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Original poster

Pub at christmas

38 replies

WinoAnon · 23/10/2021 20:55

I always see on here that it's their family tradition to go to the pub on Christmas Day. We never did this growing up and I've never heard any other families doing it. I've only ever heard it on mumsnet.

I would actually feel bad that people have to work just so I can have a drink?

Where do you live where this is common?

OP posts:
Dollywilde · 23/10/2021 21:01

It wasn’t ever a thing when I was growing up because we lived in the middle of nowhere and no one in my family is prepared to be designated driver on Xmas Day!

It’s absolutely the done thing at DH’s, as his mum lives in a village and the pub is at the heart of it. We’re not out long but it’s usually the window of cooking where the turkey is first in and there’s nothing to do for a while. It’s always rammed and the bar staff are usually uni students back for the holidays who are probably glad of the break from their families! They don’t do food and it’s only a few hours so I don’t feel bad for it. It’s a lovely tradition for us.

RightOnTheEdge · 23/10/2021 21:03

Even though we are open Christmas day thankfully I've never had to work it. I usually have to work boxing day though and it does hurt my heart a bit leaving my kids to go work.
The worst bit is the people who walk up to the bar to order and say "Oh poor you working on boxing day! It sucks they make you work today" Hmm

I'm sure people in retail get the same.

Original poster
WinoAnon · 23/10/2021 21:05

Our turkey is cooked the day before Grin

We do usually go for a walk and there are several pubs we pass but I'm sure they are all closed so it might just depend on whether there's a pub that does it.

OP posts:
Original poster
WinoAnon · 23/10/2021 21:09

@RightOnTheEdge I always avoid retail on these days and there was a lot of support for home bargains closing on boxing day so I've wondered why the pub on Christmas day was better!

I've worked in retail and done Christmas Eve, boxing day etc and also done hospitality which meant working on the day but it felt less frivolous as it was a hotel and restaurant.

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actiongirl1978 · 23/10/2021 21:12

We used to go after church some Xmas days when I was growing up - in my teens rather than when I was little. Parents are v Catholic - maybe that's why pub after church was a logical thing!

We've booked a meal at our local for boxing day. If you watch the soaps everyone goes to the pub on Xmas day!

Jumbojem · 23/10/2021 22:29

In my teenage years I lived in a place where the Christmas Day sea swim was huge. After that a drink in the pub them home to do rest of lunch etc We tend to just have Christmas as the four of us now and have called in at a pub combined with a walk to get us out of the house. The pubs generally have been packed but only open for a few hours, say 11-2, allowing staff plenty of time to enjoy with family, no food etc

iklboo · 23/10/2021 22:31

The staff I've spoken to put their names down early for Xmas Day shift as they're paid triple time, plus tips & bonus.

FireworkParrot · 23/10/2021 22:36

I've never known anyone go to the pub on Christmas Day but I quite like the idea of going for a meal out for Christmas and having someone else do all the cooking and washing up but I'd feel to sorry for the poor staff to actually do it.

MrsMcCluskeysCat · 23/10/2021 22:38

@iklboo

The staff I've spoken to put their names down early for Xmas Day shift as they're paid triple time, plus tips & bonus.
Yes I was coming to say this, the 3 years I worked in a hotel over Christmas as a teen I did as many shifts as I could from the 24th-26th (they were split shifts of up to 3 a day) as you got either double or triple time!

We go to the pub some years depending on our plans for the day, so whilst it's not an annual tradition we do it some years and it's lovely as the atmosphere is so different to any other day Smile

Lou98 · 23/10/2021 22:39

It's not something I'd ever done growing up but when I was 18 I started working in our local pub and realised how many people do!

It was always jam packed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day - I loved working it personally, I loved all my regulars and I made such good money in tips! I got paid double time for working it but I still made about double my wage for that shift in tips!

Original poster
WinoAnon · 23/10/2021 22:49

Oh yes I'd forgot about going to the pub on Christmas Eve when I was younger! Forgot that was a thing with having kids.

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kittenkipping · 23/10/2021 22:54

It's very done where I'm from and growing up was the best bit of Christmas- my parents had lease of the local between my 8 and 14th Christmas and we opened on the day. 2-7 I think it was. We had Christmas dinner at 12 pm (up since 5/6 anyway) and the first few In were always the singles. Mam gave them a dinner. She put lazy Susan's with pigs in blankets, cold chicken nuggets, mini sausage rolls, twiglets and cheese and pineapple sticks in the bar and some tables. Families would come and their children would bring a toy and if usually get to play with them and play together. When everyone got "merry" there'd be singing. Mam always cracked a cracker with everyone who left (or let me or another punter crack it). I'd always end up quids in from the older peolple slipping me a 50p. The short hours meant no scary drunks.

