Anyone here working ON Christmas day?

[msugeotech]

Does being up at 1 a.m. putting together toys while swearing and banging around as quietly as possible count as working? If not, it should.

 

[LindaSK]

Not when you’re leading its not.

On Christmas Day, it’s just me!! I practice and pray - A LOT!! Not necessarily in that order!!!

 

[glenconnor]

*That’s horrible. The client can wait! That makes me mad reading that, liza. Just like Disney being open…it’s like when did this start happening? Businesses used to be closed on Sundays, now they are open 24/7…everyday, including holidays. Even the mailman gets a day off.
*

I am blessed in that I always get to spend Christmas morning with my family at my aunt’s house. I have great cousins. I asked my aunt what to get them this year (they know I don’t have a lot of money) and she asked them while I was on the phone. They asked for a ten dollar gift card each to Half-price Books and for me to be there on Christmas. It made me doubly grateful for my wonderful family, and hopeful for the next generation.

 

[Em_in_FL]

No, thankfully no one is working Christmas day…
I used to work every year in High School, though. I worked as a waitress in the dining room at a local retirement community - and the residents apparently needed to eat on Christmas … so we all had to work… Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, New Years… the whole shebang. Thankfully I worked with a lot of my good friends, my brother… and eventually my youngest sister worked there too. Good times.

 

[Gearoidin]

It’s not a holiday in Japan, so yes, I am working. Our last day of classes is Christmas Day and we get New Year holidays on the 29th till Jan 4th.
Gearoidin

 

[sanctareparata]

Oh that’s awesome, I feel your excitement! He had thanksgiving off, and also has Christmas Eve, and NY’s Eve…so guess we can’t win 'em all. lol Well, he won’t be home until 9pm…I guess we could eat that late. I’ll ask him if he wants us to do that…

Instead of eating at 9pm with him, or earlier without him, why not just postpone your Christmas dinner till the next day?

That’s what we’ve done here when DH has to work holidays - just wait a day. This last Thanksgiving he worked, so we had Thanksgiving on Friday.

It’s always much nicer with him than without him.

 

[LindaSK]

It’s not a holiday in Japan, so yes, I am working. Our last day of classes is Christmas Day and we get New Year holidays on the 29th till Jan 4th.
Gearoidin

So, you also don’t have the commercialism and materialism that tends to surround Christmas? Or do stores still go crazy starting in October with the Christmas decorations and gifts to supply those there who do celebrate Christmas? THAT part of Christmas I wouldn’t miss. Sorry, though that you have to work.

 

[Gearoidin]

So, you also don’t have the commercialism and materialism that tends to surround Christmas? Or do stores still go crazy starting in October with the Christmas decorations and gifts to supply those there who do celebrate Christmas? THAT part of Christmas I wouldn’t miss. Sorry, though that you have to work.

Oh, we still get that part. All the shops have had Christmas decorations up since early November, many families will have a nice meal and the children will get gifts, although on a much smaller scale than in Ireland. Christmas Eve is when people usually celebrate and it is considered one of the most romantic nights of the year. Young unmarried people try to have a date on Xmas Eve and girls often give home-made gifts to their boyfriends. It’s virtually impossible to get into a restaurant with a reservation. Christmas decorations come down on Christmas day and people put up the traditional New Year decorations.
Gearoidin

 

[pnewton]

Oh, yes. I will be working. First I will play and lead music at the Christmas Vigil Mass and then the Christmas Day Mass. After that, I will go home and take a nap, wake up and go to work at around 4:00pm Christmas Day and work through the night.

There is little about Christmas I will miss. All time with the family I will squeeze in the cracks and it will be sufficient, especially since I will be off all week up until Christmas. As to the beauty of the Holiday, I will not *miss *any of it. I will make Mass and carry the joy of the Holidays with me. Even at work, Christmas is a special day.

 

[whatevergirl]

Instead of eating at 9pm with him, or earlier without him, why not just postpone your Christmas dinner till the next day?

That’s what we’ve done here when DH has to work holidays - just wait a day. This last Thanksgiving he worked, so we had Thanksgiving on Friday.

It’s always much nicer with him than without him.

*This is a good idea…but…he has off on wed and thursday of Christmas week…so, he has to work the next day. We plan to bake a ham and have a nice ‘‘festive’’ dinner on Christmas Eve, so probably making a smaller thing for the kids and me the next day won’t be too bad, when I stop to think it over. But, normally we go together to visit relatives on Christmas day, if he didn’t have to work. *

 

[whatevergirl]

Oh, yes. I will be working. First I will play and lead music at the Christmas Vigil Mass and then the Christmas Day Mass. After that, I will go home and take a nap, wake up and go to work at around 4:00pm Christmas Day and work through the night.

There is little about Christmas I will miss. All time with the family I will squeeze in the cracks and it will be sufficient, especially since I will be off all week up until Christmas. As to the beauty of the Holiday, I will not *miss *any of it. I will make Mass and carry the joy of the Holidays with me. Even at work, Christmas is a special day.

*You have brightened my spirits with this post, thank you. I guess sometimes it takes someone to show me a different view on things. *

 

[pnewton]

*You have brightened my spirits with this post, thank you. I guess sometimes it takes someone to show me a different view on things. *

Thank you. One must adjust in life sometimes. I have been working Christmas off and on for over twenty years now. I now have the ability to take off when I want, but in a 24/7 job, someone has to be here. So I take a portion of the holidays.

