends asking why I haven't 'broken up' from work?!

[Proudnscary]

Went out for drinks with friends last night , friends acted utterly aghast that I'm still at work and react with comments like 'Oh poor you, I can't BELIEVE you are still at work!' complete with sad faces.

My non-working best friend has asked me about three times when I'm 'breaking up' from work and keeps phoning me during the day - and was amazed that 'the Friday before Christmas is a working day'!

WTF? It's a normal working week! Why the sympathy? I don't resent it and love my job.

It's like there is no understanding that most companies still have deadlines and that most people don't have enough holiday to just chuck in an extra week before Christmas.

Anyone else have this??

Another one here still slaving over a hot computer. Will be working a full day, loads to do and working some more between christmas and new year.

Am also a single parent, so will be child herding as well this morning, as ex needs to go to work as well this week!

Ditto the hot computer, but as I work from home, people are even more amazed!

I've had comments like "least you can have a wee drink" - erm, no, I'm working!

Dh is at work today. Infect most people i know in non school type jobs are working today. Woud be surprised if they weren't and assume they were using holidays.

Fortunately dh work doesn't open between Christmas and New Year but many do.

And what about those working weekends - they'll be in tomorrow. Some people will be working Christmas Day too.

Same here

All my mum friends going on about all thexmassy things what they are doing and asking what I'm doing

Er working you loons

Gets me out of all the stress though
And I go back on Wednesday 28th!

Our schools don't break up till today so most people are still working. DH just called to say it is quieter in the office today.

I know, although I'm now finished but that's because I don't work Fridays. I think people forget that you only actually get 25 & 26 off, if you get more great but not compulsory. I actually like going in between Christmas and new year as its quiet and I get loads done!

The thing that really gets me is the lack of holiday clubs at this time of year. If both parents work (or you're a working single parent) with no family around who ate able to help, how are you supposed to manage child care this time of year?

I used to get this all the time in my previous guise as a pub manager - "what do you mean you're working on Christmas Day?" - er, I run a pub, it's open at Christmas, no, I can't come out on Christmas eve, I'm working, serving all you drunken muppets lovely people having fun on Christmas eve, no, I can't come clubbing afterwards, the pub needs cleaning up ready for Christmas day...
Idiots.

My DH is working today too - the Christmas "shut down" seems to be getting longer each year - frankly it's ridiculous

Do you have primary aged DC?
Most people need to cover the school holidays somehow as schools don't go up to 23rd.
Pre DC, I always worked Christmas eve, then 27th to and including New years eve. Then 2nd Jan onwards.
It didn't bother me at all but it would now. If DH and I both worked through, getting a babysitter on Christmas eve, new years eve and in-between would be difficult.

Oh I am so glad there are others out there the same boat!

Needanewname - I also like this period at work.

Kitty - yes I have primary school kids but my dh is at home. Which all my friends know as this has been our arrangement for six years!

To be fair to your friends, loads of people I know have booked today as leave. I wouldn't get too riled about it.

Yes primary aged here too. They've been off for a week already and don't go back til 5th! We managed to find a sports camp this week, but they're utterly exhausted now. Luckily dh gets next week off and we will do 1 day each in the new year

Grrrr...me too....the joy of working in retail

But what baffles me even more is that these comments come from the same people who'll be shopping for all their Xmas food yesterday, today, tomorrow and yes, Boxing Day!!

I'm having my first Christmas day completely off work in three years, last year I worked a sleep in shift from 2

Oops

From 2pm on Christmas day to 1pm on boxing day!

I'm still on maternity this year so they have to give me it off

Another worker here! We are closing early - 5:30pm instead of 6:00pm!

Am a SAHM at the moment, but in my last position cover was required 24/7 and 365 days a year and friends of mine were literally aghast that I could be working Xmas or Boxing day! It never stopped me enjoying the festive period, we would just plan things for the days we were off.

I agree with Fuzzy - the Xmas shut-down appears to be getting longer and longer and it is ridiculous. When I dropped DH off to work at 6am this morning and I was amazed at how quiet the roads were - usually the roads are quite busy, but I barely passed any cars. It's a normal working day FFS, nothing special or different! DH is working tomorrow, but as luck would have it, he is then off until 3rd Jan

MNetting working from home today.

our schools still on

"broken up"?

Have these people ever had a job? Or is their only experience of holidays "breaking up" from school?

I love working between Xmas and New Year because it's very quiet and I get a lot caught up and we go to the pub all afternoon

DH's work is still going, he's off though as he had hols to use.

I'm a nurse so this whole 'we break up for Christmas' is making me groan. We won't be breaking up as people surprisingly can't/won't delay being I'll until the 5th January

This is one of my pet annoyances! I teach in a law school and people assume you "get the holidays off" like school teachers but u don't. Grrrr.

i only work tuesday, wednesday and thursday, so i am off till tuesday.

next year shock horror i will be working and there are loads of parents in my works that will be working christmas day.