To be fucked off about Working on Christmas Day

[Flipflopskid]

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?

[Handbagsonnhold]

I've worked a few Christmas days....you'd thing people going on their holiday on Christmas Day would be full of good cheer alas no. I sympathise op ?

[expatinscotland]

Then find a workaround. Ring in.

[PeppiNephrine]

Look its your choice, stop acting the victim. If it really means that much to you to be at home for christmas, tell work you can't do it. REsign if you have to.
Or you could just spend lots of other days with your sister. We all make our own choices. You're not slogging in some minimum wage pit all over christmas, its really not the end of the world. If you hate the idea so much, do something about it.

[DialsMavis]

I work in a pub and we don't get double time on Christmas Day. I'm only working for a few hours and DO will bring DC and IL's in for a few drinks. In lieu of the double time (tight bastards), I will plan to totally flout the 'no drinks from customers' rule and explain to the whole pub that we are all there for £6.33 an hour (a pint in the pub is just shy of £5 btw) if my boss pulls me up on it!

[poorbuthappy]

Drip drip.

[expatinscotland]

We booked and stayed in a hotel over Xmas a couple of years ago. Ate in restaurants, too. What twats, to not cook ourselves. DD1 was in a cancer unit far from home. She died a few months later.

I'm glad those who worked that day weren't so full of hate at having to be there, OP.

The joy is truly gone from what is left of my heart.

DH worked the 4 Xmases before in a hotel for min wage. It's part of the job. Never thought of considering the customers a bunch of twats, most were elderly and might otherwise have spent Xmas alone.

[3littlefrogs]

As a nurse I have spent years working all sorts of holidays, including Christmas and New year. It is just what we do. We live in a 24/7 society now.

IME many people who work bank holidays are glad of the extra money they earn. Most people can't afford to be fussy about the shifts they work these days.

We always used to celebrate our Christmas day early or late if one or both of us was working.

I think YABU op - you are not the only person having to work Christmas day.

[Purple2012]

Its one Christmas. Out of the last 20 Christmas days I have had 3 of them off. I have to work this year even though the rules changed and it shouldn't be my turn. I've never had a Christmas just me and my dh.

[diddl]

"Fuck the fact that I won't get to be on the photos and share the last Christmas of my darling sisters life. What a twat I'm being."

Well that's a whole different thread-surely someone will do CD for you?

[ErrorError]

I can take or leave the actual day personally. I opted to work Christmas at my old job because I was only one of two in the office who didn't have kids, so I thought it was more important for them to share the experience. Not that my family means less to me, but they understood, so it wasn't a huge sacrifice. It's about how you feel though, and the symbolism of the day if it's important to you, so I'm sure there'll be a way to work around this, especially if you explained your family circumstances.

My DM was a nurse and often had to work Christmas Day, she didn't gripe about it because it's the nature of the job, and I think she was more concerned about making it special for the patients who would have probably rather been elsewhere as well. Her family worked around her and celebrated on her next day off with the works. Was funny though when they all sat waiting round the TV for the Queen's speech that never happened!

[Flipflopskid]

Thank everybody for some great insight, experiences and for putting things into perspective!

I just love MNers for the chucking about of ideas and answers,thoughts and solutions.

And yes IABFU!

I will think of everybody, working or not this Christmas and raise a glass to you all wherever you may be



Cheers Guys!

[SirChenjin]

OP - you are NBU! If it upsets you to be working Christmas, esp. in an job that (and this is key) presumably didn't include Christmas working when you accepted the role, then it doesn't actually matter whether anyone else works it/has family who do/likes Christmas - you are perfectly within your rights to be pissed off!

[Ledkr]

I was on d out down to work Xmas day and Boxing Day. I was a single mum of a two and ten yr old!
I explained my dilemma and offered to do every other shift but just not Xmas day as no childcare. Boss said I had to.
Whilst pondering going off sick I actually became ill with a uti and ended up in hospital until Xmas eve where I hobbled around sainsbos with my dad and bought food and out Xmas on for my kids.
I like to think it was divine intervention.
They were really horrible to me at work when I returned.
As if you could fake that type of illness!

[kelly21]

you work all your life the least we deserve is to enjoy time with your family you only have ine life if i was made to work christmas day i woud leave my job some people might not agree but am not missing out on my childrens short childhoods

[ilovesooty]

Flipflop I'm sorry your sister is so ill. I hope you work something out.

kelly21 it's ok if you can afford to be so cavalier about your job.

[PuppyMonkey]

I will raise a glass to all of you working at Christmas - I'm lucky because I definitely won't be, having been made redundant from December 6.

[Financeprincess]

OP, whilst I don't know all the facts it appears that you work for a Saudi-based business. People who choose to do those jobs often do so because of the tax advantages - this may not be true in your case, but at the very least you must have known that Saudi Arabia is not a Christian country and hence won't have public holidays on Christmas Day? Seems to me that you knew the score when you took the job, so YABU in my opinion.

[SirChenjin]

When she took the job they weren't required to work Christmas - this is a new thing that the corporate bods are trialling

[SirChenjin]

Oh - and she offered to work other religious festivals to let those who celebrate them have the day off, while people have offered to do the same for her. But no, not acceptable apparently

[colleysmill]

Our local corner shop opens on Christmas morning and the family's grown up son always does the shift.

One year I said I was sorry he had to when he laughed and said it was the best shift of the year. He opens up a bottle of sherry, offers the customers (who often are on their own and don't actually want anything) a complementary drink, he has a chat with all of them and then because he's been "working" he is exempt from all washing up duties and his mother waits on him hand and foot!

I had to laugh :)

[Squidwardtenticles]

I have to work christmas eve which annoys me. We're not allowed to book any time off at christmas at all.

[Babyroobs]

I'm working nightshift on Christmas day and again on Boxing day, so you have my sympathy, it's just the way it is with some jobs unfortunately.

[NearTheWindmill]

My DS was born on Christmas day. Should I have delivered a pre-term baby myself at home then; indeed a pre-term baby who would have died during labour if the emergency team of about 11 hadn't poured into the room as the emergency button was hit to get him out when he stopped breathing and the resuscitated him.

[Darkesteyes]

DialsMavis thats really shit about the wage on Xmas Day Im willing to bet a lot of employers are trying to get away with this in this climate.
I bet there are even people on workfare somewhere who will have to go in on Xmas Day

[Darkesteyes]

colleysmillSat 16-Nov-13 13:16:37



Our local corner shop opens on Christmas morning and the family's grown up son always does the shift.

One year I said I was sorry he had to when he laughed and said it was the best shift of the year. He opens up a bottle of sherry, offers the customers (who often are on their own and don't actually want anything) a complementary drink, he has a chat with all of them and then because he's been "working" he is exempt from all washing up duties and his mother waits on him hand and foot



Wonder if the same thing would happen if he was female The waiting on him hand and foot bit.