Probably - but people too lazy to cook their own christmas dinner are spoiling mine

[SheinIsShite]

My youngest DS is 16 and works in a pub kitchen. Dish washing, food prep, plating starters/dessert. He is contracted to do 8 hours a week which is usually OK. Obviously this time of year is busy and because he is not at school he has more shifts.

School finished on Friday, he worked Friday evening. And Saturday, and Sunday. Did an extra shift on Monday afternoon as they were short. Yesterday was rostered 11-6 but got home at 22.50 as they were so busy and needed to prep for the 700 covers they have booked today between 12 and 4.30pm. He starts again at 10am this morning, and although they have said he'll be done by 6.30 I don't believe that so he will more than likely miss our family meal.

So all of you paying £85 a head for Christmas lunch in a very standard chain pub, thanks for that.

Totally appreciate that some people have to work and we are all grateful to the police, fire, midwives etc. But going out for your Chrtistmas lunch is not essential.

Says the person who insulted everyone going out for meals and called them "lazy"

🤣

Your post is hardly in the spirit of Christmas either OP.

You are coming across like a giant petulant baby

One of the maddest posts I’ve read in a long while.
Pubs are really struggling at the moment and closing in their thousands. It’s a good thing for the owners, workers and local community if people go to the pub over Christmas.

When I was younger working Christmas and New Year etc was the best as it meant double time (and honestly, at 18 etc a lot of us were quite happy to escape excessive family time) but if he hates it so much he can simply quit?

I mean…this is batshit. Obviously if your son works in hospitality part of that is that you accept Xmas and NYE shifts are part and parcel of the job. Grow up.

Well a few years ago when my mum and dad were both in their terminal stage, nobody had the strength to cook a Christmas dinner so we booked a pub lunch. Obviously it was the last ever family meal. So you never know the circumstances, keep your judgement to yourself.

And to add l, my son had loads of jobs in hospitality as a student ( as did I, worked all over Xmas in pubs) so I just do not share your sense of entitlement that your DS should be allowed to live life in a bubble where nobody else counts.

Your poor son and poor you, Op! Totally agree with the you - all these lazy selfish fuckers taking your baby away from you for Christmas!
@SheinIsShite
who cares about people who are disabled or recently bereaved or the many other reasons why people may not want or be able to cook Christmas dinner?! Your precious poppet should be home!

@GeorgeClooneyshouldhavemarriedme

spot on 🤌

Haha! Are you having a laugh OP??

so the world stops for your Christmas dinner. You do realise you are not the centre of the world right? That other people can go out for lunch and that many pubs need to open during Christmas to maintain their business

Don’t berate the perfectly reasonable actions of others for your selfish wishes.

bloody hell - what a stupid post.

We’re not going out today, but we have in the past, and it was glorious. We went out for a meal at lunchtime yesterday, the server said she was working today, she was happy to as it was a great atmosphere, her partner was also in hospitality so would be working too, they get extra money and will have their Christmas meal in the next few days.

If your son doesn’t want to work Christmas, it’s not the job for him. Having said that, seems it’s more you who is upset about it than him.

What? 😂 presumably he wasn’t compelled to take the job?

We often go out. Why? Because my dad spent 40 years running pubs, working on Christmas Day and cooking
now we can finally spend a Christmas together as we didn’t when I was a child because he (and my mum) was working and he doesn’t want to cook and neither do I
I also worked in pubs from 13-24 so we’ve done our bit

Honestly, going by the OP's posts and general attitude, I would much rather spend my Christmas working in a pub than at home with her. I think the atmosphere would be better and I'd have more fun.

At 16, a family Christmas at home isn't that great anyway, by my recollection - it's not an age when you really appreciate that kind of thing. You'd rather be with your friends (or earning double time money!).

I would suspect OP's son isn't regretting his choices. Although hopefully he's savvy enough to pretend to her that he does.

Sorry you are missing your son for a family Christmas. Ours is a paramedic.

Sometimes it does seem necessary to go out for Christmas lunch. Like us, 3 years ago when we drove 4 hours to take my 93 year old mother (who could still get about with a walker), to lunch with her sister, who was able to get to a venue local to her with the help of carers as has mobility issues. To us it was precious to have my mum with her sister on Christmas Day. So I see that as essential.

It’s not st all reasonable to judge people who choose it need to go out for Christmas lunch.

@SheinIsShite instead of griping, why didn’t you all volunteer to help at a shelter or somewhere offering people who wouldn’t otherwise have a Christmas meal a place to be fed and looked after? In my teens and early twenties I helped my dad’s Rotary Club do just that. There was a lovely camaraderie to the day.

My son has missed the last four Christmas Days because he works in hospitality, us moaning that he’s missing Christmas Day with his family isn’t going to make it any easier or endear us to him. He finished very late last night and was back in at 9am this morning, because sometimes things don’t go to plan.

Before I retired I worked for the the council in a 24/7 365 days a year job. The amount of people who moaned about having to work Christmas and BH used to annoy me. Get another job then used to be my response.

When I was young I often worked the run up to Christmas on a bar because of the tips. My DSD worked several Christmases because of her brilliant pay and tips. We just ate around those times and before and after.

Hospitality is struggling. Eating out is such a treat over Christmas and if people want to I'm sure it helps struggling businesses that are offering it. It's not being selfish or lazy.

My hairdresser works 7 days a week in the run up to Christmas to offset how quiet January is.

My daughter , a student, id working until 6 today. We'll eat dinner when she finishes

@Soontobe60 DS is working today, we are having Christmas dinner without him as we have elderly relatives who wouldn't be able to face a large dinner late in the evening. DS will get fed as part of his job. We will celebrate later with him.

And those saying it is a shitty job, DS looks forward to it, he likes the extra money. Used to be triple pay and a Christmas bonus usually in form of a turkey, bottles of wine. But times are hard for hospitality now so only double pay and no bonus.

Is christmas lunch at home essential?

It’s usually a great atmosphere too, so most young adults will probably enjoy it and possibly prefer it to being at home!

Says the woman who started a thread calling people lazy because they choose to eat in a restaurant on Christmas Day 😂

Your Christmas isn't ruined, it's just different to usual. Kids grow up. My youngest is working a lot over Christmas so we've not done some of the usual stuff but he's happy to be earning some money. Don't be so dramatic.

Instead of moaning on here I urge you to head to said pub and scream at these lazy fuckers in person. Get them telt! How dare they!

YABU this time of year is what keeps most pubs in business, without it your DS would not even have a job.

I would be thankful that my DS was able to find a job.

Unless you are religious, Xmas doesn’t have to be celebrated on the 25th.

Many times we’ve done the whole Xmas day on a different day and then after work on Xmas day just done something like order takeaway and watch Xmas movies and eat chocolate.

I knew someone who would choose to work Xmas day because of the atmosphere and tips (he was a dad so it made him a crap parent and partner but apart from that I can see why he’d do it).

YAB massively unreasonable to accuse people whom you know nothing about of being lazy!

You’re also blaming the customers but if it wasn’t open then they wouldn’t go there - so you should blame the owners if anything (you shouldn’t actually blame anyone).