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Original poster

If your parents worked on Christmas Day when you were a child how did the logistics work?

28 replies

unmemorableusername · 25/12/2024 00:02

I had this experience but havent met anyone else who has. So I don't know if my experiences are typical.

There must be mumsnetters who had parents working in the NHS/Police/care/emergency services/ taxi drivers/ corner shops etc?

Did you have a Christmas dinner? Earlier/later?

Were you babysat? By who?

Etc

OP posts:
Stompythedinosaur · 25/12/2024 00:10

Not my parents, but I worked alternate Christmases for the first ten years of having dc.

I would try hard to get the late shift, then would do stockings and presents in the morning, do would cook lunch so I could be with the dc, then we would eat early (12, sometimes slightly before) and I'd head to work at around 12.30, generally leaving everyone at the table to have their pudding.

I won't say I loved working Christmas, but it was ok.

Kitkat1523 · 25/12/2024 00:17

I worked Christmas Eve night for years…..I got home at 7.45 …..my DP ensured children went to bed really late and then let them open stockings only if they work before I got in ……then they waited for me…..we had brekkie …..I went to bed for a few hours …..got up around 2 pm…..carried on with the day….lunch around 4 to 5 pm

TheTigerWhoCameToEatMyArsehole · 25/12/2024 00:32

The whole family worked Christmas I did from around the age of 13. It's what comes with living in a business. I miss it actually. We wouldn't have Christmas presents or dinner until around 10pm. Good times.

VikingLady · 25/12/2024 00:35

ILs were senior medical staff on a children's ward, so had to work every year. They took DH in with them and he joined in with the sick kids for their Christmas before shift was over and they could go home for their own Christmas.

Delphigirl · 25/12/2024 00:38

My dad was an ob/gyn so was often on call on Christmas and dashing out to deliver babies etc. it was just something he had to do, and no different to the rest of the year when he often disappeared during dinner/ late at night etc. we would carry on without him and he would come back when he came back.

Original poster
unmemorableusername · 26/12/2024 01:24

Bump.

Anyone else?

OP posts:
fivebyfivebuffy · 26/12/2024 02:10

Parents ran pubs
Would open presents early morning before the pub opened and that was it really
When the pub closed (early around 4pm) we would have a buffet type meal and watch a film
Never a Christmas dinner as dad had been serving it since the 1st Dec and was sick of it

Another family I know now in the trade have their Christmas on Boxing Day

I'm 40 and I've eaten a traditional Christmas roast dinner once in my life!

MessyNeate · 26/12/2024 02:22

Not as a kid. But I'm a nurse and have worked the last 5 out of 7 christmases, when they were younger they wrote to Santa and explained "mam is a nurse who looks after sick babies and is working Christmas Day" so he would deliver them early.

We just do Christmas On a different day. This year it was on the 23rd :)

TaggieO · 26/12/2024 02:27

Not my parents but a family member was an A&E Matron, and she’d always volunteer to do the night shift, so she’d get in as everyone was getting up. On years she was working they would host so that her kids had a hoard of family members to keep them entertained. She’d get in from work and everyone would do stockings, then she’d go to bed whilst others cooked lunch, and then get up for a late lunch with everyone and then presents.

Years later she confessed she’d take that shift even when she wasn’t rostered to work over Christmas as it meant all the cooking and childcare was done for her. Grin

Original poster
unmemorableusername · 26/12/2024 09:32

My parents worked. First just Mum then both of them.

From seeing others' experiences it seems they just used this as a ruse to cancel Christmas. Others seem to make the effort. They just don't like it.

OP posts:
CandiedPrincess · 26/12/2024 09:38

Parents were NHS workers, dad worked days, mum worked nights. If they were working that year we generally decamped for a few days to my grandparents who lived nearby to the hospital. Dad would come home for lunch, mum would sleep during the day and get up for lunch etc. Shifts were normally organised so that if you worked one year, you got the next off.

WhitegreeNcandle · 26/12/2024 09:38

Farmers. Always allowed to open Santa stockings before Dad went to work. We then waited for the rest of the presents till he came in around 12 and then lunch at 1. Mum would cook. From about 8 we would go out and help.

My kids are the same - once they’re old enough to work they work. Our staff work so we do to.

It’s just normal to us. To be fair it’s not like being a nurse or something where you’re out of the house - it’s much easier being on the farm!

fiddleleaffig · 26/12/2024 09:43

My dad worked in the merchant navy so was away for 12 weeks then home for 6. Obviously very different to people at home doing shift work, but if he was away on Christmas Day he was away and just missed it (obviously he would've taken his presents to open, and left some before his trip).
Lots of people work Christmas Day, probably more than most people realise.

