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Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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Original poster

working christmas day

17 replies

frazzled74 · 09/10/2010 23:28

i have to work christmas day this year. I will leave my house at 6.30am and be home at 8pm. How can i still make it special for dcs ? what do other people do? dh isnt christmasy. me and dcs are very christmasy.

OP posts:

nancy75 · 09/10/2010 23:32

can you have it xmas eve or boxing day? are they little enough that you could get away with not telling them its the wrong day?

Original poster

frazzled74 · 09/10/2010 23:36

no dd is 7 and def knows her days.We do father christmas (heavily, my doing!) as well so i cant give them presents on boxing day instead>

OP posts:

tulpe · 09/10/2010 23:39

You could take a northern European tradition and have Christmas day on Christmas eve.

The Dutch do it thus: Christmas dinner early on christmas eve (say 6.30 - 7pm) followed by gift opening. Not sure how you would explain arrival of gifts at early time (Dutch gifts on Christmas eve are traditionally from family ......... SinterKlaas deposits his gifts every eve from 30 Nov - 5 December).

If you take the present opening on christmas eve approach, you could leave DH and DCs playing all day with new gifts and perhaps have more formal meal christmas night?

scurryfunge · 09/10/2010 23:41

I would make Christmas Eve very special if you are off that day.

Who will be there for them on the day?

I've worked many a Christmas and New Year (had 2 New Years Eves off in 13 years and about 4 Christmases).

Depending on what you do of course, my shift used to appear half way through the day at my house for a Christmas breakfast and react to incidents from there....not always appropriate though!

tulpe · 09/10/2010 23:42

Oooh DH (Dutch contingent foe family) has just told me that father Christmas does indeed bring the gifts on christmas eve but they get to stay up until midnight (playing games with family) and then presents are delivered by santa when (conveniently) family leave the room to go to loo etc :o

tulpe · 09/10/2010 23:44

of not foe......obviously

Original poster

frazzled74 · 09/10/2010 23:50

am tempted to get them to bed very early christmas eve then get them up at 5.30 for presents, they can have lazy day with their big brother and dh, playing with toys etc. I could do big dinner for grandparents etc boxing day.still wont be the same though!

OP posts:

angelberry · 09/10/2010 23:51

That's a long shift! What do you do?

If you're trying to keep the magic going, I'd be writing letters with the children requesting 'special permission from Santa' to have Christmas a day early.

Then I'd do the whole kaboodle on Christmas eve...waking up to pressies, turkey dinner, long walk in the park...whatever you normally do.

Then on Christmas day itself, I'd be thinking about whether there are any people who'd love a visit from your DCs but don't normally get a look in. For example, my grandmother would love them to pop in, but normally has to wait for boxing day as there's so much to do. I'd send DH with them, as it wouldn't eat into close family time in the same way as other years.

Original poster

frazzled74 · 09/10/2010 23:52

tulpe, that sounds good! midnight santa visit!

OP posts:

Original poster

frazzled74 · 09/10/2010 23:59

im a nurse, 12 hour shifts plus travel time.We used to do half shifts over christmas but staff shortage and cuts in budget mean thats not possible this year.Moving christmas day forward with permission from father christmas sounds good.
I really want to win lottery and not go to work, then i will never miss christmas, school trips and harvest festival etc, ever again. Thanks for all your ideas.

OP posts:

angelberry · 10/10/2010 00:10

I'm sorry you don't get to spend Christmas with your kids, but I'm also bloody grateful that people like you are there if me or my kids need you that day. I'm sure your kids will appreciate why their Christmasses are disrupted, and grow up to be caring, compassionate individuals. (But that's not to say I won't send you lottery winning vibes anyway )

tulpe · 10/10/2010 00:13

Frazzled - sending you loads of lottery winning vibes :o

We do a combo of dutch/english (Dunglish :o ) christmas traditions and my kids love it so am sure your DCs will love the novelty this year too :)

Original poster

frazzled74 · 10/10/2010 08:56

thanks, i actually like working christmas, really nice atmosphere. But i want to be at home as well .I will start talking to dcs today so that they get used to the idea. I wouldnt mind but the rest of my family are not christmasy at all.

OP posts:

FerrisBueller · 10/10/2010 09:05

I'll almost certainly be working christmas day this year (new job - last in). Year before last I did too. The DDs opened their Father Christmas pressies early before I went, Then DH took them to see his fsmily so they got those pressies too. They spent the day watching TV and movies and eating chocolate and DH did dinner fro when I got home.

curlycat · 10/10/2010 11:53

My DH will almost certainly be working some part of christams eve/ christmas day -(ambulance technician) but won't know when til
about a week before which makes organising anything a nightmare!

onimolap · 10/10/2010 11:58

Will Father Christmas be doing a ward round? Or will there be a Christmas service or carol singing? If so, then perhaps in addition to festivities on Christmas Eve, your family could visit the hospital?

tootiredtothink · 10/10/2010 12:09

I second angelberrys idea. Could open just the presents from Father Christmas on Christmas eve, then maybe get up early Christmas day to do the ones under the tree?

Your dcs will prob always remember the magical Christmas when Santa came early .

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