I just received my work shift for Christmas and new year.

I worked Christmas Day and Boxing Day last year.

This year working:
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Bank Holiday monday.
New years Eve, New years day, Bank holiday monday.

I have 5 children and they are not happy.

Having worked those sort of crazy shifts years ago, I do sympathise.

However, as so many people that I know are being made redundant, left right and centre, I would say be thankful for small mercies.  It seems that each month I hear of another friend worrying like hell about paying the bills. 

Hang on in there.  :-)

> This year working:
> Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Bank Holiday monday.
> New years Eve, New years day, Bank holiday monday.
>
>

That is rubbish....

I don't know if I will be working by then. On a 6-9 month contract, Started April :-(

When I was a police officer I could count on one hand the number of Christmases and New Year's I had off in 22 years; it is hard, I too had two children. What I used to do was make a special effort to have an alternative Christmas day etc so they would celebrate with others ( if I was not there at all) and then have another celebration with me so they got double the fun.

My favourite shift used to be nights so you got all the aggro at work, one year I came home with a black eye and my m-i-l had told the kids I had stopped Father Christmas being robbed ( I was a heroine !) and then I would come home have max 3 hours sleep and get up cook and spend day with kids.

Our daughter joined last year and was told it was her last Christmas off ever, true, she has some rubbish shifts this year so we will be back to the " alternative" Christmas :)

I'm afraid we all have to make the best of it, who knows if we will have jobs next year.

>> I have 5 children and they are not happy.

I think then the way that sawheaties has done it in the past is a good idea.

I too have worked similar shifts to this and the chances of Xmas and New Year off is never going to happen for me. I've only just checked mine now after you posted this and I too am working the same days as you.. sucks huh?

Same here, I'm working xmas eve,xmas day,bank hol monday,new yrs eve,new yr day and bank hol monday. In my job the care does not stop just because its holiday. I used to get my lads up to open their presents before I went to work, The turkey was in the oven cooking and all the veggies prepared ready for when I got back from the get ups and the roasts put in just before I went out for lunch calls.
I just got used to it and now it's second nature to me. Not sure I would know what to do with myself with all that time off lol

Kind Regards

I am very lucky to have a job, and one that I love.
I will make christmas for alot of elderly and disabled people a little bit better, some of them have no-one.

I was a bit silly last year as the little ones were upset that I wasn't home for christmas and I told them that we would have next year
now I have just told them I'm working again.

They will get over it, I know I just feel a bit sorry for them.

Daddy will make it special for them and they are going to help prepare the Christmas dinner for me for when I finish work.

As many have already said a job is a job no matter that the shift pattern is rubbish, grin and bear it (())

That seems a bit pants to me. That is the problem with shift work. I dont mind working around the New Year as I dont go out but like to have Christmas with my family(what is left of it!). Surely someone could work Christmas Day for you as you have children

> Surely someone could work Christmas Day for you as you have children

The problem with that is in my job at least the more people that have time off the more work the rest of us have to do. I would end up being out most of the day and evening and have no time to cook dinner and spend time with my family.

Kind Regards

> spend time with my family.
>
>

Yes, we all want to spend time with the family at Christmas. At my last place of work folk used to say 'I want to be with my family'...we all want that I replied but to be fair we all should take our turn...fell on deaf ears though!!!

> to be fair we all should take our turn...fell on deaf ears though!!!

LOL yes same at my work. The same ones every yr booking christmas day off and worse the office letting them do it. Tried at 3 AGM's to get it sorted out so everyone had the opportunity to have time off but got nowhere. The office dont care cos they have all christmas off. Now I tend to just do my own calls plus a couple of extras as in the past I've ended up doing so much that I've been out most of the day,not nice at all.

Kind Regards

Same here our office staff have every weekend and holidays off. This year is worse in some ways as christmas day and boxing day fall on saturday and sunday, half the carers have one weekend off and the other half have the other weekend, so one shift will work christmas and the other shift the new year, I on the other hand work every weekend, mondays and fridays as hubby is off work and at home for kids and dogs, hense why I have to do christmas and new year.
Weekends are hard work anyway as we have limited carers, So no one can book holiday, if you are due to work then you work, I had my fingers crossed they would give me one of the days off as I am the only one that works every weekend, not to be. 

be grateful to have a job!!!!

