Are you lounging on the sofa, scrolling through the timeline and enjoying a belly full of delicious Christmas food?
Good, it’s only right that you enjoy the fruits of your festive labour (or your parents’ labour).
But spare a thought to the poor folks who found themselves rising at the crack of dawn, not to open presents but to get dressed and navigate the labyrinth of Christmas travel to get to work while nursing a hangover, probably.
While most people are enjoying their day(s) off, Uber drivers, NHS staff, vicars and more have to tend to their customers, clients, or guests.
There are some other professions that are surprisingly open during Christmas too. Did you know staff at London Zoo have to work?
Someone’s got to wash the penguins, we suppose.
And while none of the people we interviewed are jetting off to the Cayman Islands in a £1,825 jacket like some people, they are doing meaningful things and spreading Christmas cheer in their own ways.
Veronica Heldt, ZSL London Zoo
‘Although 25 December is the one day of the year that the world-famous Zoo is closed to the public, ZSL keepers who look after the llamas, pygmy goats, coatis and owls will still have a full schedule of feeding, cleaning and preparing activities for the animals.
‘It’s a treat to have the place to ourselves as we get to spend even more one-on-one time with the animals we look after.
‘We like to make it a festive day for all, by placing their breakfast or lunch in a brightly wrapped box, or a tube wrapped to look like a cracker: it’s great for them to use their natural skills to open their presents – as kids do on Christmas morning!
‘The Zoo’s teams often meet for a quick festive eggnog after work, before they all go off to enjoy the evening with their families – before reopening to the public the following day, Boxing Day.’
Father Lee Taylor, Llangollen Group of Churches
‘Christmas is most certainly one of the busiest times of the year for priests, especially those of us that care for a group of churches.
‘We know that Christmas is an extended festival that begins on 25 December and should continue for at least twelve days. But, sadly this is not the case (due to consumerism).
‘Every day and every evening during this period is filled with Christmas engagements and duties: carol services in schools and nursing homes, concerts, services.
‘[There are also] invitations to deliver a Christmas message or to be the after-dinner speaker at a Christmas function for the various organisations in the town, just to name a few of my responsibilities at this time of year.
‘All full of joy and very good fun but very exhausting.
‘I celebrate the Mass of Christmas Day in each of my four churches which are in and around Llangollen, north wales. After each service, I believe it is important to spend time greeting people as they leave the church.
‘So, by the time I have finished my final service at my fourth church, it is the early part of the afternoon. Then I go and take communion to those, who through illness or infirmity, are housebound.
‘I am usually home and totally exhausted by the early evening and just want to go to bed but then find myself flat out on the floor with a large gin and tonic, trying to drown out the sound of carols whirling around my head.’
Tim, Red Cross
‘I’ve been sent to shouts on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. I’ve seen people affected by fires, flooding and all manner of things.
‘It’s heart-breaking to see over Christmas because it’s a time when people want to be at home with their friends and family.
‘I was called out to a flood in Bath a few Christmases ago. I arrived at a basement flat that was submerged in two feet of water. The tenant, a young man in his twenties, was devastated. He’d lost his home and most of his possessions to the flood.
‘He had a bad night. I don’t always take it home with me, but I’ve thought a lot about him since the call-out.
‘He lost everything. The man even lost one of his two chinchillas in the flood. It was really sad.
‘The fire brigade was there, but they just didn’t know where the water was coming from. They were pumping it out, but it just kept filling back up.
‘It must have been Christmas Eve because all his presents were in his flat and they were all floating around in the water.
‘The guy was standing in the hallway of his house, just wearing a pair of boxers. Everything was soaking wet and his trousers were drying out on the stairs.’
Rhian Livingstone, Craft Union Pub in collab with The Chatty Café scheme
‘We open Christmas Day to give back to our community and thank our customers for supporting us all year. This is also to ensure that none of our customers are lonely during the festive period – we want to offer a safe, friendly place for anyone who wants to join.
‘For those in the community that may have nowhere to go on Christmas Day, we invite them to join us for a full Christmas dinner including warm mince pies and drinks.
‘Usually, my family and loved ones join us at the pub on Christmas Day, alongside our customers as we are all very familiar with the locals and have a great time together.
‘If any of our family members can’t join, we plan to have our own Christmas party in January because it’s important we celebrate together.
‘We do our best to make Christmas Day festive by offering our customers a drink on the house to cheers for the day.
‘We also get the board games out and encourage everyone to participate, and later on, we gather and do sing-alongs to all the festive favourites which is always fun.
‘Our team also makes a special effort to give the pub a festive makeover with lots of beautiful, sparkling decorations, including trees, wreaths, garlands, stockings, Santa’s sack, whilst ensuring there’s plenty of Christmas crackers, table décor and mini-games too.’
Sue Peart, Samaritans Listening Volunteer
‘I will be doing a Samaritans shift in the early hours of Christmas morning. I look forward to going to the branch because there’s always such a welcoming atmosphere, and I enjoy seeing my fellow Samaritans volunteer colleagues. There’s quite a festive feel in the branch, with decorations, tangerines, and chocolates to help the shift go by.
‘After I’ve completed my shift I’ll go home, and I imagine the family will still be asleep! There’ll still be plenty of time to put the turkey in the oven and enjoy Christmas Day before my next shift, on Boxing Day.’
Martin Hollis, chef at The Old Course Hotel & Spa
‘On Christmas day we have between 28 and 30 people working in the kitchen, as well as all the front of house staff. The team here is really like our own family so there’s a nice atmosphere on Christmas day.
‘We’re all aware that we’re creating a special day for families eating at the hotel and we enjoy making it a special day.
‘There’s a good camaraderie in the kitchen and the staff is relaxed. Of course, I have to feed the hotel staff too and most kitchen staff sit down together on Christmas Day around 4.30 in the afternoon, between lunch and dinner service.
‘We put on a proper Christmas dinner for everyone and it’s always a good laugh. Even the Santa which visits our younger guests comes into the canteen for his Christmas dinner too!’
Marcio Delgado, content producer, Tribuna do Norte and GLAM Magazine
‘I will be on a rotating shift over Christmas, as a London-based UK correspondent for a couple of publications in Brazil, and it is not as bad as some may think.
‘I have done it before and you get to engage with lots of people because, as you have fewer emails landing in your inbox on Christmas day, there is plenty of time to reply to a lot of WhatsApp messages and social media posts left by the ones lurking at home.
‘Yes, celebrations become mainly virtual – and you don’t even feel guilty for eating panettone for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and not to share it with everyone else – but the peacefulness of working on a festive day, when everybody else is away from their desks, can make the day incredibly productive.’
MORE: Meet the divorced families who reunite every year for Christmas Day
MORE: Repeats of Christmas classics can help those with dementia
source https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/25/people-working-on-christmas-day-explain-how-they-make-it-festive-11921800/
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