My Dad was a fireman and he worked 24 hours on and 48 hours off. I can still see the little calendar he received each year, there were three shifts and it was color coded, like blue, yellow and red and depending on which shift you were, that was the day you worked. It was nice to know a year in advance what days you would be working.
When we were little I am sure it didn't matter which day we celebrated Christmas the 24th or the 25th but as we were bigger I am sure they changed plans a little. What I do remember is if he was working Christmas day, my Dad would take us out for a ride in the car to see Christmas lights on Christmas Eve. Some how my Mom always stayed home. I don't remember any excuse she gave but she stayed home. After we were gone for a while, stay an hour or so. We would come home Mom would pretend she was waking up from a nap and guess who had visited while we were gone, Santa.
If my Dad had to work Christmas Eve and he came home from work on Christmas morning we had to wait for him to get home to open gifts. Do you know what I just realized there were a lot of Christmases my mother had to play Santa alone. I bet those years were not the years we received bikes.
This way no matter what day my Dad worked we all could celebrate Christmas together as a family. My Mom was a nurse but I don't remember how her working impacted our Christmas other then maybe we got up earlier to celebrate before she went to work. And what kid would argue about getting up earlier? None I know.
My Mom was a registered nurse, too, and I remember waking up early but having to wait until she came home from the hospital to see what Santa brought. My father would shut the door to the living room, and we would spend an hour trying to peek under and through the cracks!
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