What do you work as & do you get time off at Christmas?

[VillageFete]

As the title states!!

Does your job allow you time off at Christmas? If not, have you ever had to work Christmas day?

I guess it's a case of planning and managing your time around work, but wouldn't it be lovely if we all got the whole of December off!!

[2kidsintow]

I teach and am lucky enough to get the fortnight off.

DH works as an electronics technician and his work does a week shutdown starting Christmas eve each year. He goes back the day after new year.

[CointreauVersial]

I work for an engineering company, in Sales & Marketing, and the office closes from Christmas Eve until New Year. So I never have to work at Christmas.

[AllSorted]

DH and I both work in engineering. The industry pretty much shuts down from 24 Dec to 2nd Jan. We have no choice but to take that week off. I love it, because not only do we have ut off, so do our clients - so don't have the usual catching up to do after the holiday

[LokiBear]

I'm a teacher too. I'm very lucky because we get two weeks off at Christmas. DH is a teacher too. December is jam packed busy though. Lots going on at school means we are like ships passing until we break up, which is why I like to be organised!

[annabanana19]

I work term time so its fab for me!

[Cookiepants]

I work in nursing, we get none. I had Christmas off last year as I was on mat leave otherwise I have worked the previous 9 Christmas days. If you could all arrange not to be ill this December I would be very grateful. Otherwise I'll just have to have another baby .

[Glastokitty]

Me and my husband both have a two week shut down at Xmas which is fab because its summer time and we can go to the beach and have lots of bbqs.

[Groovee]

I'm an EYP (nursery) and I get the christmas period off.

Dh is a heating engineer, has often been on call at Christmas and New Year but this year they did the rota in advance and dh isn't on it so has booked the 2 weeks off as holiday. He finishes on the 23rd and returns on the 5th January.

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

I work in a Hotel. Our department is open 365days but thankfully only two of us need to work Christmas Day so rota system means we usually do one in four or five. Im on Mat Leave this Christmas so definetly off.

We then tag on either CE or BD to get a two dya break.

[Patrickstarisabadbellend]

I work Christmas Eve.

[Mostlyjustaluker]

Teacher Yy
DH works in uni and they always lock up the building for a week to save money so they are not heating an empty building.

[BreeVDKamp]

Baker.... Sooooo, not until after Xmas!! :)

[MirandaWest]

I mark exam papers over Christmas. Usually mark a few on Christmas Day and am generally marking over the Christmas period when the DC have gone to bed, or when they're with XH.

[goodasitgets]

Ha! NHS
Usually work the vast majority of it including Christmas Day and new year

[WienerDiva]

Used to be a receptionist in a veterinary practice, skeleton staff on my on Christmas Day (vet and nurse) but we had to volunteer for other bank holidays or your name gets picked out of a hat. Everyday in between was a normal working day, quite chuffed I don't work anymore

[flipchart]

I work in care.
We usually shut on Christmas day and boxing day but often open on NYE and NYD with someone sleeping over.

I'm happy with that as if I don't work that's fine but if I do I get my bank holiday hours back to add on to my annual leave and extra pay.

[JerseySpud]

At the moment im a SAHM. But my husband works shifts which includes weekends and bank holidays.

We are seriously lucky this year as his first year of shifts that he is off the 23rd, 24th, 25th of December then afternoon/evenings boxing day

[pukkabo]

SAHM but DH is part of a management team in a well known restaurant. He always books off Christmas Eve until New Year's Day (so has from 24th-1st at home). This will be fourth Christmas he's worked there. First two years they granted it no issue because half of the management team were Muslim so had no problem working. Last year they'd had a management switch around between stores and only one Muslim manager remained. They granted him all of the week except Boxing Day, he called in sick.

Christmas is exceptionally important to us and he only has one other week off in the year in summer so we always look forward to our week at Christmas together. It's always dead the week of Christmas anyway so hardly like they miss him. He books it off every October to make sure they know.

[WestEast]

Nurse. I work outpatients so get Christmas and Boxing Day off along with NYE.

[elQuintoConyo]

20th December-8th January. I'm a teacher.
DS breaks up at middaddy on 23rd December! And goes back 7th January.

He's 3, I'm looking forward to Christmas A LOT this year because he really understands what 'presents' are

[OldBeanbagz]

Self employed here so this year i've booked a two week holiday (which may stretch to 16 days).

[elQuintoConyo]

Oops, not sure what middaddy is maybe noon?

DH is a freelance translater, so can decide for himself what days off he wants/can afford.

[attheendoftheday]

I'm a nurse. In theory I get every other christmas day off, in practice a minority of selfish colleagues fake illnesses to have christmas off and I end up having to cover for them.

I can normally wangle being at home in the morning and working 1-10 which isn't so bad. We try to make the most of the whole christmas period so I'm not missing out as much.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Podiatrist (NHS) in past years I've booked leave (provided they have enough staff to cover, it works)
My DC are older now, so I might give back some leave ( to reclaim for later) I usually work between Christmas and NY (stops me getting out of practice for waking up early)

But whereas Back In The Good Old Days they wold let people go home early on 24th. They don't now.

A few years back, I worked NYE, we were fully booked, then we got a phone call from HQ about 1pm.
"If you're finished you can go at 2.30"
Well we weren't, and I had an Emergency and a latecomer so that was scuppered anyway.

So I book it now and enjoy.

[flipchart]

They granted him all of the week except Boxing Day, he called in sick

Blimey! That's one way to get your own way!