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

[unmemorableusername]

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

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

I'm trying to piece it all together in my head tbh. Hazy memories from 40 years ago!

The working patterns/ jobs changed over the course of my childhood so it wasn't always the same.

The last Christmas Day together at home was probably when I was 10. There might have been another one in my mid teens I'm not sure.
I did always get a stocking.

One year I was told I was spoilt because I got my presents on Christmas Eve instead.

I have memories of sitting home alone all day eating chocolate.

I did ask for the experiences of children whose parents worked as I think it was very different in the 70s/80s/90s than today. I also don't think parents & kids would have the same opinions on the same circumstances. Back then there wasn't the expectation that dads would fill in for mum if there was cooking to be done. Either mum cooked dinner or we didn't eat. (Although my dad did cook at other times).

It's in the context of my parents not liking Christmas anyway. So now I'm seeing the working thing as more of a cover for that rather than an actual reason.

(There was an element of choice in their working)

Ie not farmers.

I grew up in the 80s and I would 100% have expected that if my mum didn't cook that my dad would have done. I'm not saying things were as equal then as now, but it was normal for dad's to provide the basics, surely? Tbh my dad was a pretty shitty dad, but he'd still have fed us.

My Dad was a detective. Used to have the police radio on and occasionally dash off!