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Have you ever had to Work on Christmas Day?

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  • 22-12-2018 5:04pm
    #1
    Conor84
    Registered Users Posts: 199 ✭✭


    Havent had to work it myself. Obviously medical staff and emergency services have to work but probably others do too.

    Have you ever worked it? Do you have any good stories about good things that happened or was it tough being away from family and home?


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    #2
    harr
    Registered Users Posts: 4,482 ✭✭✭harr


    Had to work it a few times when I was younger, wasn’t married and had no kids.
    It was very boring and nothing was happening they just needed someone on the premises to spot check temperature of large refrigeration units. All done remotely now.
    They were looking for volunteers and I got nearly an extra weeks wages for working the 8 hours. It was grand worked from 6am till 2pm and then off back home.
    My family waited till I got home for dinner so didn’t miss much.
    I volunteered for a few years, all changed them once the kids came along and I probably wouldn’t like to do it now.


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    #3
    Fann Linn
    Registered Users Posts: 7,782 ✭✭✭Fann Linn


    Spent many a christmas stuck on a ship in some foreign port over the years. Christmas dinner, some videos and tacky christmas decorations.

    Some craic but once you've a family there's only one place you ever want to be.


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    #4
    OldMrBrennan83
    Closed Accounts Posts: 26,658 ✭✭✭✭OldMrBrennan83


    In my single days, never minded it at all. Wouldn't even contemplate doing it now though.


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    #5
    r93kaey5p2izun
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,962 ✭✭✭r93kaey5p2izun


    Yes when I was 16-18 and working part time as a care assistant. I wasn't happy about it but it was fine really. I wouldn't take a job where it was a possibility now.


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    #6
    seamusk84
    Registered Users Posts: 880 ✭✭✭seamusk84


    Back in 2009 I worked 12 to 10pm on Xmas day. Suffice to say my fiancé was not happy!

    Worst Xmas day ever, but drew the short straw so had to do it. Was working for an online poker company at the time. The amount of people playing online poker that day (in particular in the UK) was unreal.

    Had to heat up my Xmas dinner in the canteen...Depressing.

    The office was full of people like me who didn’t want to be there or people who just hated Xmas. Never again unless I’m forced to!


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    #7
    Conor84
    Registered Users Posts: 199 ✭✭Conor84


    harr wrote: »
    Had to work it a few times when I was younger, wasn’t married and had no kids.
    It was very boring and nothing was happening they just needed someone on the premises to spot check temperature of large refrigeration units. All done remotely now.
    They were looking for volunteers and I got nearly an extra weeks wages for working the 8 hours. It was grand worked from 6am till 2pm and then off back home.
    My family waited till I got home for dinner so didn’t miss much.
    I volunteered for a few years, all changed them once the kids came along and I probably wouldn’t like to do it now.

    Sounds like a great deal . You still pretty much had your Christmas after 2pm and also 5 times regular pay.


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    #8
    dxhound2005
    Registered Users Posts: 20,796 ✭✭✭✭dxhound2005


    In the old days postmen (as they were known) used to do deliveries on Christmas morning. That went out years ago, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it coming back. People need their parcels, even on Christmas day.


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    #9
    OldMrBrennan83
    Closed Accounts Posts: 26,658 ✭✭✭✭OldMrBrennan83


    dxhound2005 wrote: »
    In the old days postmen (as they were known) used to do deliveries on Christmas morning. That went out years ago, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it coming back. People need their parcels, even on Christmas day.

    If they've a pair of balls (or even one) then they still are, Twitter and Boards be damned.


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    #10
    harr
    Registered Users Posts: 4,482 ✭✭✭harr


    Conor84 wrote: »
    Sounds like a great deal . You still pretty much had your Christmas after 2pm and also 5 times regular pay.
    It was and no one else wanted to do it which surprised me...even single people who probably would have been in bed most of the morning anyway. The company didn’t mind paying out the extra cash as they needed someone on. God only knows why they didn’t just roster someone on that day. The company was very heavily unionised so I am sure that probably made a difference.


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    #11
    TerrorFirmer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29,930 ✭✭✭✭TerrorFirmer


    Thankfully never had to, it's the only day of the year I genuinely care about being off. If I had to, I think I'd be OK with working early in the morning until the early afternoon - still plenty of time for family, food, dinner, movie, the works.

    Working mid-day until 10pm like described above though is really a horrible raw deal. But I suppose someone has to do it in a setup like that which had no down-time.


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    #12
    Canis Lupus
    Registered Users Posts: 9,893 ✭✭✭Canis Lupus


    Worked most of the last 5 or 6 years. Couldn't care less. It's just another day as far as I'm concerned.


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    #13
    Franz Von Peppercorn
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,070 ✭✭✭Franz Von Peppercorn


    I’ve worked a few thanksgivings.


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    #14
    Necro
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 51,217 Mod ✭✭✭✭Necro


    First time ever this year :(

    Christmas Day ruined for me, have to work for 5 hours from 10pm till 3am. Joys of emergency services work I guess. The extra pay does help soften the blow but I'd rather have the day off.

    Was due to work 10pm-8am Christmas Eve to Christmas Day but thankfully was given it off. No such joy on Christmas Day night though.


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    #15
    corner of hells
    Registered Users Posts: 8,363 ✭✭✭corner of hells


    This Christmas day is the first one I'm off in years.Wont know what to do with myself.
    Probably get drunk and start argument with the OH.


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    #16
    BeerWolf
    Registered Users Posts: 4,122 ✭✭✭BeerWolf


    Airport is closed on Christmas day.

