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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be fucked off about Working on Christmas Day

179 replies

Flipflopskid · 16/11/2013 05:28

I am working ( not by choice) on Christmas Day ( absent from home from the early hrs of the 24 th even...) and will not be home til gone 11 pm on the 25th, hence I will be forced to miss out on everything.

The joy has gone from my heart. I'm well fucked off I can tell you.

In the past I have always shunned the idea of Christmas in a hotel, Christmas lunch in a restaurant etc. out of respect for the poor buggers who would have to work it; like their families don't matter at all ....

God it makes me so angry that people don't think about this when booking their flight,making a reservation for a mini break etc. cos they can't be bothered to do it all themselves!

" I know lets get some other poor bastard to do it instead and hey, just for god measure, fuck up a prospective special magical parent/ kids bonding session whilst we're at it!"

Am I being unreasonable?

OP posts:
ilovesooty · 16/11/2013 08:42

Well cantheyseeme I suspect we will have to agree to differ on that one.

Thants · 16/11/2013 08:43

Ilovesooty because it's one day of the year where nearly everyone gets a holiday. And whether your religious or not I think it's a good thing to have national holidays. You can't cook for one day?

honeybeeridiculous · 16/11/2013 08:44

I too am working on Boxing Day,(12hour shift) I will give you a thought on that day flipflop as I will everyone else working over the festive period, best wishes to you and your family Flowers

sashh · 16/11/2013 08:46

I've often offered to work for other colleagues to free them up for their various religious festivals and they have put themselves forward for me likewise, but apparently this would be 'unfair' and tramples on one ruling for all in the name of equal practice.

That's rubbish. I've never done an actual shift Xmas day but I have done on call. I always volunteered for on call because it isn't a big deal for me.

diddl · 16/11/2013 08:46

Well OP I can see that if it's not an industry/workplace that usually opens over Christmas it must have come as a surprise/shock.

But as for never going to a hotel/restaurant out of respect for the people who work there-that's just daft!

ilovesooty · 16/11/2013 08:47

Thants if I am at home I have only myself to cater for so it makes little difference to me.

If people have large extended family gathering in one place I can well understand why going out would seem easier and less stressful.

Sidge · 16/11/2013 08:48

YANBU to be pissed off to be working, especially in an industry not normally requiring Xmas cover.

I had to tell my children their dad won't be home to have them for Xmas as planned. His ship has been diverted to the Philippines - he'll be back sometime at the end of January instead. Now that sucks.

LtEveDallas · 16/11/2013 08:50

Oh God are we into competitive sadding now?

OP, I feel for you as working on Christmas Day does truly suck. Have a Fakemas (we did one in Nov once for DSD - it was actually lots of fun) and take a day off when everyone else is back at work (oh and maybe sneak in a couple of minature Baileys!)

Sooty, I feel for you as being on your own on Christmas Day does truly suck. I'd stay in bed, watch crappy TV and eat junk.

However, there are people out there for whom Christmas Day is far far worse than either of you. So we could all spare a thought for everyone whose Christmas will be shit...no matter what the reason.

I will remember to raise a glass to them ALL on Christmas Day and hope that next year is better.

Smile
thegreenheartofmanyroundabouts · 16/11/2013 08:51

I'm working long hours hours up to and including Christmas so Christmas Day will be really low key. It was hard the first time I did the Christmas shift as I ended up trying to do the whole Christmas Day thing in a shorter amount of time and that was just too much. Now the family get together is on Boxing Day when there is less pressure and Christmas Day itself will feature nice wine and lots of chocolate and sleep.

So I hope whichever day is your Christmas Day is blessed flipflop and that you can spend time with you poorly relative.

ilovesooty · 16/11/2013 08:55

Thanks LtEve but I did acknowledge that. At least I have reasonable health and a roof over my head. Many don't even have that and all I'm saying is that Christmas is the worst time of the year for those who are most marginalised.

Blu · 16/11/2013 08:56

Sooty, my post was aimed at everyone who suggests that the OP. should think themselves lucky because x,y and z have it worse.

We all know there are millions in the world who have it much worse than any of us. It doesn't mean we don't feel our own problems. There is a place for perspective, the OP has listened to people in a similar boat, calmed down and regained her festive anticipation. All kudos to her.

