What do you do at your workplace to still feel the spirit of Christmas?

JerseyTomatoMDCrab, BSN · Dec 9, 2016

:singing:I'll be home for the hol-i-days:singing:

There's no place like home for the holidays!

JerseyTomatoMDCrab, BSN · Dec 9, 2016

Oh for heaven's sake!

Not everybody believes in heaven, you need to tone it down. Gosh, I am offended.

Wuzzie · Dec 9, 2016

Not everybody believes in heaven, you need to tone it down. Gosh, I am offended.

Snort! :roflmao:

allnurses Guide · Dec 9, 2016

@Spidey'sMom: NSR does mean normal sinus rhythm. However, that is considered redundant in many circles. "Sinus" is a normal rhythm, so saying NORMAL sinus rhythm is redundant. That's how I was taught, anyway! We just say "sinus rhythm."

I know - I just thought when I first read that post that the author meant "NSR" to be something else and maybe I was just tired. Thanks though!

Oh for heaven's sake! Can we no longer just appreciate somebody's good wishes for us anymore?? "Blessed Eid"-thank you very much! "Habari Gani?"-thank you very much! (actually saying thank you isn't the right response but I'm sure it will be well-received all the same)"Happy Hanukkah"-thank you very much! "Merry Christmas"-thank you very much!
It really isn't all that hard people. Assume good intent and you will find good intent and we all will live much better lives.
Nollaig chridheil!!!!

That is such a good point - assume good intent and you will find good intent and we all will live much better lives. :inlove:

Not everybody believes in heaven, you need to tone it down. Gosh, I am offended.

And humor helps too. :lol2:

Our lexicon is littered with phrases that have religious origins. The last Gallup poll I could google up says over 90% of people believe in "God" so it seems like overkill that we have to tip toe around so as not to offend someone. Maybe the right answer is what has already been said and that is focus on intent. I certainly wouldn't give those sweet ladies who made warm lap blankets for the folks our in LTC as Christmas presents any grief for being kind.

Some phrases I found:

A drop in the bucket; Breaking bread; Hail Mary (a Hail Mary pass in football); no rest for the wicked; Bless you; Bite the dust (Another one bites the dust by Queen ).

I think the OP's question about what do we do at our workplace to still feel the spirit of Christmas doesn't mean a strict interpretation of how a Christian would do it. In fact, some Christians don't have Christmas trees!

annabanana2 · Dec 9, 2016

I work in the community but we still work 365 days a year doing something similar to home health. It has been a difficult year, we have lost many of our community members to overdose and the crisis is continuing unabated. Usually we don't do anything explicitly Christmasy but we'll decorate the clinic with generic winter things (snowflakes, snowmen, etc) and we offer gifts and food to folks that come to see us the last day the clinic is open regular hours before Christmas Day. This year it'll be the 23rd. Even though very few of our clients, if any, identify as Christian, most still say things like "Merry Christmas" and celebrate the holiday in a non-religious fashion.

AvaRose · Dec 9, 2016

Tacky Christmas decorations littering the hallways so you can barely get your med cart through. Plus yesterday there were 50 small children singing carols in the dining room. They were so loud the nurses couldn't hear the doctor when he was tying to clarify orders.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Dec 9, 2016

Previously worked in a Catholic hospital so decorating OK ..since night shift I got the honor to hang our designs in our 14 bed unit. One year I took a sleeve of plastic med cups, red ribbon and glitter and made them into bells we hung on the doorway. Yearly decorating contest, entered our theme of Christmas music round the world, blew up sheet music of songs and carols, to place on doors. Another warm holiday season, we made paper snowflakes and hung in hallways. Staff would chip in for dollar store smalls stocking's which we filled with hand cream or pair socks, small candy cane which we placed on tray table during 6AM med pass along with "Holiday Wishes" greeting card that staff signed.

Night shift had monthly pot lucks with international cuisine as staff from around the world, outstanding in December. Hospital had dinner or deluxe breakfast for all to participate.

Now these groups REALLY creative:

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Julius Seizure · Dec 9, 2016

Every year the nurses do something cute and crafty for our patients families - footprints of the babies turned into reindeer, ornaments with each kids name on them, etc. The nurses station also was lined with stockings for all the unit staff (doctors, techs, RTs, nurses, HUC).

VegGal, BSN, RN · Dec 9, 2016

We all know nurses barely get the holidays off. What do you do at your workplace to still feel the spirit of Christmas? What are the simple or big things that you do for your patients during this season? Share your experience and make this year's holiday a memorable one!

In years past I used to bake cookies and tartlets (mini pies) and take those in for all my residents and co-workers in LTC. However I was in management then, and I lived in a much less litigious state (I'm in California now). I also used to arrange for church groups to come in and do performances and for groups of carolers to come in as well, and the residents enjoyed those very much. We also had Santa show up and take pics with residents' grandkids and with the pets in our facility as well as our pets.

This is my first year as an RN in California and I've decided that the only thing I'm going to do is to order a couple trays of cookies from a nice bakery in town, and take those in for the nurses' station. I'll be working Christmas day and would like to do that for the LVNs and CNAs, but nothing for the patients this year.

KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN · Dec 10, 2016

Christmas decorations everywhere - we encourage families to bring their own... sometimes it gets a bit out of hand, sort of.

The Powers organize at least one Christmas dinner for staff with everybody being welcome (but myself and another guy who is allergic to everything, too :cry: )

We are allowed to wear Christmas scrubs on designated days (instead of company uniform only), which is nice. Also hats, ugly sweaters, etc.

Everybody bakes - we have more than a few enthusiasts, myself including. I love to work on Christmas and always bring something plus cookies for those of patients who are able to eat. For those who can't, I bring cards. Of course, there will be big potlucks on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Doctors usually bring fruits, chocolates or something else.

The choir groups from local churches come at least twice and sign carols for patients.

Overall, it all adds quite a bit of activity and cheer. Only one thing among that which makes me sad is that we started to get our yearly wave of those who were sure that flu shots were too painful/too much hassle/only fed money to Big Pharma/etc. and ended up on vents, with no chance to get home for Christmas at least for this year.

KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN · Dec 10, 2016

@Spidey'sMom: NSR does mean normal sinus rhythm. However, that is considered redundant in many circles. "Sinus" is a normal rhythm, so saying NORMAL sinus rhythm is redundant. That's how I was taught, anyway! We just say "sinus rhythm."

Except that there is "sinus tachy", "sinus brady", "sinus tachy/brady", "sinus rhythm with block", "wandering sinus" and quite a few of othes. Some of them can be "normal", some are always pathological and some actually can end up as a full blown code while still being completely "sinus".

Just to make things clear :yes:

allnurses Guide · Dec 10, 2016

Good post KatieMI :yes:

NurseKaren - fun ideas!

This afternoon while waiting for a LTC patient to be d/c'd home on hospice, the local community choir came to do the Annual Christmas Cantata. It was really beautiful - and the residents loved it. Our community does a lot of events for the hospital employees and/or residents.

Tonight is our hospital's employee Christmas dinner at a local restaurant. I'm not going - just got in from hospice admit. Too tired. But I know it will be fun.