What a great plan! I'm glad it's working out for you, Debby. Enjoy your holiday celebration with your family.

I couldn’t agree with you more about the need for companies to put heart before $$ when it comes to the holidays. We’ve been known to move our holiday celebrations to days that are more convenient for us so I think your plan is a great one. A win win for everyone. Sounds like Oma’s going to have a very Merry Christmas!

Lucille, my husband has worked many many Christmases. He is a tow truck driver and the company he works for has the city contract. They work in 4 hour shifts on Christmas day and sure enough there will be 0 calls all day. Not until he makes his dinner plate and puts his fork in his mashed potatoes. Every. time. LOL He's been off work six years next month (injured on the job). This year it's my turn to work.

My students were whining about having to work holidays....I reminded them the residents at the nursing homes where they work are there 24/7 and need their care even if it is inconvenient. Many many people have to work holidays and we are blessed when do it cheerfully. My husband used to have to wait for Dad to return from calls to celebrate. He was a rural Veterinarian. When my first sister married she declared we would trade off celebrating Christmas traditionally one year and New Year's the next. We schlepped our three to my family one weekend and DH's the next, for 10 years. It was INSANE trying to hide gifts..pack...I finally said ENOUGH and we stayed put!! I wanted my kids to build traditions at their own home. We attempted our own celebration before we left one year. It did't take me long to decide that was gifting/celebrating OVER LOAD. I love what many of my friends do make a point to gather as a family during the summer when there isn't travel and weather issues and no one is pulled other directions. I wish my family of origin would have chosen to adopt this idea. sigh.

I am a nurse and my husband worked swing shift for 36 years. He worked almost all holidays, just worked out that way. Someone had to be there 24/7. Our kids never knew what day Santa would arrive, we just had to work around his my schedule. Kids never missed a beat and did not say a thing. Now our daughter has a new BF that works weird hours. I don't think you know what is it like...…. she said the heck I don't, that was our life. He was happy that she understood.

It really doesn't matter what day a holiday is celebrated on, just so long as one is with ones dear ones.

Yes, I deplore stores that stay open when there is no real need. Restaurants used to all be closed as they should be. No one "must" eat out on Christmas - they can plan ahead and bring in some food if they truly do not cook. I know - I know - in NYC it is a Jewish tradition to go out for Chinese food on Christmas Day. Heck, if it works for the Chinese, then go for it.

Hospitals and innumerable other places must have workers ALL days of the year. Usually, such places try hard to rotate off days for the holidays. My yard man works in housekeeping at a local hospital; he worked Thanksgiving, but is off Christmas and New Years. It seemed fair to him.

I'm ALMOST ready for my family dinner tomorrow night. ALMOST... Off the computer and up to the kitchen to finish up.

I'm glad you found a way to be with your family! Live life to it's fullest....even if work gets in the way....sometimes. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Just know it's not just retail and hospitals that are open 24/7. I worked in a computer room and they NEVER close either.

(Sort of) sorry to add a bit more stress, on you who "work", as in being employed for essential compensation.

One more reason to be thankfully retired, not having to juggle the timing of when to celebrate holidays.

Could you use a Christmas gift from ole ... (let's call it "old" this time - as it involves suggestions/((advice)) from one who claims to be a senior) ... old joyful/joyfuelled.

Sometimes I approach a smoker, usually one standing the required 75 feet or so outside the door of a store or mall and with a smile and a bit of a lilt in my voice, I say that how s/he chooses to live his/her life is their business ... but ... how would s/he like to retire early?

As you can imagine, I receive a variety of responses, but try to keep the conversation in a humorous, light-hearted fashion.

Perhaps it's substantially curiosity, coupled with their impression that it looks as though this (old) guy isn't about give them a hard time, but quite a few are willing to pursue the conversation.

I suggest that they write down the cost of their smoking for at least a month, but I suggest that a quarter or a half or a year may be better ... and give thought to whether they might like to retire early ... and whether transferring a good (and increasing?) portion of that money to investing for an earlier retirement might be a good idea?

Plus ... it's been pretty well established that non-smoking may add years, and more than likely healthier years, at that, to one's life.

If the conversation is going well I may ask whether they might be interested in using some of their spare time to start a new hobby. As a financial planner for some time, I've suggested to quite a few people that learning how money works can be an interesting hobby - and it pays well! As does learning about taxes!

Back to old joyful's gift to you.

If you're a smoker - you might like to consider the message so far as part of it.

Is it time to have a hard look at the results of Christmas at your home/in your extended family connection, as to whether, in the light of remembering that much of the media advertising related to the season pretty well paints a picture of Christmas as equalling shopping ...

... the gifts that are exchanged really provide sufficient value to the recipients among your family and loved ones to make them worth their cost??

Many families choose to choose names and give to only one adult, and others choose to concentrate on gatherings of loved ones. Some choose also to agree among their connected ones to devote a percentage of their Christmas giving to helping needy fellow humans.

For a number, they might be tempted to reconsider the above ... when the credit card statements arrive in the new year. (Anyone up for an addition to the new year's resolution list?).

If you don't/aren't able to pay the credit card bill in full each month, if you don't know the rate of interest you're assessed ... in your wise and effective management of your money, it's important that you find out! On many store-issued cards it's often up near 30% annual rate, compounded monthly, and on bank-issued and similar agencies, up just under 20% - but several percentage points higher on cash advances.

For those of you with ongoinng balances owing on your credit card(s) ... how faithful are you at fulfilling promises that you make to yourself?? If your record is bad - ignore what I'm about to say - please - please!!!

Quite likely your bank/credit union may be willing to lend you money at 5% or less: less if you have collateral or co-singer (who'll have to pay if you default!).

Your promise is to buy no more using the card till the loan is paid off ...

... and after that, your iron-clad promise to yourself is that those amounts owing must be paid in full every billing period!!

Anyone who fails should have arranged with four friends to give him/(her?) a kick in the rump every month so long as that new credit card balance runs over that month.

The lower rate if interest will enable the loan to be paid off much earlier!

And don't e.g me started on these horrible pay day loans - $20. fee to borrow $200. for up to two weeeks?!?!

Horrible!

I hope that you all have a joyful, companionable and blessed Christmas/holiday and a new year that brings the fulfilment of one/some of your dreams ... and the envisioning of some new and worthwhile ones!

Remember, please ... learning how money works is an interesting hobby - that pays well. Taxes, too.

old joyful (ole joyfuelled)

I don't smoke. I rarely drink. I have $0 debt and my house is paid for. But I don't know what this has to do with me still needing to work or the fact we celebrated Christmas early so that my son and his girlfriend could spend the day with her family this year.