But really, I can't be doing with competitive thought sparing on threads, no. People with significant upsets over toxic parents being told 'if only I had a mother...' Women with deep seated issues about having a boy or a girl and wanting to talk it through being y

Blu · 16/11/2013 08:58

Pressed send too soon, but my point is made.

I did not imply that no one cares about disasters, I implied that no one person's suffering invalidates another's .

iwantanafternoonnap · 16/11/2013 09:01

I have worked the last 3 christmas's and will work the next 3 due to how my fixed shift pattern falls. Last year I had to pretend father christmas came twice as he knew I was working at least this year I am working a night shift so a little better than last year.

Working christmas as rubbish as it is, is actually okay and people are very nice to you. I work in A and E so it can also be very, very sad.

You'll probably have more fun than you think Grin

Haggischucker · 16/11/2013 09:03

I used to love working Christmas Day (in my youth) Worked 10 years in a row (hotels) and loved the atmosphere and buzz on the day.

Lots of people don't get the choice so I think to an extent YABU so you'll just need to suck it up and you may even make someone's day if you can fix an it issue for them!

iwantanafternoonnap · 16/11/2013 09:04

Oh sorry missed out a page and now realise where you work. That sucks.

bakingaddict · 16/11/2013 09:11

I don't see how not going out for a Christmas lunch or staying in a hotel actually helps anybody.

Surely in the hospitality industry working on Christmas day means you earn a lot more in salary and tips than any other time of the year meaning you have extra money to cover you through the lean month of January when everybody is well and truly spent up. So well done to the person who suggests drying up someone's income revenue. Now that really is Christmas spirit!

ilovesooty · 16/11/2013 09:12

Point taken Blu

I certainly didn't mean to imply that people's individual circumstances aren't real to them.

I suppose my views are affected by being a bit angry personally about my own situation which I won't divert the thread to discuss here so I offer apologies for that.

Pobblewhohasnotoes · 16/11/2013 09:22

But if you're home at 11ish then you aren't really working Xmas day.

I say this from a nurse's perspective. I worked a 12 hour shift on Christmas Day. We had our Christmas Day on Boxing day instead.

There are a lot of us that have to work Christmas Day, it sucks but it's part of the job. I'm doing new year this time.

Pobblewhohasnotoes · 16/11/2013 09:24

Sorry OP, I see you wrote 11pm. I thought you wrote am, oops!

Blu · 16/11/2013 09:25

I am sad for everyone who faces hard choices and difficult circumstances at Christmas, it must be excruciating when the rest of the country is in a festive frenzy. Threads like this are good, I think because they offer an alternative place for empathy between the sprout-free!

So, solidarity and empathy, great! A hierarchy of hard times, less so.

And sympathies to you, Sooty. Not easy.

ilovesooty · 16/11/2013 09:28

Thanks Blu

The point about festive frenzy is spot on for me.

WestmorlandSausage · 16/11/2013 09:32

11pm Pobble.... there would only be 1 hr of christmas day left

stickysausages · 16/11/2013 09:34

YABU. You chose to take the job, working on Xmas day is part of it. The joy will be even further from your heart though when you have to deal with miserable entitled difficult customers, who don't give a toss you're giving up your own Xmas to serve them. I speak from experience, hence leaving the 'hospitality' trade.

Jakebullet · 16/11/2013 09:44

I feel for you OP, I always used to work Christmas Day when I was a midwife. I tried to make the best of it and sounds like you are doing the same. I do spare a thought for workers at Xmas, I no longer have to do it thankfully as I am a Carer. DS is autistic and hates change but loves all the pizzazz of Xmas.

Tubemole1 · 16/11/2013 09:47

I empathise.

I work as a reserve member of staff for London Underground. I have had to do a late shift on Christmas Eve and and early shift on Boxing Day before. Though I always get Christmas Day off, I can't have any alcohol because of laws governing railway workers (would you trust a railway system run by drunk people?) and there are strict rules for its consumption.

Does Christmas hold any religious significance for you? If not, just hold it a different day. The sentiment is the same.

Although I am annoyed by non-Christian staff demanding they get their religious holidays off, sometimes it can be to my advantage. For instance, I will work a religious holiday for a colleague if they do the same for me, even though these festivals for me are more of a tradition than of any spiritual benefit. Is there anyone who doesn't celebrate Christmas willing to swap with you?