Anyone here who hate the holidays?

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · Nov 19, 2012

I enjoy Christmas music. I love carollers. I sing like a really ill cat, but can belt out Silent Night with the best of em. LOL! I attend a "story of Christmas" play that some local kids partake in. The music is amazing. I grew up with my Mom not laying one thing out until all of us were in bed Christmas Eve. Even when us kids were older teenagers. I have tried with my own children to have a meaningful traditional Christmas with emphasis on the preperation and how beautiful it can be. It is really difficult when there's lots of "whatta ya mean you got a book. REALLY????? I got a laptop" kind of talk. Back in the day it was a few small things. But we loved them because the expectation was far different. So I enjoy the holiday preperations the most.

exit96 · Nov 19, 2012

Loath Entirely!!!!!!!! This year I am in my first year after graduation and not only do I have, student loans, mortgage, utilities, wife and 2 grown sons living at home, cars that require upkeep, animals that cause expenses, but NOW 'here comes good ole XMAS!!!' I COULD PUKE! Now I get to throw $$ at some stupid holiday! Let me swap presents with some of these people that I can't even stand to see let alone buy something for them!!! Someone stop the madness, I want to get off...

Soliloquy, MSN, APRN, NP · Nov 19, 2012

I like MY idea of the holidays. Not the rushing around trying to get everything and buy everything during a sale. That's just Economic BS as far as I'm concerned. But just the idea of relaxing, having a nice meal and just doing something outside of the ordinary (Like traveling and reading GOOD books). My family back in the Caribbean doesn't even celebrate Thanksgiving so it's no big deal. That being said, At some point I know I'll have to work for the holidays and I look forward to that too. It'll be a new change and a new experience.

lemur00, BSN, RN · Nov 19, 2012

Here is Canada. I had to get the provincial labour board involved in a dispute when I was working a non-union job as my employer tried to deny me stat pay because I worked a night (their argument being that I was "scheduled" for the day before the stat). Their answer was exactly what I said: our labour law states that EVERY non-unionized employee working from midnight to midnight on a stat is entitled time and a half. I have gotten stat pay at every single minimum wage job I have ever worked (including the disputed one after I let them know I had contacted Sask Labour, heh).

If your law doesn't have such a stipulation, maybe that's what people should focus on changing.

I don't know where "here" is, but there is no law that says employees must be paid anything extra, even on holidays (including Christmas day), unless they are working beyond the 40 hour standard week.
I used to work in a restaurant and I got paid nothing extra at all to work on Thanksgiving day or any other federal holiday.

redhead_NURSE98!, ADN, BSN · Nov 19, 2012

Umm...nurses and doctors are compensated accordingly. If you make 7.50 an hour as a cashier then you're gonna make 7.50 an hour on Christmas day also.

Glad you get holiday pay. I get no holiday pay (unless they decide at the last minute that everyone will get TWO EXTRA DOLLARS AN HOUR WOOOOOOO!) and prior to going PRN had no choice on working the holiday or not, they just automatically signed us up for whatever they felt like.

RosieICU · Nov 19, 2012

I love the holidays, always have.

I agree with the others saying that Christmas has become so materialistic, and it's very sad. We have lost the true meaning of the holidays (both religious and not religious) but as others have said, it doesn't have to be like that for you.

I love going out the weekend after Thanksgiving to pick out a tree, and arguing with my hubby about what size to get and where to put it. :roflmao: I love the smell it puts in the house, I love pine needles all over the living room. I enjoy listening to Christmas Music in the car, going to my daughters Christmas play at school, watching Home Alone/The Grinch/Charlie Browns Christmas, hot cocoa on a cold night, dinner at grandma's on Christmas Eve, watching my kids eyes light up as they open their packages from santa

The little traditions make me very happy

I enjoy buying presents for my family, and I do it because I want to. I don't buy excessively for my kids, nor do they get expensive electronics (Walmart toy section all the way!) I let them put money in the Salvation Army bucket whenever we go out and they pick out toys to donate to toys for tots every year. I want to teach them how blessed they are and that we should help those less fortunate whenever possible. My husband and I don't buy jewelry and electronics for one another. Just a few gifts from the heart that say "I love you"

It make me sad to see retail establishments open on actual Thanksgiving night this year, instead of Friday. Its become ridiculous and excessive that society is this materialistic, and its the one part of the Holidays I refuse to participate in. Christmas WILL NOT become another retail driven holiday to me

Ntheboat2 · Nov 20, 2012

Here is Canada. I had to get the provincial labour board involved in a dispute when I was working a non-union job as my employer tried to deny me stat pay because I worked a night (their argument being that I was "scheduled" for the day before the stat). Their answer was exactly what I said: our labour law states that EVERY non-unionized employee working from midnight to midnight on a stat is entitled time and a half. I have gotten stat pay at every single minimum wage job I have ever worked (including the disputed one after I let them know I had contacted Sask Labour, heh).
If your law doesn't have such a stipulation, maybe that's what people should focus on changing.