Rockfordpeach · 26/12/2024 09:47

Both my parents were nurses. One would have Xmas day off and the other would work the early shift (I can only remember one year my mum had to work a late). We would all do stockings together in bed and then the working parent would go to work and we would stay home play with stocking fillers, watch Xmas films help with preparing lunch etc, Xmas dinner around 3pm when parent came home and then presents after dinner. I loved having presents later in the day, made the whole day exciting

EBearhug · 26/12/2024 09:47

Farming. We opened stockings on waking, he went and checked livestock round the farm (there was a separate dairyman,) church, lunch, tree presents, then he went round the farm again before dark. It was a day of minimal work, not no work. Obviously if cattle got out or needed a vet or anything, it would have to be dealt with, but we lived on the farm, so it was fine.

Comff · 26/12/2024 09:48

unmemorableusername · 26/12/2024 09:32

My parents worked. First just Mum then both of them.

From seeing others' experiences it seems they just used this as a ruse to cancel Christmas. Others seem to make the effort. They just don't like it.

Do you mean they didn’t do Christmas with you because they were working? No stockings or meal?

derxa · 26/12/2024 09:49

Farmers. Christmas wasn’t a big deal. Fantastic presents usually. Mum cooked a chicken never a turkey. There was none of this making magic malarkey. We knew we were loved though

derxa · 26/12/2024 09:52

EBearhug · 26/12/2024 09:47

Farming. We opened stockings on waking, he went and checked livestock round the farm (there was a separate dairyman,) church, lunch, tree presents, then he went round the farm again before dark. It was a day of minimal work, not no work. Obviously if cattle got out or needed a vet or anything, it would have to be dealt with, but we lived on the farm, so it was fine.

We had a dairy farm as well. Milking had to happen twice a day.

NeedSomeComfy · 26/12/2024 09:56

Parents were doctors. I have various memories of visiting the wards on Christmas day and all the nurses telling us how we'd grown (looking back I'm not sure how they actually 'worked' with us around - I suppose we then went home and they stayed there?).
Unfortunately it does sound like your experience was that they just didn't want to do Christmas. It was always a big deal in our household even if someone was working.

Frowningprovidence · 26/12/2024 10:00

My parents both did shift work so there was no set pattern to what we did as they each had about 4 shift options.

Sometimes we just did it all boxing day or Christmas eve, sometime we had a late dinner, or a big family breakfast. I had a couple of christmas lunches at work with my dad.

We always opened stocking first thing though with whoever was home.

I actally like it, it means I don't have this set idea on what christmas should be and I'm not uptight that my inlaws celebrate differently

[Had a child minder that would take me to mass if both parents on same shift]

LunchtimeNaps · 26/12/2024 10:01

My dad was a firefighter but he was lucky enough to get it off. Back then the men with families had Christmas day off and those without had new year off. (Men back then never women)

Both my partner and I work Christmas (police) if we cannot get it off or if shifted off. So far we've made sure one of use is always there. This years I worked nights Christmas Eve into Christmas Day and DP worked night Christmas Day night so our kids always have one of us.

If we even have to do the same shift and so far it hasn't happened I'm not sure what I'd do. I'd possibly try a swap. Although the type of work I do can be done from home but it's still not ideal.

Our DC are used to us missing things and know we have to work 24/7 365 days a year. I think it's good for them to understand the real world. So many people are entitled these days but expect others to be available to offer a service whilst they don't want to.

CantHoldMeDown · 26/12/2024 10:05

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

GretchenWienersHair · 26/12/2024 10:09

Mum didn’t start doing Christmas Day until my older sister was an adult, I was a teenager and Dad was dead. My sister and her family would come over in the morning, we’d open presents, cook together and then Mum would usually be home by about 4 when we’d all eat together.

BiddyPop · 26/12/2024 10:15

DF didn't have to work officially, but as the most senior manager living locally, he was always on call for emergencies in the energy plant, especially at Christmas. He always went in on Christmas morning for "an hour" to see how it was all going and in solidarity with the shift who were on duty (24/7 operation).

We all went to early mass, then had a full fry. DF went to work for a couple of hours while we played or helped DM, then neighbours called for drinks and we cooked/ate later (dinner never started before 6, and wasn't unheard of to be after 10 before starting).

Parker231 · 26/12/2024 10:17

DH is a doctor and worked many Christmas days. We just moved it to another day - DT’s never missed out on any celebrations. The day it happened on is irrelevant.