    Had to do a swap with someone to get Eve off as well. Being able to only swap with other Supervisors sucks! Back to work on the 26th and 27 but have the week off after through New Year's. :)


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    #17
    sightband
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 670 ✭✭✭sightband


    Worked one Christmas Day in Japan, it’s not recognised as anything over there. Went into work and said happy Xmas to a colleague and they looked at me like I had two heads. All expats I knew had gone back to families. After work I Went to the foreign import shop and bought six 330ml cans of Guinness for about €50 and then got a bucket of KFC and went home and got through about 2 cans and a few bits of chicken and went to bed at about 8pm. Good times.


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    #18
    ceadaoin.
    Registered Users Posts: 8,146 ✭✭✭ceadaoin.


    I did once but they let me do it from home. Pretty sweet deal really as I drank prosecco all day and got paid quadruple time for a small bit of data entry


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    #19
    notsoyoungwan
    Registered Users Posts: 614 ✭✭✭notsoyoungwan


    One year I worked from 9am Christmas Eve morning right through to 9am Christmas Day- the joys of being a junior doctor!


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    #20
    Greyfox
    Registered Users Posts: 3,750 ✭✭✭Greyfox


    Scheduled in once, obviously I rang in sick. They knew I wasn't really sick but there's very little a company can do about it as it's still just 1 sick day. Unless your something like a nurse I think people who work Xmas day are off there heads


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    #21
    eviltwin
    Registered Users Posts: 17,495 ✭✭✭✭eviltwin


    Worked it last year and working it again this year. I don't mind. I'm not really into Christmas and it's just another day to me


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    #22
    vkus6mt3y8zg2q
    Closed Accounts Posts: 197 ✭✭vkus6mt3y8zg2q


    BeerWolf wrote: »
    Airport is closed on Christmas day.

    Had to do a swap with someone to get Eve off as well. Being able to only swap with other Supervisors sucks! Back to work on the 26th and 27 but have the week off after through New Year's. :)

    Oh wow, are you a supervisor? Amazing


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    #23
    RWCNT
    Registered Users Posts: 1,430 ✭✭✭RWCNT


    I did in 2012 when I was working in a call centre for a rental cars company. It was actually good craic! We had feck all calls and the management decided to let us drink,so we were basically just chatting and drinking and surfing the net all day.

    I did get a call off someone towards the end of my shift, they were stressing about having not received a confirmation email for a car they were renting in 6 months time. He was half cut, I felt tremendous sympathy for him.


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    #24
    arybvtcw0eolkf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 24,878 ✭✭✭✭arybvtcw0eolkf


    I'm a soldier, so yes lots of Christmas day duties. I suppose the most difficult was Christmas away from my children while I was away on UN service in Lebanon.


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    #25
    iamwhoiam
    Registered Users Posts: 16,116 ✭✭✭✭iamwhoiam


    I worked a few Christmas eve night until 8am Christmas day . I loved it as Santa came with sacks for everyone and we had to dole it out and leave at the foot of the beds and cots . We had very few patients and time to give to each child


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    #26
    salmocab
    Registered Users Posts: 11,309 ✭✭✭✭salmocab


    Worked last Christmas night and in this Christmas Day, ‘‘tis a pain in the nuts, 7 to 7. Only save is the lad on the night before said he’ll hang on for a bit so I can see the kids before mooching in about 8.30. Luckily it’s only 15 minutes away. Christmas dinner when I get home with the wife.


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    #27
    super_furry
    Registered Users Posts: 27,322 ✭✭✭✭super_furry


    Not Christmas day but I regularly worked Christmas Eve and Stephen's Day.


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    #28
    Kermit.de.frog
    Registered Users Posts: 23,564 ✭✭✭✭Kermit.de.frog


    The country would be a lot wealthier and more productive if the country decided to forgo all bank holidays and Christmas...


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    #29
    miezekatze
    Registered Users Posts: 1,341 ✭✭✭miezekatze


    There are more people working Christmas day than you'd think, it's not just emergency services etc. I used to work in IT support, that team had to be available 24x7 so someone had to cover Christmas day, etc. (at no extra pay!). Luckily one of my colleagues at the time didn't mind working that day so I've never had to do it.


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    #30
    Galwayguy35
    Registered Users Posts: 16,397 ✭✭✭✭Galwayguy35


    Never worked christmas day but christmas eve is a normal day for us so can't remember that last time we had one off.


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    #31
    Potential-Monke
    Registered Users Posts: 13,865 ✭✭✭✭Potential-Monke


    Yup, pretty sure i've worked every Christmas day for the last 10 or so years. Somehow managed to be rostered for every Christmas day while I was a Garda, but I did swap once or twice and got a different day off instead. I'm finished work tonight at 10pm (kinda like a supervisor, but not a proper one yet), and my normal week is Tuesday to Saturday, so I was rostered to work this year again. They then pulled names and gave me Xmas day off, but an hour later asked if I could work as they were stuck. I don't mind. I don't have kids, and don't like kids, so I'm missing the Xmas dinner with roaring kids around (myself and the parents go to the sisters house). And getting double time for it (yes, I agree it should be more, but thems the deals, it's the legal amount, joys of American overlords!). So it's better for me to work, as I'd only spend money if I was off.

    I don't mind working. I'll always volunteer to work it, but I take issue with companies that automatically give people with their own family the day off and expect the employees that don't have kids to work it instead. In general, I don't think any parent should get special treatment just because they had unprotected sex. I don't agree with parent/child parking spaces either. Actually, I just don't agree with anything where people get special treatment just because they had a kid.

    That went slightly OT...


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