Canada explains it. They're light years ahead of the US on common sense and humanity. That's why there's no need to worry about the threats from Republicans to move to Canada since Obama won! :roflmao:

FranEMTnurse, CNA, LPN, EMT-I · Nov 21, 2012

I hate being a patient in the hospital for the holidays. And yes, I have spent every one as a patient in the hospital. In fact, a former physician of mine once asked me the stupidest question; "How come you pick holidays to spend in the hospital?"

Guest372004 · Nov 21, 2012

I have always hated the holidays, always. Except I love Thanksgiving. I always spend tons of time, tons of $ getting the house cleaned and make a huge meal and have people over. This year, tomorrow, I invited people from work who have no family to go to, etc. It is going to be a great day. As for Christmas, well that holiday can go to the dogs. Everyone rushing around buying stuff. I don't get it. We do not exchange gifts. In our family, we gift when we feel like it; not because we are supposed to. My favorite Christmas was being in Mexico on a little island.

BostonTerrierLover, BSN, RN · Nov 21, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!! , That's what's so cool about Nursing and the Holidays, you get to spend it with your friends...

@work:)

P.S. I am sooooooo thankful for my friends at Allnurses.com!!!!!!!!

jtmarcy12, BSN, RN · Nov 21, 2012

I love Thanksgiving but unfortunately I am unable to share with family. I live in northern California.

I would like to share something that happened to me about 10 years ago that I will never forget. I worked at a hospital in Maryland as a travel nurse. One of the nurses there had a husband who was a preacher and we talked and she invited me to her church and I went. When thanksgiving came another nurse at work invited me to her family's Thanksgiving dinner. She said I knew you are here by yourself and I did not want you to be alone. I was overjoyed that she thought of me. She was married so obviously her thoughts did not center around a single woman around her husband.

When I returned to work the nurse whose church I went to asked "well what did you do for Thanksgivings" I said Laura invited me to her family's home for dinner, she said " oh I did not know you two were "close"? I said we are not she just thought of me being alone and invited me to her home for Thanksgiving dinner. The preacher's wife nurse said " well I just did not think about you"; but she only invited me to church just to make herself look good.

So this Thanksgiving think of someone who maybe alone with no where to go and invite them to a Thanksgiving's dinner, you will never know how much joy you will bring into that person's life!!! you may be saving their life!! Blessing's to you all:yes:

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Nov 21, 2012

My husband has a very close friend, who is closer to my mom's age than ours. He's your typical 'biker' kind of guy. Bald (by choice), tats everywhere, long unruly beard and moustache, black leather..you know that image most people think of when they think 'biker'. He is part of the family in a way. He 'hates' the holidays. He lives alone, (been married and divorced several times), his kids don't pay much attention to him and he typically spends holidays alone. If you asked him what he was doing for the holiday he'd gruff..."sitting at home watching tv, right where i want to be, I hate the holidays". We have asked him several times over the years to join us for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas and he's always taken us up on our offer. He always seems to enjoy himself, is very friendly and sweet to the rest of our family and helps cook or clean up. (funny seeing him help with 'women folk' clean or cook while the guys are watching tv)

I finally realized he doesn't hate the holiday, he hates spending it alone. The last several years we haven't had dinners at our home (due to me working and the family going to other family dinners or we go to my family dinner) we;ve invited him to go with us but he's declined (both sides of our family know and really like him and asked us to extend the invite to him) so he hasn't been to any holiday dinners We asked him to come to dinner for tomorrow, he accepted. I'm thrilled he won't be alone and because we get to make his just a bit happier.

So although I truly don't like the holidays for the reason i mentioned a previous one, I do love allowing another person to have the opportunity to celebrate and eat with us...someone who'd be all alone eating a tv dinner on those days.