Oh we are grateful to have jobs but we are allowed to have the odd moan and groan once in a while lol Some of my old folks (well most of em!) are enough to drive you to drink!

Kind Regards

Dad served in the army for 22 years many of which he wasn't home for the holidays but sometimes he swapped with friends so that he could come home. He's retired now and me and my sister have grown up and got jobs but unfortunately we have to work over the holidays so we haven't had very many chrimbo's with my dad, but to be honest I need the money. (I think 3 in 22 years) we have crimbo on another day now

Somethings money cant buy.......my advice is make the most of family whilst you still can......

Having worked in Care and Hospitality for years I can sympathise. Yes I'm sure we are all grateful to have a job and enjoy them 'most of the time', but can still remember at times longing for a 9-5,  Monday-Friday job. Didn't mind doing my share of Christmas, New Year and Bank Holidays etc, but there was always the same vocal majority who ended up doing very little, if not working at all at these times. Could not understand why as a team we could not get together and work it out especialy for Christmas. Always amazed at how people could be so organised to get holiday request forms in as soon as the new year came around. Best wishes.

OH worked full time in Care for ten years.  In all that time he never had a Christmas Eve/Day or New Year Eve/Day off.  Some years he'd be rostered off and end up working 3 days on the trot both holidays, no coming home either!  Get called in as an emergency 'sickness' cover for Xmas Eve and the next shift wouldn't turn up, or the next, or the next.  Of course he couldn't leave until there was someone else there :(   26 hour shifts were normal and one weekend off in 3 - if you could get it 

After his tenth anniversary they gave him...    A MUG!!!    

'Nuff said!  

Oh I really feel for you.  I know someone's got to do it, but I'd absolutely hate to have to work on Christmas or New Year.  I know we're all grateful to have jobs etc etc etc, but that really sucks.  You'd think they'd work it so you worked one or the other and switch it every year so everyone gets a chance to get them off.

in my daughters company if you work christmas eve,xmas day,boxing day you do not work new years eve,new years day

and those people that worked the xmas will not work in next year so they alternate who works what and she says
every one is happy with that,

she prefers to work xmas than the new year though but she said she is just glad she has a job at the moment

I think it sounds really harsh - my funniest Christmas ( a bit of history). I hate xmas dec's up after boxing day so I take them down in a hurry no idea why. So we flew to NZ on Christmas eve landed Boxing Day and lost Christmas Day in the air - that year I got the dec's up and down by Christmas eve.

Your doing a worthwhile job and in my eyes a hero!! I hope you manage some time with the kids - and remind them christmas goes on for ever!!!!!!!!

> After his tenth anniversary they gave him...    A MUG!!! 

I've always thought that those of us who have worked in care are or have been 'mugged' in some way, either by the pay, the hours, the split shifts, weekends, being on call for 72 hours straight, etc - but to give your OH a mug! LOL, Lacy

I was a care assistant for near 4 years and worked over the holiday period. Its the only time you get double bubble but I am now a bank care assistant which I am about to finish with.
Lots of problems I found from poor wages to the admin side of being a complete waste of time with lots of mistakes.
I've seen many good carers go due to money and system and sadly I too. Can't seem to see why carers are paid so little or the system is built to save costs ie enhancement pay systems.
One of the management brought up about my father who had passed away while I was working there (I cared for him at home) so I thought I would set up my own business and go for it which I now have a good turnover and customer base plus I work with the elderly and disabled so I still help out. I offer a discount for these but I can't see me returning to the care work ever again.
Until the system changes and they don't use the old 'you do it for the love of it' game I think the kind people will be used more. Many people are scared to voice their concerns over care standards which is shame. The whole system needs changing and who the hell thought of 'service users'!!
I now have Xmas off and enjoy time with the family.