Eat at Jewish restaurants.
I’m sure plenty of Chinese people like pastrami but there isn’t an equivalent day like xmas. We should make one.
I traditionally spend Christmas with my family but only because we all usually have the day off. If I had a job where I had a choice to work on Christmas I would definitely take it over Thanksgiving. This year my parents I went for Chinese food. I don’t feel a bit bad for those working. They had a special Christmas menu with higher prices and therefore the tips were also higher. I’m sure they made a lot of money since the place was packed. I sort of consider it my duty as a good Jew to support the local Chinese restaurants on Christmas. I still can’t understand why so many people here are so convinced that Christmas is important to everybody. We used to joke in my family about “celebrating” the day that we all had off from work for some strange reason. However, aside from being off from work, the day seriously has no meaning for me and I see no need to do anything special to celebrate it. I find it presumptuous to assume that since the majority of people in this country are Christian that those who are working on Christmas are there under duress when the truth is that many either don’t care about the holiday or have volunteered to work in order to make more money. That said, I do tip generously, mostly because I’ve still partially been brainwashed by the Christian majority.
Not all celebrants of Christmas celebrate gathered 'round a big dinner table with family. My family does, and I’m fine with this arrangement. But when our beloved matriarch dies, who knows what will we do? I know that I’m not up to the challenge of standing over a hot stove all day long, so if the choice was left up to me, I’d be calling for a show of hands of those who want Chinese food. We can open presents when we get back home. And no one has to do the dishes afterwards!
People tend to overlook the fact that times like this often suck for folks who don’t have families, who are estranged from families, or who cannot visit families due to financial or logistical constraints. You know what sucks even more than being away from family? Not being able to carry on like everything’s normal because the whole world has shut down. Talk about throwing salt in one’s wounds.
So no, I wouldn’t feel guilty for going to a Chinese restaurant on Christmas. I don’t feel guilty for using electricity or the internet, watching television, running water, making a phone call, or filling up my gas tank. If you engage in these practices, then guess what? You’re making someone work during the holidays. The only difference between them and restaurant waitstaff is that the former is invisible to you. And they don’t benefit from a tip.
I always volunteered to work holidays. My family is pretty flexible on when we can get together so it hasn’t been an issue. Besides, I’m already getting paid for the holiday, why not get some overtime also.
I worked at a 24 hr gas station that closed at midnight on Christmas Eve, and reopened at 8a on Christmas day. I worked Christmas day once, and with a single exception every customer was extremely nice and polite. A lot of people just needed some random thing (like milk or eggs) and were apologetically embarrassed. The one except was some asshole who was waiting outside the door when we opened, complained about us not being open earlier, and then when we found that that we couldn’t break a $100 bill right away went threw a fit and started screaming about how we were ruining Christmas for his grandchildren. The store manager told him to go fuck himself. 
What if the person is working on Christmas b/c they need the money to pay their bills or buy food and Christmas is not their holiday ?? Christmas is just another day to me.
You don’t seem to understand the meaning of the word exploited. It’s ok a lot of people don’t either. To exploit someone you must be able to compel them to work for you and as a result of their lack of choice you make more money off that person than should be possible in a free market. We find that the more skilled a worker is the easier it is to exploit them. For example a doctor has a limited choice on what they can do because of the time and expense of becoming a doctor prevents them from finding employment that doesn’t use their medical schools. A low skill worker can economically move into any number of low skill positions. So if the food service industry requires working on Christmas and you don’t want to you can go be a janitor or any other low skill job. The employer is then required, if he wants to keep his workers, to offer incentive to get people to work on Christmas. Really the worker is exploiting his boss by requiring triple the normal wage to work on that day even though his productivity is probably lower on Christmas than on other days.
I work with people in Taiwan, and there are weeks when everyone is off. Chinese in the US celebrating these holidays are not going to have to worry about stores closing, so not the same thing.
BTW, this Christmas, because one of my daughters went to her in-laws Christmas day, we went to see Star Wars (90% full) and got Chinese takeout. And opened presents Saturday. No guilt.
A few years ago I noticed that one movie chain was open on Christmas Day. Many years prior, before we had kids, a friend and I used to go and play golf, for free, on deserted ritzy courses on Christmas Day. So I told my son I’d pack us a Christmas salad (it’s summer here) that we could eat at the movies as there would be no-one there, “Who’s going to see a movie on Christmas Day?”
It was the most crowded session I have ever been to in my life. But I think I was half right - we were the only two there…that weren’t Muslims. At that point I realized that there are a lot of people that don’t celebrate Christmas.
If only. The Christmas crowd can be exceptionally crazy. And in Aus, they are being crazy on a day when it’s hot, there aren’t any tradesmen working if anything goes wrong, and your suppliers are all closed.
New Year? My Malayasian Chinese relatives are a relaxed about New Year, but my traditional-mainland-chinese workmate definitely took the week off leading up to Chinese New Year. He had family commitments.
We do manufacturing in China. You can get dinner, but apart from that, China is shut for New Year.
FWIW. my mother used to work Christmas. The institution provided food for the residents, working staff, and us, family of the working staff. We didn’t feel guilty about it.
But I wouldn’t go out for Christmas dinner if I had a choice. In most places, the staff and kitchen are overworked, understaffed, inexperienced, hungover, and there’s not enough food to go around. And the other customers are even more demanding and greedy than normal.
It only sucks if the company treats you like crap.
Years ago I worked at a company where they had this Christmas party Christmas eve day and let all the day staff off early. But me, the lowly night computer operator, had to work my full shift and then some AND they didnt want to pay overtime and I was so pissed working late by myself I called up my manager. He told me if I didnt like it to find some other job. I left 3 months later and they closed that branch about a year later.
we have several Chinese suppliers where I work, and it seems like every time I turn around it’s Chinese New Year and they’re off for a week.
My family always celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve. I worked in movie theatres for years, and I always volunteered to work on Christmas Day.
Just chiming in to add that not everyone earns more on holidays. I’m in college, and work at a local pharmacy/grocery store. When I worked Christmas this year, I ago exactly zero extra compensation. They tell you that when they hire you, so I can’t exactly be mad, but I wasn’t really thrilled to be there.
We had Xmas dinner at a Chi-Thai place. It was packed, the servers didn’t seem particularly downtrodden and the food was delicious.
i’ve worked and/or been on call on numerous holidays. The warm glow of martyrdom helps sustain you.
No, under federal law servers have to be paid at least $7.25, same as any other job. The employer is allowed to credit tips made against that, with a maximum credit of $5.12 per hour.
From the Department of Labor
Lots of employers routinely violate the tip credit rules, though, and get away with it too often. I wish more tipped employees knew the rules and filed complaints.