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.

I agree with shops being closed on Christmas Day. I refuse to shop at places that are open on Christmas Day unless they are owned and staffed by people who do not celebrate Christmas, but pubs, no. Christmas is what keeps the majority of them open for the rest of the year, and for some, being able to eat out is essential for them to be able to get through the day.

A lady I know goes abroad every Christmas because she cannot face Christmas in England after the death of her young son. Is it OK for her to eat out, or should she not bother with Christmas at all because cooking at home is not an option for her?

My Gran eats out on Christmas since losing my Grandad. He always used to get up early and peel and chop all the veg for her before going to the pub. She tried cooking at home one year after he died and ended up in a puddle of tears on the kitchen floor.

We eat out because my dad has a fear of eating food cooked by other people outside of a professional setting, but he also cannot cook, so eating out is the only way we can eat together on Christmas Day.

I worked plenty of Christmases both in pubs and in healthcare; it did me no harm, but it's someone else's turn now. I served my time.

The country's tourism industry strongly disagrees with you.

Crackers in cheese in hotel rooms are not a reasonable expectation for Holiday travellers.

But it also why people who work on these days should be paid double.

I worked in a pub when I was 18. Loved it - especially Christmas day.

Got a huge amount of tips. It also gave me a break from all the unnecessary stress that used to come with the day in my childhood home.

Restaurant was packed- included several single bookings - you might say they needed a bit of company.

If hotels hadn't been open I wouldn't have been able to volunteer for Crisis at Christmas for two consecutive years. I had to travel to do it.

Good on your son! My son is 17, also works in a restaurant full time. He’s been working mad hours recently and will continue to do so over Christmas. He’s saving for a car, then a house. I fully support him.

That’s life, a lot people do work over Christmas and unsocial hours in general.

Who is forcing him to work?
No is a complete sentence that he can deploy when asked if he wants any shifts.

Instead of berating people, you should be championing his work ethic!!

What the feck has me treating myself to a meal got to do with people working on Xmas day?!? They could choose not to work?! Or maybe they're not bothered about Xmas and would rather have the cash?! YABVVU

OP don’t shame people for eating out on Christmas Day. Or put it diwn to laziness. It didn’t happen in the end, but after my mum died we were going to eat out somewhere for Christmas as it was too painful to sit at the usual table without her. In the end we just fell apart and don’t do Christmas at all now but if we did in the future, I’d want to eat out as I have a very difficult relative and at least a restaurant would contain them for a couple of hours max You don’t know who’s going through stuff so don’t judge people for visiting an open restaurant!

Actually they might for several reasons - use your imagination.

He’ll get paid well being on double time for the whole day and it’s great news the hospitality industry is doing so well to be so busy.

working Christmas Day is often part and parcel of working in hospitality so I’m not sure why this has surprised you. Also, the ‘lazy’ customers are keeping the business doing so well, keeping people in jobs. It’ll likely go quiet in January so the more custom they can get over Christmas, the better.

your son will have a brilliant work ethic for a 16 year old. It’s great experience and will help him go far. Fair play to him

You must report the pub immediately.
I can't believe in Britain today a company is allowed to force teenagers to work!
What penalty would he face if he refused? Death? Torture?
Seriously, get a grip.

Also for what it's worth, we're not lazy - just have a bloody newborn! Could be lots of reasons why people go out to eat.

Fucking hell OP. My DS (and I) would be delighted if he could find a job like that! Be grateful he’s got some financial independence and work experience behind him!

Lots of yp like working at Christmas as it’s extra money.
Under 18 there are different rules re hours and shifts they can do (McDonald’s used to have a manager who looked after the ‘babies’ when DD worked there to ensure they complied) My dd was laughing about her Boxing Day McDonalds shifts and all the idiot members of public she had to deal with shouting because they had missed breakfast service. Some kids like seeing their work friends and busy environment, they used to dress up in fancy dress. I always worked a lot as a student over Xmas hols, alternative was sitting at home with relatives.

Nope. He's 16. He can say no.

DD has declined all Xmas shifts as she is revising for Alevels. Quite right too.

No one has to work at 16.

There are many reasons people may choose to eat out on Christmas Day (dietary requirements, house renovations, last Xmas with ill loved ones so don't want to spend it in the kitchen, exhausted from working a job you consider worthy ie surgeons, midwives, emergency services etc... maybe they're alone and want company - every pub I've ever worked at always had a table full of regulars on Xmas Day who had noone else to share the day with!) so you are unbelievably unreasonable and incredibly entitled to state its because they're lazy!

You say that as though there are plenty of options for a 16 year old to earn money. There isn't. Good for your son.

A proportion of them will be lazy though. A proportion. You're both right.

I think it’s immoral to go out for Christmas lunch. Trashing other families Christmases. Poor staff. Buy Cook meals and put them in the oven no excuse these days. Lazy gits.

Is it spoiling his Christmas or just yours OP? It sounds a little self centred, especially when he's so young he'll be loving the extra cash.

Why on earth would you send your literal CHILD to work on Christmas Day?! Utterly ridiculous, it’s not the Victorian ages babe, and why come on here and blame people who go out to
lunch and have a myriad of reasons to do
so…

I ask think that people shouldn’t have to justify their reasons for going to the pub on Christmas Day (bereavement, mental health etc) - frankly, it’s enough to just WANT to go and spend money in a struggling establishment than opens on Christmas Day out of choice, where the workers are paid extra for working a bank holiday.

No of course going to the pub on Christmas Day or anything other day is not ESSENTIAL but thank God this is no longer 2020 and we don’t need to classify every activity as essential or inessential.

Love this reply 🤩

Several of dds student aged mates having their Christmases ruined for the lazy and entitled.

Why don’t you speak to his boss and ask them to close on Christmas Day? Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. Running a business and employing people and what not.