 

[whatevergirl]

Thank you. One must adjust in life sometimes. I have been working Christmas off and on for over twenty years now. I now have the ability to take off when I want, but in a 24/7 job, someone has to be here. So I take a portion of the holidays.

*Interestingly, my husband has worked Christmas day before when the kids were wee little. Just once or twice…he was in the airline business for a while before he met me, and for the first few years of our marriage. But, it’s been a while.

Seriously, your perspective is helpful, thank you. :hug1: I will have to get creative for the day, and just make the most of it. In a way, to be honest? I’m looking forward to relaxing…every holiday, we are running here and there to someone’s house…it might be a welcome change? *

 

[whatevergirl]

I am playing and singing for our 10 AM Mass. I like to think that the work is done ahead of time, though, and that this is my return on His gift on His birthday. I also play and sing for a Methodist service Christmas Eve. But, I HAVE to go to Midnight Mass (at 11 PM)!! I’m not playing, though. I get to sing with the rest of the congregation. Good to be on both sides of the organ!!

Have a Blessed Christmas!

*Have a blessed Christmas, also…I think that it’s beautiful to look at your service in the parish this way. *

 

[whatevergirl]

Does being up at 1 a.m. putting together toys while swearing and banging around as quietly as possible count as working? If not, it should.

*Aw, nope! *

 

[whatevergirl]

It’s not a holiday in Japan, so yes, I am working. Our last day of classes is Christmas Day and we get New Year holidays on the 29th till Jan 4th.
Gearoidin

Interesting…I hadn’t thought of this…so, you would celebrate Christmas in that timeframe then with your family?

 

[Gearoidin]

Interesting…I hadn’t thought of this…so, you would celebrate Christmas in that timeframe then with your family?

Well, this year I don’t have classes on Friday morning so I will go to Mass at 10am. I have only 1 class from 1pm-2.30pm and no meetings so I can leave early and make dinner. We will have a Christmas dinner (it’s chicken in Japan, not turkey or goose) that evening. We will save presents till then too. During our holidays we will celebrate New Year with my in-laws.
Gearoidin

 

[Sarabande]

My dh has to work for half a day on Christmas, he works for Disney’s reservation center in Tampa. Being in the hospitality business, these places never close. It’ll be just the kiddos and me for dinner, then. I’m sad my husband won’t be there to have Christmas dinner with us this year. I had the option to go see my sister in south florida, but I’m not going to drive on Christmas for 4 hours south to do that, nah. So, we’ll be seeing her the following week. My dh doesn’t have to be at work until 2pm, so we can have the morning together at least, and I didn’t want to miss at least that time with him. The kids and I could have gone to spend it with his brother, and his brother’s family…but, again, more driving. It’s a two hour drive, one way, and I didn’t feel like doing that. So, it’ll be very quiet and peaceful this year–I am used to big gatherings, it’ll be different.

Just curious if anyone else here has to work ON Christmas day?

I’m a musician, so I’ve worked on Christmas day and Christmas eve for the past 10 years since college. Christmas day is usually a few masses in the morning. Christmas eve sometimes 3 masses, sometimes Protestant Christmas Eve services as well when I’m hired to sing in quartets. This is the first year that I won’t be working since I’m due next week and can go at any time. It’s the weirdest feeling not having to learn new music and working on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. I’ve forgotten what it’s like not working on most holidays - religious or secular. haha!

I’ve usually handled the family situation by spending an hour or so with the family in between masses or other gigs on Christmas Eve. I usually have the afternoon and evening with my family on Christmas Day, so it’s not too bad. When we were first married, my husband did have some trouble with us having to plan our visits to his family after Christmas. (We’d have to fly out after my music commitments). But he now sees that this is truly my vocation from God and is very supportive of it. Unfortunately, many (if not all) musicians work on the days that most people have their time off - especially church musicians.

 

[baltobetsy]

Another church musician here. The last time I was off on Christmas Eve and Christmas was about 1975.

I’ll be at the Episcopal church on Christmas Eve for the children’s service at 5:00 and the “midnight-ish” one at 10:30. We used to have a big family party in between those, but the older relatives are dying off, and we no longer have the party. I guess we’ll just get a little dinner before going back for the late service.

On Christmas morning, I’ll cantor the 11:00 Mass at my own parish. I’ve done this for several years, but this year is the first time it counts as work, as we cantors have not been paid before a few months ago.

One year when I was young and single, I think I did five or six services on Christmas Eve and Christmas. I ran from church to church, until I settled at my parish and cantored three in a row. Boy, was that confusing. Usually, it’s easy to remember where you are in the Mass and what to sing next, but when you’re on your third one, you’ve sung everything at least twice, and it all runs together. It’s really awful when the organ introductions to the Sanctus, Memorial acclamation and Amen are all the same!

Merry Christmas, everybody!

Betsy

 

[agapewolf]

It’s work even if you’re not getting paid. All of my musicians view this as a job, without payment. I need them to take it as seriously as their jobs with the responsibility attached to it.

(Not implying anyone here isn’t, just a comment on the terminology).