Open on Christmas? I’m not impressed.
After spending a semester in a small town in Spain, I am now highly in favor of everyone taking a day off together once a week. With the exception of some restaurants—and even they closed for a few hours—most businesses were closed on Sunday. Sunday was spent in leisure, with the young people stumbling home at 5am to sleep and the older folks strolling in the square, having brunch with one another at a café, or playing games outside together. I wish I could have seen what summer in Spain was like, but I know that winter/early spring was like this and I’d love for it to be like this in America, too.
I know that gas stations need to be open, as do hospitals—but if there’s absolutely no need for your establishment to be open, let your workers have some time with family! I keep getting emails from various stores and restaurants about how they will be open on Christmas Day, and I am not impressed. Instead, it makes me want to NOT go to that restaurant or store again. One of my loved ones has to work Christmas night, and since it’s in the middle of the week this year, none of my loved ones are off for more than a single day. Not cool!
The only way I can see that working is beneficial is if your work team IS your family and you want to be together, and maybe you’re preparing food for others who have no family. That’s cool, but it would have to be strictly on a volunteer basis.
Do you have to work on Christmas? What is your opinion about working on the holiday?
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia