To be so annoyed at Dh's new boss.

[CaliforniaSucksSnowballs]

I may well be being unreasonable, but I don't feel it.
Dh has worked shift work for the last nearly 8 years, since Dd was born. He did all the crap shift, nights, pm's and also worked holidays when needed.
Now he finally got to day shift and the new boss is messing with the schedule.
Dh works normal shift Christmas eve (6am to 2.30pm) then will drive home shower and we go to his Sis for family visit and presents.
Normally Christmas day is up for grabs, whoever wants it signs up and the more senior person get to take it, it pays double time, plus your regular day of pay.
Well no one signed up for the day shift, Dh is low man on that shift so will be told he has to do it. OK I knew that could happen, I was prepared for it, he'd be home by 4.00pm (1 hr 15 min drive) we could have a late Christmas dinner and do presents after, then Christmas movies cause he'll need to get to bed by 8.30pm.
Now his brilliant new boss who hasn't got a bloody clue has decided to make the shift a 10 hour one so she can pull in 4 staff and cover 20 out of the 24 hour day. So Dh would have to go in for 9am, leaving home at 7.30 or so, and get off at 6pm getting home about 7.30pm, shattered for a very very late Christmas dinner.
Dd will only just be getting up as he leaves and will in all likely be getting ready for bed as soon as we have eaten.
So I get Christmas day alone with Dd, while he works. All family (barr SIL) 5000 miles away, my grown sons are with my Mother for the day and my sis is working too.
Why oh why did she have to screw with the schedule, I was prepared for him to work just not be gone 12 hours!
Well that's my bitch for the week, I just hope he comes home with brilliant news that someone has taken the shift and he can stay home.
Another annoying thing, Christmas day this year is his normal day off for the week, he's off on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so he'd only get one day off for the we

Yanbu to be annoyed that things have changed this close to Christmas but when my sil works (she is a nurse) we just celebrate the next day instead.
Why does he need to be in bed by 8:30?

He has to be up by 4am for work long commute, so he rarely stays up past 8.30 (or falls asleep on the chair) He's needed more sleep since being very ill last year, 8 hours is now his minimum

Is he not off on Wednesday then?
Hope it works out for you.

Where I work, those with set days to work and set days off are working those. Tough for me as I have to work Christmas Night and Boxing Day Night, but I have known I would have to for a while.

Really unfair your DH is having to work when it is normally his day off and even worse that the hours are longer than they should be too.

could you still share christmas with sister in law?

i know it is crap, i have worked all over christmas and new year.

what we have done is do christmas earlier/later. luckly this year i have manged to book christmas off, but in previous years i have done christmas around my days off.

LOL You are right NumericalMum He will be off the next day, I'll make him and Dd stay up late.
Defiantly not heading to SIL, she lives only 30 mins away but not without Dh as a buffer, last year I had Ds2 and his girlfriend with me as Dh worked pm's Christmas eve (off Christmas day) She's got form for being a bit nasty to me so long as no one is there to see or hear. Then deny she ever said it or turns it around, she disagrees with the way we raised the boys and probably Dd but I haven't given her chance to have a go at me in many years. We will be moving too, and that will be against what she thinks we should do (like its any of her business)
I think delaying the big meal till Wednesday might be better.
I still have fingers crossed he will come home with good news.

How old is your dd? Can you move everything to Boxing Day? Realise this wouldn't work for a 11yr old, but might for a 4yr old. We've moved birthdays before and even our 7yr old didn't realise (though it wasn't her birthday). Have a mellow day on CD watching films, eating dd's favourite meal, then do presents, food etc on Boxing day.

Also do check he is paid appropriately, as it is his day off he should get a day off in lieu as if you say he would get paid his normal daily rate plus double rate (i.e. 3 times normal rate), if he is salaried, rather than per shift he would normally get paid nothing for that day, so in effect would only get double pay, iyswim. Plus make sure he gets it for the full 10hrs if a normal shift is shorter.

YANBU to be annoyed with the boss though, is she giving up her Christmas Day to work a 10 hour shift, thought not.

Just seen your dd is about same age as my dd, you might still get away with it if your calendar has 25 windows, some of the chocolate ones do! Or just do stockings on CD and all other presents on Boxing Day. Think we'll be doing that this year, as spending Christmas Day traipsing around relatives.

Could you go and stay in a hotel on Christmas eve and on Christmas day?

somewhere near his place of work so he cuts out the commute so you have more time together.

Could he not suddenly claim that he's a strict catholic and it's against his religion to work on Christmas Day? It's a religious holiday so legally (as far as I'm aware) they can't force you to work.

You are all making me feel better.
So far no news he came home this evening and won't know what's happening now until tomorrow when the boss is in, she never does weekends either, and the assistant she has in on vacation LOL.
No hotel overnight Dh won't do that he's Aspie and hates to sleep anywhere but home or family houses unless there is no way to get out of it.
I already asked if he can pull a sickie, as he has sick days left, but that's a no too, you get docked all kinds of pay and days it's a tight union contract and so he works to the letter with his little blue book, loves those rules!!
Dd is 7 nearly 8 so she tells me what date it is, but I'm sure she won't mind eating the dinner the next day, and just opening presents. I've been thinking of things we can do together. I fancy making Christmas cookies and decorating them with her. I need to make a list for the shops, I know Dh would love to eat those when he gets home. If the weather is nice we can go out and walk we have a lovely neighborhood and it's nice and green right now. Also she has the movie Brave for her stocking so I think we should make popcorn and hot chocolate and watch it. We should have fun if I think it through and make a list of things to do.
Actually going to the Cinema is very popular on Christmas day here, which I thought was weird, but I may take her, if anything good is on at the nearest place.

saw this thread and thought of you :)
Lots of other crafty things you could do though, to suit yourselves.

Many people have to work over Christmas, that's just the way it is in many industries, not just essential services either, the people I really feel sorry for are the ones in retail, the shops don't need to be open on bloody Boxing day.

Found out Friday at lunch time that someone else has offered to take the shift and Dh will be home for the day. So it'll just be the three of us. Tomorrow Dd and I will make Christmas cookies and decorate them (no need to wait till Christmas day for her activities now)
Weird thing, Dh only found out he didn't have to do it, after his boss had left for the long weekend and he mentioned it to the shop steward, and he went to the office and checked what was happening. So she never even bothered to let him know he was off the hook. She's the most useless boss ever! Her assistant manager booked himself holidays over Christmas and new year and has quit this week, and starts new job in January.
She won't let anyone have her phone number so if there are any fuel spills in the middle of the night she doesn't get disturbed even though she is supposed to be the one who handles all this stuff, but the EPA will turn up in their white hazmat suits, she'll get fired eventually it's just a matter of time.