Alone again... naturally...for the holidays? (coverage, gift, accident, single)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Before we moved away from our hometown, Christmas meant driving out of state to celebrate and staying overnight with one side of the family and then leaving mid day on Christmas, driving back to our hometown and spending Christmas dinner with the other side of the family. Thanksgiving was a 3:00 lunch out of state then a drive back for dessert with the other side. Afterwards, my husband and I would take the kids home to our house and unwrap gifts to each other under our tree. We did it like that for many years. Just thinking about it now makes me tired, lol. But we were young and had the energy and stamina to do a holiday marathon I guess.
Long story short, we wound up moving over 14 hours away. It was no longer feasible for us to get together with our extended family as it had been.
My husband and I celebrated that first Christmas in our new house with just our two kids. No traveling, no big get togethers, just us. It was different than what we were all used to but it was also nice to wake up in our own house on Christmas morning and it definitely still felt like Christmas. I cooked a Christmas goose that year because I had always wanted to try one and that was my chance to do it.
Now our kids are in college, one is graduating soon. Our babies are growing up and I'm sure that in the not so distant future there will be times when they have other plans for the holidays. Maybe it will be just me and my husband some years. Maybe other years we'll have a house full with our kids and their families. Maybe we'll travel some years to their houses to celebrate the holidays.
I am not dead set on any one way of doing things. If it's just me and dh some years I'm sure that we will find a way to still make the holidays seem special. It's actually one of the reasons I've been suggesting to my husband that we start the process of checking out over 55 communities.
I remember having to do that when we were young. Exhausting, one parent’s house, then the other, then friends if we could fit them in. Quite hectic.
I also remember the relief when we had our first kid and changed the routine. It was so nice to be able to relax all day, have people come to see US, watch the baby play with his toys.
Now our kids are adults, one has 2 babies, the other has her SO’s parents to visit. Our holidays are metamorphosing too.
I guess this is kinda off topic, just wanted to say I recognize what you’re saying.
But if only people who wanted to work holidays worked them, there wouldn't be a lot of people working. Then who would empty your bedpan?
Worked a lot of holidays in a lot of hospitals/nursing homes. Never got over time. ever. Got a comp day off but no OT.
Maybe instead of asking who's going to be alone on a holiday, the question could be worded who feels alone on the holiday. I will be alone but don't feel lonely.
Some who have spouses/pets/family seem to feel alone anyway. I don't get that but I certainly am not going to question or expect them to justify their feelings.
I hated working holidays. I wanted to be a normal person like most people and have the day off. I always thought it should be illegal to make people work on labor day especially, lol. As far as overtime, most of it was taken out in taxes anyway.
I think it's fine if people want to volunteer to work holidays, but not force people to do so.
Well, somebody has to work on those holidays for hospitals, nursing homes, police, fire, ambulance services to be available for those "holiday heart attacks", accidents, sudden illnesses that occur at those times.
I worked many a Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve and Day over the years I worked in several hospitals ( laboratory). Nobody really wanted to ( they got out of paying overtime by putting time off for the holidays in the PTO pot, so no overtime pay) work then but we did so on a yearly rotating basis with some finagaling, switching, occasionally a kerfluffle or two ( as when a new employee believed they were entitled to the holidays off, LOL).
Like Kathryn, working on a Thanksgiving, Christmas generally got me off the hook for cooking on those holidays. I worked days ( 7-3) so we generally headed off to mom's house after work to celebrate the holidays.
Do you feel bad for people that have to work on holidays?
Not really. I used to choose to work on holidays when I was younger and on hourly pay because I got paid double time.
My kids will both be working on Thanksgiving this year for the holiday pay. The one will work early shift, the other will work late afternoon into the evening shift. We'll fit Thanksgiving dinner into the window that they are both home. We did it last year, too.
I feel very sorry for people who work on holidays because -- unless I am wrong (possible) -- it means that either they don't have any loved ones that they are either able to, or care enough to, spend a holiday with -- or that they need or want the money more than they want to share the holiday with those they love -- or at least like.
For several years, I was a department manager for large retail chain store, and although I always had to work Christmas night (meaning I needed to sleep during most of Christmas Day), and I did not like it one little bit. I only did so because I loved my job the rest of the year. (And I was on salary, so I didn't receive any extra holiday pay.)
Well, somebody has to work on those holidays for hospitals, nursing homes, police, fire, ambulance services to be available for those "holiday heart attacks", accidents, sudden illnesses that occur at those times.
I worked many a Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve and Day over the years I worked in several hospitals ( laboratory). Nobody really wanted to ( they got out of paying overtime by putting time off for the holidays in the PTO pot, so no overtime pay) work then but we did so on a yearly rotating basis with some finagaling, switching, occasionally a kerfluffle or two ( as when a new employee believed they were entitled to the holidays off, LOL).
Like Kathryn, working on a Thanksgiving, Christmas generally got me off the hook for cooking on those holidays. I worked days ( 7-3) so we generally headed off to mom's house after work to celebrate the holidays.
Even after I had a salaried position, I actually didn't mind working in the office on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve because things were so quiet. Most of the clients were off, very few were calling in and a lot of times we played Christmas music and chatted. Often we were even able to close down early and go home.
Snow days were way worse because it seemed the same handful of people always managed to make it to work while the others were "stuck" at home, usually with their kids. Since our clients were all over the country, the clients were still calling, work still had to be done and our workload was insane. And you also had the worry of how you were going to make it back home on the snow covered icy roads hanging over your head. Fun times.
I like that. Coming from a military background and family, the actual day/date was not ever the point. We got together somewhere around that date and called it good.
The thing that is also great about this is that because the actual date isn't important to my family - I mean, we want to do it within a few days but the actual DATE is unimportant - it leaves time for other family get togethers especially with people who DO think the actual date is important.
I feel very sorry for people who work on holidays because -- unless I am wrong (possible) -- it means that either they don't have any loved ones that they are either able to, or care enough to, spend a holiday with -- or that they need or want the money more than they want to share the holiday with those they love -- or at least like.
For several years, I was a department manager for large retail chain store, and although I always had to work Christmas night (meaning I needed to sleep during most of Christmas Day), and I did not like it one little bit. I only did so because I loved my job the rest of the year. (And I was on salary, so I didn't receive any extra holiday pay.)
or maybe they had no choice. Some professions it's a job requirement.
The thing that is also great about this is that because the actual date isn't important to my family - I mean, we want to do it within a few days but the actual DATE is unimportant - it leaves time for other family get togethers especially with people who DO think the actual date is important.
I guess it depends on your situation. My husband, myself and my kids might very well be working on Black Friday, the weekend after Thanksgiving. Christmas Day we all have off but in our house that doesn't necessarily mean that my husband won't have to take work calls. It's that time of life for us.
When we retire we'll have nothing but free time but that doesn't mean that our kids will.
I guess it depends on your situation. My husband, myself and my kids might very well be working on Black Friday, the weekend after Thanksgiving. Christmas Day we all have off but in our house that doesn't necessarily mean that my husband won't have to take work calls. It's that time of life for us.
When we retire we'll have nothing but free time but that doesn't mean that our kids will.
Right, of course it depends on everyone's situation. It always worked well for us. Most of us either didn't work full time or the weekends were always free and typically around a holiday.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