It taught me that Christmas is to be shared and a community Christmas is better than family one. I live far away now and no pubs are open where we live. What's more that community atmosphere and pub culture is gone. I hate pubs now, so perhaps I have rose tinted memories

MilduraS · 23/10/2021 22:55

In the Republic of Ireland pubs are closed on Christmas Day. I was really surprised when I moved here and people had a family tradition of going to the pub for Christmas dinner. I understand people in essential services working but people don't need to go to the pub.

Youngatheart00 · 23/10/2021 22:57

Pub on Christmas Eve is just the best!

I think the Christmas Day drink is quite a villagey thing - where I grew up the pub was literally open for about 4 hours on Xmas day but it was lovely - people just popped in

Penny04 · 24/10/2021 09:20

We go most years while dinner is in the oven! the village pub is only open a few hours with nibbles layed out on every table, cosy fire on and locals popping in and out. We normally meet some family friends for a festive drink and it's a brilliant atmosphere, one of my fav parts of Christmas

AnnPerkins · 24/10/2021 13:10

I grew up in a Home Counties village and my dad always went to the pub on Christmas Day.

I lived and worked in a pub for a few years in my 20s and the manager always opened for an hour on Christmas Day. She said it was obligatory under her licence. It was in a town centre though so didn’t get much trade.

I live in another village nearby now and the two pubs both open for a couple of hours at lunchtime. The new management at one of them was quite shocked at the turnout in their first year. The management at the other pub always buy their customers’ first drink as a thank you for the year’s business. It’s really the only day of the year now when the pubs seem like the traditional heart of village life that they used to be. Food isn’t served so they are just serving drinks and they don’t have that restauranty feel that they usually have. It’s one of my favourite times at Christmas.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 24/10/2021 17:12

My DS used to work P/T at KFC , he was quite happy to work the 24/26 and would've worked on Christmas Day if it was open.
Don't know if they got extra but he was 5 minutes walk away .

When people said "Oh imagine working in KFC on Christmas Eve , I can think of nothing worse .." his thoughts were "And yet here you are buying it" ( said under his 'tacshe to himself ) Xmas Wink

goose1964 · 24/10/2021 21:38

Where we grew up our local opened for a few hours Christmas day but entry was by invitation only and the landlord was behind the bar.

My daughter-in-law's family used to go to a pub until one year they forgot their order although all their drinks were free there was as long wait and bad hangovers boxing day. DS1 has convinced his wife to have Christmas dinner at home , he cooks it .

This year we're going up to see them early Dec and we're having a Christmas dinner with them.

ImInStealthMode · 24/10/2021 21:40

I used to work in my local Christmas Day. Short shift as the pub was only open a few hours, we got paid triple time, we could have a couple of drinks ourselves and we'd leave with pockets heavy with tips. What's not to like? Wink

LadyofMisrule · 25/10/2021 14:25

I used to do bar/catering work. I always liked working on Christmas day because everyone is so festive and cheerful. Pubs really rely on Christmas trade, as January can be a REALLY quiet month.

julesover40 · 25/10/2021 18:54

We've always gone to the pub on Xmas day, as children we would go after church for an hour then home for dinner. Always a fun part of the day seeing my parents friends and their children. As adults we still do, if we go to my parents for Christmas we still go to their local, the landlord buys everyone's first drink. Only open for 3 hours so all home for dinner. If we staying home, we go to our local while the meat is cooking (2 minutes walk away) and have a couple of drinks with friends and neighbours. My children have always enjoyed it too, and like us many years ago, bring along a new toy/present to play with their friends x

RestingStitchFace · 26/10/2021 12:23

I think it's more of a rural thing. I live in a village with a family-owned pub and it's a bit of a local tradition. We always pop in for one on Christmas Day on the way back from our dog walk.

MummyJ12 · 26/10/2021 12:35

We haven’t been able to do this before as we lived too far from a pub to have a local. Now we’re renting and a stones throw away from a lovely village pub, we’ll absolutely be popping in on Christmas Eve. I don’t think I’ll have time on Christmas Day but I might kick everyone else out to go if I fancy five minutes peace 😂

PizzaBreath · 26/10/2021 12:36

My family have never and would never go! However as an adult, I have been - I love it! But a lot depends on if you have a good local pub. There are a couple by me and generally only the landlords work (which can be treat to see if they don’t normally) there’s normally a free glass of fizz and chocs on the bar too and only open 11/12 - 2. It’s fab, a lovely atmosphere, nice to see whole families you may not normally / people moved away etc, one of my fav Christmassy things to do.

Marmelace · 26/10/2021 12:40

My mum and stepdad went to the pub Christmas day and us kids were left at home to get the dinner ready. They'd usually roll up pissed at closing time. I've made a point of being at home ever since I had my sons.

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