Not to want to work Christmas?

[2bamum]

OK first I've name changed, second I'm going to change some of the facts slightly so please if I say 7 once then 8 don't be suspicious I just don't want everyone to work out who I am!
That's it really. I work in a department of 8 people someone has to work every day of the year no choice, it will mean working probably from 9 am until about 6 or 7 then being available by phone within 20 ish minutes of work for discussion and a probably 20% chance of going back in in the evening.

Normally who works when is agreed by discussion (invariably for normal people some want to work Christmas some New Year). This year there has been no discussion, my boss knows I am intending to leave (I have subsequently resigned but NOT for this reason) and in an effort to get the maximum return for her investment has produced a schedule which means I am working Christmas. I have been told this was done on purpose. The schedule was designed by a flunkie such that either me, him or his best mate would be working Christmas unsurprisingly he made this me.

I am the only person at work with children.

Whilst I fully recognise the rights of those without children to have a family Christmas or a holiday or an opportunity to booze ad infinitum (which is why for the first approximately 10 years of my life I worked EVERY Christmas) I feel that work is being unreasonable.For example one collegue got very cross with me because she feels that as one of 2 carers for her Mother her caring role isn't 'recognised' as much as mine and has equal status, I feel it is more complicated than that because my dh works in the same field so we have this problem multiplied by 2 every year and can never work the same day (it being illegal to leave small children home alone!) hence if we don't co-ordinate in some way we will get no breaks/bank holidays etc, it also transpires that her reason for not wanting to work Christmas is that her husband can take time off work without loosing any money but if he takes time of at other times he might loose work oportunities.

At the very least I feel Christmas should have been left out of the schedule and discussed separately.

So AIBU?

Ballot seems fairest in those circs. Next year the other two certainly won't remember that you did the crappy shift this year.

any other thoughts?

In case anyone is interested i have put myself down to work the late shift on Christmas day and we will have our Christmas dinner on Boxing Day when I come home from work at 3pm.

Next year I will be off and so will DH.

kama - is that amount of shifts optional or is it full time with extra shifts?

That seems a bit unfair being made to work over your contractural hours. How does your employer manage that?

Thanks guys some quick replies
mears bit late now but I would have suggested a ballot! You misunderstood my comment earlier (I think) I am 100% guaranteed to get Christmas next year (traditionally always given to the newbie!)
Penelope that's interesting I thought that airlines didn't fly on Christmas day. Is it just the flights that take off on Christmas Eve or is it a big schedule?
Lazypumpkin I appreciate it's a big job if it's a large ward or a department store but this is single figures, presumably if you do the schedule every year you know/take into consideration who worked it the previous year to some degree?
Sofiaames I didn't want to bring religion into it but 50% of the people involved are non-Christian.
Kama your employer will certainly be getting his moneys worth.
Clare no nopremium for working it just a days leave in lieu.
Can I say again I didn't go into the room shouting about how I had kids so didn't want to work Christmas. I have also rechecked the schedule organiser has NO bank holidays or weekends before Bank holidays ALL YEAR!

Some flights on Xmas Day. Dh used to work at Heathrow and had to work (not every Christmas, mind... they shared it out, but he did miss most of dd2's first Christmas because he was working). I hated him not being around on Christmas Day, so I do sympathise 2bamum. He now volunteers to work New Year as he's on a team with a lot of younger Party Animals . They are normally happy to let him off Christmas in return!

I want some party animals at my work!!

How can religion not be brought into it? Christmas is a religious holiday. It would be ridiculous not to consider a person's religion when doing a schedule. You wouldn't want to schedule a jewish person on Yom Kippur or a muslim person on...(sorry forget what the big holidays are for muslims).
It seems to me that it would just be courtesy for a non-christian to volunteer for Christmas, and vice versa for the other religious holidays.
I live in the USA and even though we're ostensibly secular when it comes to public school/work holidays, the Los Angeles Public School systems have a day off on the major Jewish holidays as a good chunk of the teachers wouldn't show up.

in our place we discuss it and it usually works out fine that the older ones with kids want to work ny and the younger ones without kids want to work xmas. i am sneakily trying to get out of both as i fit in both groups