# What do you do that's so important that YOU have to work Christmas Eve? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 24, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469 "2004-12-24T14:04:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![mcott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@mcott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcott)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469/41 "2004-12-25T05:33:43Z")
What I do: Travel agent - 24 hour emergency line. ---
**Author:** ![Venoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c4cdca/32.png) [@Venoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Venoma)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469/42 "2004-12-25T05:36:40Z")
DirecTV customer support. At least 1/2 of the people scheduled had to be there - I opted to take just 1 of the 2 days off… 3 day weekend! Woo! ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469/43 "2004-12-25T06:42:25Z")
Data processing and system monitoring. We work 24/7, 365. I’m here till 6am, then I have to be back at 6pm. ---
**Author:** ![Catfood\_Purrito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Catfood\_Purrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catfood_Purrito)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469/44 "2004-12-25T07:02:28Z")
Didn’t have to work tonight, but I work tomorrow, Christmas Day. Actually, I had my choice of which day to have off, and since my family always does our big thing Christmas Eve, that’s what I chose. I’m a medical transcription quality control person. I’m not entirely sure why I have to work. I’m pretty sure it’s because there has to be a transcription supervisor around, so to make her feel better about having to work, they make a QA too. Same reason I have to work weekends. Pretty dumb. There’s not a single “just in case” sort of reason for me to be there. ---
**Author:** ![Ender\_Will](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Ender\_Will](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ender_Will)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469/45 "2004-12-25T07:39:29Z")
Not at work anymore, but I put in a good 6 and a half hours making smoothies. And selling gift cards for smoothies. Wasn’t too bad, everyone was friendly, we closed at 6 and by 7 I had cleaned/closed the store, taken my coworker to the train station, got some gas and was home helping make dinner. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469/46 "2004-12-25T08:02:32Z")
> [@](#): > > Yep, I worked. At the mexican restaurant that I’ve always worked at. Who, you may ask, goes out to eat at a mexican restaurant on Christmas Eve? Silly Doper, everybody knows that us Jews go out for Chinese on Christmas. P.S. Working at the hospital. When all five docs in your call group are Jewish, there is a fight for who gets to work Christmas. I won this year but next year I have to work Thanksgiving ☹ . ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469/47 "2004-12-25T11:00:02Z")
Entertaining visitors. It’s our busy time of the year, and I’ll be working daily til New Year’s Eve (day shift). Ironically, the reason I requested NYE and New Year’s Day off is now moot. Oh well, I can catch up on my reading. Just me, the cat and the bird for the holidays. Christmas Eve dinner was scrambled eggs and kielbasa, and Christmas Day dinner is free at work today. ---
**Author:** ![wenonahbone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b4bc9f/32.png) [@wenonahbone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wenonahbone)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469/48 "2004-12-25T11:09:49Z")
Making the gasoline, making the jet fuel, making the home heating oil… ---
**Author:** ![Badge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Badge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badge)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469/49 "2004-12-25T11:28:29Z")
Working graveyard patrol. Lately, that has mostly involved searching for a burglar who is nailing all of our businesses downtown. I only take a break from searching for him to handle the occasional domestic violence call and haul someone off to jail (those types of calls really do increase around the holidays). Nothing like a good knock-down drag-out under the Christmas tree to really put me in a holiday mood! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469/50 "2004-12-25T11:53:50Z")
As for me, I spent the first 8 hours of the day doing telephone tech. support for a company that makes computer peripherals (mostly, my job entails troubleshooting internet connections… gotta keep people able to access their Christmas online porn!). My second job (where I am now. It’s actually 3:55AM on Christmas morning now, but it was still technically Christmas eve when I came in…) is in the network operations center of one of the local cable companies. Gotta make sure that the night-owls here can get their cable porn during the evening! As well as their fill of Ron Popeil (advertising porn? Hmmm…). ---
**Author:** ![MrO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@MrO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrO)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469/51 "2004-12-25T15:29:53Z")
Don’t suppose I _had_ to, but this Christmas eve I was at home grading papers. The students will want their grades when classes resume on January 3. In the past, I’ve worked several Christmases and other holidays as a firefighter, and a few as a convenience store clerk. **Astroboy14** - how did I know that your Christmas activities would, in some way or another, involve porn? ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469/52 "2004-12-25T18:52:42Z")
> [@MrO](#): > > **Astroboy14** - how did I know that your Christmas activities would, in some way or another, involve porn? What, doesn’t _everybody’s_?? I’m going to have to have a talk with my family today… ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469/53 "2004-12-25T19:45:23Z")
Sell groceries. Well, supervise people who sell groceries. 12/23 and 12/24, we moved ~$230k total in groceries, whereas a normal Thu / Fri is ~$90k combined. I’m so tired when I get off, but I actually kind of enjoy it. Besides, my entire family is the two people I live with, so a big family dinner can happen more or less whenever we want. We also don’t usually do a present exchange, so today’s just a day off work to me. ---
**Author:** ![kdeus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b487fb/32.png) [@kdeus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kdeus)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469/54 "2004-12-25T21:55:37Z")
**Guard the U.S. Coast.** I’m in a cult, so we do Christmas on 7 January and I volunteer for the 25th so that my mates have the day off, but this year Mrs. Kdeus, -1, -2, and Mom are all at my brother’s, who is moving out the country this Spring and I really would rather be with them than here. damn. ---
**Author:** ![gfloyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d2c977/32.png) [@gfloyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gfloyd)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2004, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469/55 "2004-12-25T22:47:04Z")
I sell books and calenders. I worked close yesterday. I deserve combat pay. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469/56 "2004-12-26T00:52:56Z")
I worked at McDonald’s. Important work, that is. ---
**Author:** ![Lillith\_Fair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@Lillith\_Fair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lillith_Fair)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469/57 "2004-12-26T03:12:49Z")
Church organist. 6:00, 9:00 & 11:00. It was 2 below zero when I got into the car afterwards. Home at 12:35, felt like I’d been hit by a truck. Put labels on the packages (I have to keep in my office at church so my daughter won’t find them) but didn’t bother with ribbons or bows this year. Too tired to care. It just slows down the unwrapping, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469/58 "2004-12-26T11:01:08Z")
> [@MrO](#): > > **Astroboy14** - how did I know that your Christmas activities would, in some way or another, involve porn? Ho, Ho, Ho! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469/59 "2004-12-26T13:38:59Z")
I work in a deli. I guess people’s christmas’ would be ruined if they couldn’t make sandwiches or eat spinach dip 😕 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-thats-so-important-that-you-have-to-work-christmas-eve/281469.md?page=2)