Who has to work on Christmas

[jesvetmed]

Solo: That breaks my heart. You are amazing... I hope you find some way to brighten each of their days.

I will be working overnight Christmas Eve, and Christmas Night. (6pm to 8am both days). Hopefully we won't be too busy (all that Christmas chocolate for the dogs to eat may come to haunt me!). Work has been extremely slow lately -- people that are worried about finances don't go to the ER with their pet unless it's really bad. Our business is WAY down, but I get in some good reading, net surfing and napping. So maybe I'll get to be awake on Christmas Day a bit.

Solo -- you'll be in my thoughts that day. You and all of your residents. That reminds me... I have a bag of stuffed toys I gathered from a huge garage sale we had this summer for breast cancer. Instead of taking them to the good will, I think I'll find some way to get them to the nursing home or hospital for Christmas. They are not new -- do you think that would matter?

[bmccasland]

Lori - I used to be a 911 dispatcher, and hopefully you won't have any Christmas tree fires. Seems I had one every year. Parents ("Santa") would leave the lights on so it would be all sparkly and pretty when the kiddies woke in the morning. Unfortunately the tree was pretty dry by then too.

Solo - I'm sure your residents will appreciate the hugs, wear something silly, wear a Santa hat with jingle bells. Any Church choirs willing to come around? Scout groups?

I won't be working Christmas day, but will be working Christmas week - on a hurricane levee project. After a series of articles in our local paper, about sea level rise and ground level subsidence, giving us a net loss of 4 feet elevation in 100 years, it all seems so hopeless. Bah humbug!

[lattae]

I'll be working on Christmas but will have the Eve off.. I work in a very nice Assisted Living facility so most of our residents will probably be spending the day with family. It usually is a very quiet day for the most part and they do provide a special meal for the staff that will be working. Working holidays is just part of health care and I've been in it for many many years.

[Pax]

We get five days off around Christmas, I'll enjoy the heck out of it since the bosses just told us layoffs are imminent. By next year I could be working a job that requires holidays again.

[Aggie_Ama]

Solo- I hope you find things to warm your heart. My Nanny went into Assisted living this year, the people who work there come chat with her and keep her entertained. We are fortunate enough to all work close where we can visit often, there are those in her home that have kids who don't care or are out of state. It is so sad.

Jes- I have rushed a doggie to have her little tummy pumped after she ate an entire Kit Kat (wrapper and all). Hope you don't have too many like my Heidi this Christmas!

[Triskeliongirl]

Where I work we actually had a campaign called toys for sick children where we brought in unwrapped gifts to be distributed to children in the hospital on christmas day. Maybe you can find a similar program in your area, and ask if they mind if they are used. I guess the only reason it may matter is if these kids are so sick they may worry about allergens or infectious agents in used toys, but I have no clue.

That reminds me... I have a bag of stuffed toys I gathered from a huge garage sale we had this summer for breast cancer. Instead of taking them to the good will, I think I'll find some way to get them to the nursing home or hospital for Christmas. They are not new -- do you think that would matter?

[solobiker]

Solo: That breaks my heart. You are amazing... I hope you find some way to brighten each of their days.

I will be working overnight Christmas Eve, and Christmas Night. (6pm to 8am both days). Hopefully we won't be too busy (all that Christmas chocolate for the dogs to eat may come to haunt me!). Work has been extremely slow lately -- people that are worried about finances don't go to the ER with their pet unless it's really bad. Our business is WAY down, but I get in some good reading, net surfing and napping. So maybe I'll get to be awake on Christmas Day a bit.

Solo -- you'll be in my thoughts that day. You and all of your residents. That reminds me... I have a bag of stuffed toys I gathered from a huge garage sale we had this summer for breast cancer. Instead of taking them to the good will, I think I'll find some way to get them to the nursing home or hospital for Christmas. They are not new -- do you think that would matter?

It depends upon the nursing home. I know where I have worked they have used stuffed toys as prizes for bingo and other games. The have also tied these animals to their call light strings to make them easier to pull and it looks less institutional.

[roadie gal]

I'm working. I have the p.m. shift. We finally got some snow, so the ER should be hopping. *sigh*

[surgtech1956]

I don't have to work Christmas, this is probably the first time I haven't been on-call in years on Christmas - I'm a Surgical Technologist and being on-call = working. I usually don't mind, since I don't have family.

[LoriO]

That reminds me... I have a bag of stuffed toys I gathered from a huge garage sale we had this summer for breast cancer. Instead of taking them to the good will, I think I'll find some way to get them to the nursing home or hospital for Christmas. They are not new -- do you think that would matter?

If they are in really good condition you can also consider donating them to your local police or fire department. Most PD/FD's now keep stuffed animals in their cruisers or apparatus to give out to young children at the scene of an incident. My fire department always had small teddy bears on our trucks and you can really see how much it would help. It gives the child something to cling to and really help them through a traumatic situation!