How to handle husband working xmas day

[Stuckinside]

So as the title suggests my husband has to work xmas day - despite his boss refusing to do any of the festive period (another story). I have a 5 and 10 year old and am trying to figure out how to do xmas day on boxing day without them realising, more specifically our older child. They love to track santa on Xmas eve which is going to make it difficult, so I'm open to any suggestions. I was going to add another chocolate into their advent calenders and do another day for the elf.... But I don't know how to ensure the day is seamless.....and don't want my older child to have the magic spoilt. Those who also work xmas day with children, how do you manage it? Thank you

Crack on & get by.

Early or Late Christmas to make up.

I & many others were deployed away on Op Granby, Herrick & Telic. Not great but you crack on.

Don't lie to them - better to explain and have celebration on whichever day is convenient (Christmas Eve?).

No way can you fool a 10 year old about what day it is! Open some/all presents before husband goes to work. Enjoy a chilled out day together, play some games and let them help with what they can towards the Christmas dinner, then eat when he gets home. Or just tell them you will have your proper Christmas the next day when daddy can be there and let them help you decide what to do as an alternative way of spending Christmas Day, so they feel ownership and excitement about it.

Both DH and I have worked Christmas over the years (I can only think of 3 in 20 years that we have both been off together)

Kids really don't mind, for a dayshift (8-6) the kids would be up and open presents before work time, play with toys, visit family then Xmas Dinner.
Backshift or nightshift the same but worked in with the shift hours.
Mine are all older now so we have Christmas Dinner on Christmas eve most years as it is less stressful! Last year we had Christmas Dinner on the 23rd due to DH shifts and me being on call. You just get used to it

Don't be so horrible.

What Earth shattering thing did you expect with the Christmas topic & title??

Have a chat with your 10 year old and explain the situation, then ask them for any ideas that could help everyone to have a lovely Christmas. You may be surprised with their answers.

It’s all for the children so you let them have their Xmas day as normal. If it’s just this Xmas then surely dad can cope. The kids won’t care at that age they just want the presents.

My mother always did shift work at Christmas. (Nurse). I knew that the morning was a special breakfast, opening of stockings and then wait till she got home. Never an issue. We knew that my mother should have her Christmas too! In some ways the wait for presents made it more exciting- seeing the neighbourhood kids playing with theirs knowing we still had ours to come.

This 👆Children are very adaptable!

Just don't. Can't really say 'don't lie to your children', because of the whole Father Christmas thing!

Have a lovely family Christmas Eve meal - do the big dinner then with family presents.

Up early Christmas morning for stockings with dad and wave him off.

Then do fun things during the day, including a big walk, games, telly, and their choice of evening meal when he gets in.

Or you could just TELL them because dad's got to work you're doing the Christmas thing say on Boxing day.

If they genuinely believe in SC, can't you organise for 'SC' to send them a letter explaining that Christmas will work a bit differently this year? Letters from the Tooth Fairy seem to work well, and it might even make them feel a bit special at school etc - a personalised communication about having the main Christmas stuff on Boxing Day....

My dd at 5 would not have been fooled, I don’t know how you think you can make a 10yo think the 26th is Christmas Day.

Some children are adaptable. Mine has never been since she is autistic.

what we would do in you situation is get up early and do presents, at least the “Santa” presents, if not everything. Send dad off to work and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Maybe everyone has a nap or watches some films. Once dad is home, a nice dinner and the rest of your traditions.

Open Santa presents early Christmas morning
Open all other presents Boxing Day.
Do Christmas dinner on Boxing Day and a kid-friendly buffet tea with crackers on Christmas Day - kids aren't usually super-keen on Christmas dinner so I'd save the expensive turkey for when your DH is home.
Get kids out of the house for a nice walk/exciting playground to make use of the daylight hours on Christmas day and eat late.

Tbh Christmas day is too crowded and overwhelming. Too much to shoehorn in. I wouldn't change the date, but I'd "elongate" Christmas over two days. This way you can have time to open stocking gifts and slob around in PJs watching Christmas TV and eating festive oven food with your kids, and still fit in a proper Christmas dinner with all the trimmings the next day.

Tbh it sounds rather good - I quite fancy doing it this way myself 😂.

Easy peasy. Father Christmas still visits on the usual Christmas morning. The family do a family Christmas when Dad is home.

I do not see how this is a problem??

Do Christmas as usual, then the dinner (that the kids don't care about) when your H gets home.

And a chicken will do.

Trying to change the day by fooling the kids is insane!
Just open a few presents on Christmas Eve, some in the morning early so your dh can take part with them waking up to presents, early family breakfast, then Christmas dinner for an evening mesl.

Hi

I’d do early presents with Dad then a gorgeous dinner for when he gets home and some nice family games together. In the day, you can have a little tipple, make the dinner and the kids can watch a couple of films with you and get excited for Dad coming home.

I’d also save some gifts for the meal in the evening.

8 til 5 is fine?

One of us will do > 12 hours most christmases, when kids are really small
you can do it on another day but not once
they’re beyond toddlerhood. Depending on whether we’re on nights or days we move the main meal to when the person working is home.

For you surely you just open presents before work and have Christmas dinner when he gets home.

We did a delayed Christmas last year because of family visits.. but my son is young enough to not understand dates/months.

I can't imagine this is true for a 10 year old (as lots of posters have said)

for me, I would do it earlier, rather than later. Christmas eve = 23rd, Christmas day =24th, if possible. You'll have no complaints from children about having their presents early.

And you can come up with something about "we wrote to santa to ask for presents early so daddy can be there" if you need to keep the "magic" going.

I'm sorry but trying to trick your kids to believe that no one works on Xmas day is bonkers. It doesn't do kids, especially 10 year olds, any harm to understand that the world keeps turning at Xmas.

Xmas is not just a day, its a season, and often the day itself is a bit of a let down anyway. So mix it up and let your kids understand that their dad is joining all the other hardworking people out there by working at Xmas by making it a positive, not something to be hidden away.

Sorry OP, but I'd be astonished if your ten year old still believes. Whatever happens, do not let them go up to secondary school still believing - that would lay them wide open to teasing and worse for years and would be very cruel.

Don't move Christmas. Have a special meal and celebration when he comes back from work. Or as somebody else suggested special meal Christmas eve. Don't lie about dates.

Celebrate on Christmas Eve during the evening, have your roast dinner with the children and then one of you slip out to ring the bells of santas sleigh - then find the presents in a pile etc

then let the children stay up later

on Christmas Day they still get to play with their presents

otherwise the 10 year old might worry you’ve missed Xmas day and not say

My Dad often worked on Christmas. Its really not a big thing if you don't turn it into a big thing. It hasn't traumatised me.
There's no way i still believed in Santa at 10 either. Just be totally honest and have a family meeting to organise spreading Christmas over 3 days maybe x